Delivery Manager - Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government - SEO

Location

Bristol, Darlington, Leeds, Manchester, Wolverhampton

About the job

Job summary

We are MHCLG

Here at the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG), we work on things that make a real difference to people’s lives. Whether it's through the homes we live in, the work of our local councils, or the communities we’re all part of, our work is at the top of the political agenda.

Local AI is a new team within MHCLG, working with councils to unlock the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) in local public services. We support the responsible adoption of AI across local government, focusing on practical tools that save time, reduce costs and improve services for residents.

Local AI’s goal is not simply to introduce new technology. We work with councils and partners to solve real service challenges where AI can make the biggest difference.

Our work spans product development, service transformation, capability building and shaping the wider adoption of AI across local government. Recent examples include Local Transcribe our work supporting councils to responsibly adopt AI, and looking at how AI can play a role in temporary accommodation.

Joining Local AI offers a rare opportunity to help shape how one of the most significant changes of our time is applied in public services. You will work alongside experts from local and central government, academia and industry to test new ideas, deliver practical solutions and help improve outcomes for millions of people who rely on local services every day.

As a Delivery Manager, you will lead multidisciplinary teams to deliver AI products and services that help councils tackle real-world challenges. You will create the conditions for teams to succeed, removing obstacles, managing delivery risks and helping products move from discovery and incubation through to live operation and scale. Working closely with councils, partners and stakeholders, you will support the successful delivery of products such as Local Transcribe and future Local AI initiatives.

Find out more about our Digital teams and what they are working on through our MHCLG Digital blog.  Please note that MHCLG do not offer visa sponsorship and applicants will need a valid visa for the duration of your employment. 

Job description

The Delivery Manager is accountable for the performance of the team. As a Delivery Manager you’ll: 

• Build and maintain teams, ensuring they are motivated, collaborating and working well
• Help facilitate continuous improvement and apply the most appropriate delivery methodology tools and techniques in the cross-functional teams, and work with other delivery managers to share skills and knowledge
• Plan, align and lead team agile ceremonies, ensuring the team maintains a good rhythm, cadence and delivery cycle 
• Lead planning for the delivery of the teams' mission – ensuring visibility of objectives and delivery detailed in quarterly cycles
• Identify obstacles to delivery and help break down barriers and overcome those obstacles for your team
• Work closely with Product, User-centred design, Operation, Policy and Technology colleagues to understand and deliver new services and products
• Work closely with several external technology suppliers to understand, prioritise and track change deliverables and milestones on digital products and services
• Manage dependencies, risks, resources, monitor costs and overcome obstacles to deliver best value to the users

Person specification

As a Delivery Manager, you'll have:

• Proven expertise in agile delivery of digital products and projects, able to recognise, reflect and adapt when something does not work, encouraging experimentation and use a blended approach depending on the context
• Ability to act as the point of contact for contracted suppliers with the ability to demonstrate commercial awareness and deliverables acceptance, and able to quickly grasp and navigate appropriate internal processes within a government department
• Experience with identifying and actively addressing internal and external risks, issues and dependencies including where ownership exists outside the team
• Good interpersonal skills with the ability to understand, empathise, negotiate and influence individuals and groups using a variety of methods strong communication skills with the ability to listen and interpret the needs of technical and business stakeholders
• Experience of bringing people together to form a motivated high-performing team, empowering them to deliver