Head of Digital Delivery Service in Belfast

Reports to: Director Digital Technology Services

Budget: £10,000,000

Staff: 33

Heads of Service are responsible for working flexibly and collaboratively with the relevant Chief Officer and Directors to provide leadership to the EA’s services and functions. They oversee the delivery of high-quality, efficient services; ensure alignment across directorates; lead service improvement initiatives; and contribute to corporate programmes and projects.

These positions demand demonstrated expertise in leadership and effective collaboration to ensure that our services enable schools to achieve optimal outcomes for children and young people.

In this context, the roles have responsibility for the following:

• As a member of the directorate’s senior management team, streamline structures, leverage strengths, and enhance EA as an excellent place to work.
• Provide effective services to schools and other stakeholders, while implementing projects and programs that align with EA's priorities, business plan, and both directorate and service-level objectives.
• Work collectively with other Heads of Service to inform, align, agree and progress corporate and directorate priorities.
• Support the Directors to ensure that the optimum structures are in place for the directorate and delivering any changes required to deliver these structures.
• Provide directorate and service-level leadership to empower and develop managers and staff and develop a culture of improvement and operational excellence.
• Assist the Directors in providing reviews of EA’s essential operations and current challenges to help create a more equitable organisational structure.
• Advance EA’s medium-term objectives for sustainability by ensuring that directorate and service delivery models are consistently aligned with its vision and strategic priorities.
• Provide support to Chief Officers and Directors in prioritisation of EA’s activities to determine which are essential and which may need to be discontinued, paused or reconfigured.
• Ensure that the service’s annual budget allocation is effectively managed.
• Ensure proactive performance management of services by implementing performance indicators. Promote a performance management culture through team and individual accountability.
• Work collaboratively with stakeholders including partners across the education sector, governing bodies, school leaders, trade unions, elected representatives, other related agencies, the media and the public.
• Maximise opportunities for improvements while promoting innovation and risk appetite.
• Provide leadership for any projects relating to the service’s delivery model while ensuring that EA adheres to relevant legislation and standards.
• Ensure that service delivery is shaped by service user input.
• Advise Chief Officers and Directors on policy issues and contribute to policy reviews in collaboration with counterparts in the Department of Education.

The above responsibilities apply to all Heads of Service. Whilst initially appointed to a specific post there may be opportunities to move to another position at grade in any directorate where there is a match between individual skill sets and experience, providing personal development opportunities for a wide-ranging and varied career and supporting the organisation in the most effective use of strategic leadership experience at this tier.

Key areas of focus for the post:

This Service is responsible for developing and leading all aspects of the Digital Delivery service including delivery of key strategic Programmes to CLT and Board level; including the provision of services to both core EA and over 1,000 schools where required. This includes managing all aspects of Digital Delivery from initially capturing business requirements, business case production through to project delivery and user training.

The Service broadly provides the following capabilities:

• Business Partnering (Business Analysis) services that help shape how technology can deliver improved outcomes for the EA;
• Project and Delivery Management services that ensure that projects/programmes are successfully delivered to support the EA’s corporate objectives and achievement of its strategic goals;
• A Project Office that governs and controls the overall delivery of the Digital Programme, including an ~£8m capital portfolio. This includes providing a range of business services (e.g. financial management, contract management, recruitment) to the wider DTS Division.

This service is also responsible for DTS policy and strategy development, emergency response planning and production/monitoring of DTS corporate objectives. It is also responsible for CLT and Board level reporting on these projects.

The Head of Service will be responsible for managing and leading all employees within the service, this will include managing employees across all EA offices. The overall purpose of the role is to lead, manage and develop the portfolio of services outlined below. The Head of Service is accountable for ensuring that their service efficiently and effectively delivers the associated responsibilities and meets the needs and standards expected of a leading public service organisation.

The Head of Service will provide leadership to their service staff and ensure transformational changes and new structures, strategies, policies and processes for their service are implemented while ensuring it meets the high standards of the Authority and any future challenges.

Digital Delivery Responsibilities:

This job description is intended to provide a broad outline of responsibilities and reflects an initial assessment of the needs of the Directorate. As such, it is not intended to be exhaustive and may be subject to ongoing review and refinement to ensure the Directorate’s ability to meet the evolving needs of the business. Other reasonable duties may be assigned by the Chief Officer in consultation with the Director.

• Project/Programme Management of all technical projects across EA;
• DTS Policy Development and compliance (outside other functional areas);
• Emergency Response Plans;
• DTS Strategy (outside of other functional areas);
• Project Reporting to DTS Programme Board, DMT, CLT and Board level;
• Project Financial control;
• Project Risk Registers;
• Project Engagement;
• Project Procurement;
• Project contract management;
• Project Training and Documentation;
• Project Management Office;
• Business Case Production and Review;
• Corporate Planning and Performance;
• Business Relationship Management;
• Transformation.

Any other duties related to the role which may be required from time-to-time by the Chief Executive and the Board.

In accordance with Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act (1998), be expected to promote Good Relations, Equality of Opportunity and pay due regard for Equality Legislation at all times. This job description will be subject to review in light of changing circumstances and is not intended to be rigid and inflexible but should be regarded as providing guidelines within which the individual works. Other duties of a similar nature and appropriate to the grade may be assigned from time to time.

In accordance with Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act (1998), the Head of Service is expected to promote good relations and equality of opportunity, and to pay due regard to equality legislation at all times.

To view the summary of the terms and conditions for this post, click here.

Candidates must demonstrate on their application form that they meet the following essential criteria:

• Hold a bachelor’s degree (UK Qualification and Credit Framework Level 6) or an equivalent or higher qualification within an operational discipline and have three years' demonstrable experience of:
• Project financial control
• IT programme and project management
• All aspects of IT project delivery
• Governance and risk management
• OR Have five years' demonstrable experience of the areas set out at criterion above.
• Have a minimum of three years’ demonstrable experience of leading, managing and delivery of a service within a large and complex environment.
• Experience of working collectively to effectively deliver a service that optimises the use of the organisation’s resources to deliver maximum value for the public/customers.
• Demonstrable experience of developing, leading and managing an enterprise-wide IT project which successfully delivered transformational change.
• Demonstrable experience of completing projects on schedule, within budget and meeting all specified outcomes and benefits.
• Experience of providing leadership with evidence of empowering, championing excellence and establishing momentum for continuous improvement that has delivered improved outcomes for the public/customers.
• The successful candidate should also be a strong communicator with proven skills to engage across a wide range of stakeholders, demonstrating successful impact.
• Demonstrates an understanding of the potential along with the challenges of delivering high quality effective support services to children and young people.

The successful candidate will be required to have access to a suitable vehicle (appropriately maintained and insured for Education Authority business) that will enable them to carry out the mobility requirements of the post in an efficient and effective manner and thus meet this essential criterion; OR be able to provide sufficient information on the application form that will satisfy the employer that he/she has access to an appropriate alternative form of transport that will enable them to carry out the mobility requirements of the post in an efficient and effective manner and thus meet this essential criterion.

Through the selection process we will also seek evidence that the personal values of candidates align with those of the EA. This will include evidence of commitment to equality and excellence in service delivery. These reflect our aim which is to meet the needs of all our children and young people equally, removing barriers to learning and ensuring equality of access to excellent education services so that every child can develop to his or her full potential.

The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups (Northern Ireland) Order 2007 defines working directly with children or young people or in specified places as ‘regulated activity’. In the event that you are recommended for appointed to a post that involves ‘regulated activity’, the Education Authority will be required to undertake an Enhanced Disclosure of Criminal Background. Please note that you WILL be expected to meet the cost of an Enhanced Disclosure Certificate. Details of how to make payment will be sent to you at the pre-employment stage. Further information can be accessed at NI Direct or the Department of Justice.

To view the applicant guidance notes, please click here. For more information, the candidate information pack can be viewed here. To learn about the many great benefits of joining the Education Authority, click here. The Education Authority is an Equal Opportunities Employer.