Deputy Director, Elections Digital (job share) - MHCLG - SCS1

Location

Bristol, Darlington, London, Manchester, Wolverhampton

About the job

Job summary

The Elections Directorate is responsible for a challenging and dynamic policy landscape, always in the public eye, covering electoral policy and law. This includes how elections are run, who can participate and how elections and campaigning are regulated.

Job description

This is an exciting Deputy Director role jointly heading up the Elections Digital Division. This is a team of enthusiastic and highly skilled digital specialists, geographically dispersed across the UK. Our multidisciplinary in-house digital team is the driving force behind the development and delivery of excellent elections services for users, as well as the day-to-day operational running of those services. We are looking to build our in-house development capability in the coming years.

The division has a portfolio of 7 products and services, including the flagship Register to vote service. Over recent years, we’ve rapidly expanded our portfolio, and electors can now apply online for postal votes, proxy votes and photo identification.

As well as continuing to develop our existing products and services to better meet user needs, the Digital Division has a big part to play in delivering Government Manifesto commitments and other Ministerial priorities. Lowering the voting age to 16 requires changes to all our elector-facing services, making them the first interaction that many young people will have with the gov.uk estate. We are also seeking to improve registration by use data and links between government services to increase the number of people correctly registered to vote.

Within our programme structure, all the Deputy Directors also act as project directors for individual projects within the programme, taking end to end responsibility for delivery of all aspects of the projects.

Key Accountabilities

• Play an active role in the Elections Directorate SCS leadership team, helping to make it a fantastic place to work, developing our people.
• Lead the Digital Electoral Service (DES) portfolio, made up of 7 services, and ensuring the continued improvement and adoption of digital best practice.
• Lead the delivery of the digital development required to support the implementation of Government Manifesto commitments, including votes at 16 and improving registration.
• Develop the Elections Digital Division, building our in-house capacity and capability.
• Act as overall project director for individual projects within the overall Elections change programme.
• Work closely with colleagues across the department,analytical, legal, finance and commercial to ensure existingservices and new digital development are successfully delivered, offer value for money and consider legal and implementation opportunities and risks, underpinned by sound financial management.
• Represent the department in cross government and stakeholder forums.
• Use commercial acumen to assess value within externally contracted services, whilst partnering with, challenging and successfully managing external suppliers.
• Influence at all levels, including Ministerial, with both digital and non-digital colleagues.

Person specification

This role requires a strategic leader who can work at pace with the ability to develop a high performance culture.

You will be responsible for both the existing portfolio and the development required to deliver the Government's priorities for improving elections – all with the end-user in mind. To do so, you will be able to effectively manage multiple senior relationships, across all levels of Government and stakeholders.

You will be comfortable working across digital services and with budgets, able to advise with confidence how to ensure successful delivery.

You will have a strong focus on developing your team to perform at its best, give constructive challenge, and act as a trusted advisor into our policy teams.

Like the rest of MHCLG, we have an ambition to build more digital capabilities in-house, but currently some of our digital services are delivered by third parties. This means you must have commercial awareness, and be confident dealing with third party suppliers, ensuring we get the most out of relationships.

You will report to the Elections Director and be a visible leader within the directorate. Contributing to and shaping an inclusive team culture.

Previous leadership experience in government is not required, but you will be expected to quickly get up to speed with the directorate's high priority agenda.

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.

Essential Criteria

• Ability to demonstrate confident and empowering leadership, setting strategic direction through political, social and technological ambiguity.
• Experience of managing digital services, implementation and delivery. Championing continuous service design and capable of identifying and overcoming risks.
• Experience of working across policy/digital/analytical boundaries to lead multidisciplinary teams, promoting user-centred methods for service design and policymaking.
• Commercial and budget management skills to provide advice on strategic supplier contractual relationships and annual budgets.
• Experience shaping and leading a diverse and inclusive culture; motivating people to develop and perform to high standards; promoting equality and inclusion and leading people through change.
• Ability to work in partnership and deliver through others, working confidently with a range of experts, as well as across wider Government, industry partners and stakeholders.

Desirable criteria

• Experience of working with ministers or equivalent senior stakeholders: securing their confidence and supporting your team to deliver against their priorities.
• The ability to work across government departments to deliver programmes.