Senior Delivery Manager

Job summary

The Government Digital Service (GDS) is the digital centre of government. We are responsible for setting, leading and delivering the vision for a modern digital government.

Our priorities are to drive a modern digital government, by:

1. joining up public sector services
2. harnessing the power of AI for the public good
3. strengthening and extending our digital and data public infrastructure
4. elevating leadership and investing in talent
5. funding for outcomes and procuring for growth and innovation
6. committing to transparency and driving accountability

We are home to the Incubator for Artificial Intelligence (I.AI), the world-leading GOV.UK and at the forefront of coordinating the UK’s geospatial strategy and activity. We lead the Government Digital and Data function and champion the work of digital teams across government.

We’re part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and employ more than 1,000 people all over the UK, with hubs in Manchester, London and Bristol.

The Government Digital Service is where talent translates into impact. From your first day, you’ll be working with some of the world’s most highly-skilled digital professionals, all contributing their knowledge to make change on a national scale.

Join us for rewarding work that makes a difference across the UK. You'll solve some of the nation’s highest-priority digital challenges, helping millions of people access services they need

Job description

Former DSIT recruitment campaigns are continuing as usual, but candidates should be aware that following the Government’s announcement on the changes to some civil service departments, roles will be subject to the machinery of government moves and will ultimately be in one of the new departments. We will provide more information if you are selected for a role. This work remains of high importance to the civil service, and we thank you for your continued interest.

We are seeking passionate Senior Delivery Managers who thrive in fast-paced environments and possess expert knowledge of Agile and other methodologies to enable national scale delivery at pace.

Working within the Products and Services directorate, you will be working as part of a growing cross-functional team, as well as working with internal and external stakeholders across government and the wider public sector.

You will be core to making decisions that build a high performing team, adept at breaking down barriers, planning at a higher level whilst getting into the details to make things happen when needed.

As a Senior Delivery Manager, you’ll:

• lead and motivate multiple multi-disciplinary teams, helping them organise and plan their work, ensuring they deliver timely products and services that actually meet users’ needs

• co-create and co-own plans and progress using recognised lean/agile practices, and communicate status to senior stakeholders and users appropriately

• provide useful and accurate delivery metrics to facilitate continual improvement

• facilitate an inclusive team environment where innovation and challenge are welcomed from all colleagues

• delivery to the agreed goals, actively tackling impediments, risks and blockers, and communicating and escalating where necessary

• continually improve the effectiveness, efficiency and cohesion of teams

• work with senior leaders and stakeholders in GDS to ensure all needs are understood and to influence strategic direction

• develop, guide and coach your delivery manager line reports

• manage stakeholders to ensure strategic alignment and effective communication, taking into account organisational context and different needs and priorities, dealing constructively with conflicting views

• work in partnership with product and technical leads on high profile work in ambiguous, complex and/or uncertain domains

• promote continual improvement, good communication and collaboration across the organisation using the principles of agile at scale

Person specification

Our delivery professionals work on a diverse range of projects, products and services within GDS and across government departments.

You’ll have strong interpersonal skills and enjoy working in a demanding, high profile agile environment. You’ll be passionate about agile working, care about technology and know how to make projects succeed. You’ll share the belief that how you work is as important as what you deliver.

We’re interested in people who:

• have a significant track record in successfully delivering digital projects and products

• use agile practices to ensure the iterative and timely delivery of products and services that serve real user needs

• facilitate effective workshops which give a voice to all participants and provide concrete outputs that enable delivery

• lead successful high functioning multidisciplinary delivery teams which are aligned to the organisation’s strategic priorities and the needs of stakeholders

• actively tackle impediments, risks and blockers, and communicating and escalating where necessary

Benefits

There are many benefits of working at GDS, including:

• flexible hybrid working with flexi-time and the option to work part-time or condensed hours
• a Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%
• 25 days of annual leave, increasing by a day each year up to a maximum of 30 days
• an extra day off for the King’s birthday
• an in-year bonus scheme to recognise high performance
• career progression and coaching, including a training budget for personal development
• a focus on wellbeing with access to an employee assistance programme
• job satisfaction from making government services easier to use and more inclusive for people across the UK
• advances on pay, including for travel season tickets
• death in service benefits
• cycle to work scheme and facilities
• access to an employee discounts scheme
• 10 learning days per year
• volunteering opportunities (5 special leave days per year)
• access to a suite of learning activities through Civil Service learning

Any move to Government Digital Service from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

Office attendance
The Department operates a discretionary hybrid working policy, which provides for a combination of working hours from your place of work and from your home in the UK. The current expectation for staff is to attend the office or non-home based location for 40-60% of the time over the accounting period.
DSIT does not normally offer full home working (i.e. working at home); but we do offer a variety of flexible working options (including occasionally working from home).

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by