Chief Digital and Information Officer - Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency - SCS1

The role can be based in Bristol, Nottingham, Swansea, Leeds, Birmingham (Garrett’s Green), Newcastle, Oldham (Chadderton) and Yeading. We offer a hybrid working model that allows you to work between home and office locations, giving you greater flexibility about where and when you work. The Civil Service expectation of 60% attendance in the workplace is applied by DVSA. Occasional travel to other sites will be required.

About the job

The Chief Digital & Information Officer is an Executive Board Director with collective responsibility for developing and delivering the agency’s strategic objectives. They provide leadership of the DVSA Digital, Data and Technology community for core customer-facing and internal services, including 3 services in the government’s top 75 digital services. The role oversees the development and continuous improvement of the enterprise architecture, technology infrastructure, systems and applications, digital delivery, security and the data and information management strategy for core customer-facing and internal services.

In collaboration with the Executive team, the key focus is to ensure that there is the right level of digital, data and technological expertise and resource to enable timely delivery of the agreed priorities for DVSA’s services. As well as being responsible for working with DfT and GDS in planning for and implementing any additional services required of DVSA and the postholder also represents DVSA in cross-government networks and fora. DVSA’s digital, data and security functions are fundamental to every service DVSA delivers. Our systems are accessed by millions of GB citizens and businesses every year to book, pay for and learn more about our services. The team also provide operational and specialist systems for internal users.

The directorate is also establishing an enterprise architecture practice, building domain capability and growing capacity to design solutions towards a goal architecture to ensure that change becomes easier, quicker and cheaper, reducing the total cost of ownership to successfully deliver the DVSA’s strategic and efficiency plans. The role holder is accountable for ensuring the ongoing support, business continuity, development and maintenance of information management and security, data, and IT service disaster recovery services.

Key Responsibilities

• Executive Committee Member
• Support the Chief Executive in their role as Accounting Officer, ensuring that the Agency is led and managed effectively and efficiently, deputising for the Chief Executive where required.
• Champion decisions made by the Executive Committee and Directing Board and role model the Agency’s values and cultural aspirations.
• Contribute to the development of DVSA’s vision and strategic plans.
• Development and implementation of major organisational change initiatives through a service-led approach.
• Directors are also expected to sponsor several strategic projects.
• Lead a broad range of digital, data, architecture and technology teams with a strategic mindset and vision to develop and run DVSA digital services, which are agile and secure by design, compliant with GDS service standards and continuously improved in response to user feedback.
• The post holder will be a primary link between DVSA and the DfT D&D group.
• Working with senior teams across the agency to develop and deliver the directorate's annual plan and enable the delivery of the plans of other Directors.
• Provide leadership to the Directorate's teams and champion a culture of continuous improvement and performance management, making appropriate use of the services and standards provided by GDS and the cross-government Digital and Data profession to support this.
• Manage both internal resources and third-party suppliers to implement significant business and cultural changes across the agency, as informed by the agreed service priorities.
• Ensure the development, operation and improvement of digital by default services is successful and secure.
• Find innovative ways to drive the shift to insourced teams and manage attraction and retention challenges to achieve committed efficiency savings in a climate of overall Civil Service cost and headcount control.

Digital and Data

• Shape the strategic approach to the development of DVSA’s digital services and the development or acquisition of the technology to deliver them; this includes responsibility for procurement, development, security and delivery across the whole of the estate of the agency.
• Seek to demonstrably improve DVSA’s return on investment on technology spending and reporting this against outcome-based performance metrics.
• Ensure any new mission technology is delivered in line with the government's code of practice, and digital and data services are delivered in line with the relevant government service and functional standards, including Secure by Design, One Login initiatives etc.
• Work with GDS to define the scope and application of common service provision for cross-government commodity infrastructure technology and ensure that the delivery and iteration of technology services is supported by effective analysis of the financial benefits of taking an agile, open, user-driven approach.
• Create opportunity to design and deliver digitally driven solutions and services that are fully supported by the right architectures and systems, while avoiding creation of legacy technology.
• The role supports a culture of data-driven delivery within the Agency through leadership of the DVSA’s data science and forecasting functions ensuring both process and guidance link to the Agency’s strategic plans and long-term financial forecast.
• Working closely with the relevant services, committees and functions, develop the enterprise data frameworks to ensure that DVSA has access to the information and knowledge required to optimise decision making.

Security and Resilience

• Lead and shape the Agency’s response to cyber security threats and incidents, working to improve business resilience and continuity plans in preparedness for an incident.
• Ensure remediation of systems and processes in response to emerging cyber security intelligence and work with the cross-government networks to mature DVSA’s ability to identify, manage and mitigate cyber security threat levels.

Leadership and Culture

• Contribute to the transformation of leadership capability, bringing about a step-change in culture enabling greater levels of engagement and productivity.
• Contribute to our drive to improve the diversity of our people and the broader inclusion agenda to provide a better service to customers and contribute to our aim of being a great place to work.

Directorate Functions

• Data & Security – Data Science, Data Management, Cyber Assurance, Data Protection and Information Management, Data Analysis, Data Engineering.
• Technology– Technical Services Delivery, Development, Infrastructure, Contract Management, Business Systems.
• Enterprise Architecture – All domains, technical design and architecture enablement.
• Digital Delivery – Programme Delivery, User Centred Design, Business Analysis - D&D capability building and professional development, including early talent, D&D Governance, D&D Business Partnering and Business Support.

The job holder will have responsibility for teams of around 600 people at DVSA across Great Britain. The post manages 5 Corporate Senior Leaders, and has the support of a Business Support Manager and a PA.

Person specification

It is essential in your supporting statement that you provide evidence and proven examples against each of the following selection criteria:

• Extensive experience leading high‑performing digital, technology, data and cyber security functions, with a deep understanding of Government digital governance frameworks and a strong record of delivering digital transformation and improvement programmes.
• Skilled in gathering and prioritising customer and service user requirements to maximise value, combined with a proven track record of driving delivery at pace, applying project management techniques, and proactively managing risks.
• Proven ability to develop organisational strategy and translate a compelling vision into action, supported by strong strategic judgement and the ability to see connections across complex issues and recommend sound decisions in a political environment.
• Highly developed communication skills with the ability to influence senior stakeholders and industry leaders, and convey complex and technical information clearly and concisely.
• Outstanding leadership capability, with the ability to recruit, inspire and empower colleagues; build diverse and inclusive teams; and grow organisational capability and resilience under pressure and public scrutiny.