Location
Bristol, Manchester
About The Job
The Government Digital Service (GDS) is the digital centre of government, responsible for setting, leading and delivering the vision for a modern digital government.
Our priorities are to drive a modern digital government by:
- joining up public sector services
- harnessing the power of AI for the public good
- strengthening and extending our digital and data public infrastructure
- elevating leadership and investing in talent
- funding for outcomes and procuring for growth and innovation
- committing to transparency and driving accountability
We are 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.
Job Description
Public sector data has the potential to radically transform people’s lives through boosting economic growth, underpinning groundbreaking research, improving the delivery of public services and fuelling cutting‑edge artificial intelligence development and applications across the economy.
GDS aims to maximise the use and impact of public sector data, enabling businesses, academia, and the public sector to drive economic growth, innovation, and better public services, investing over £100m across the next three years.
You will join the Office of the Chief Data Officer Portfolio Management team at an exciting time. We have launched five Kickstarter projects that aim to deliver high‑value use cases while testing innovative ways to address challenges related to data access. We are also beginning longer‑term work to shape the future of data sharing infrastructure to improve the lives of people across the UK.
As a Junior Digital Portfolio Analyst you will be part of the Office of the Chief Data Officer Portfolio Management team. The PMO team consists of Government Digital and Data Professionals, primarily in the Delivery Manager and Digital Portfolio Manager roles, and you will work closely with delivery teams across the GDS across a breadth of roles.
Main responsibilities
- Support the effective management of risks and issues across the portfolio of digital programmes/projects, identifying, mitigating, and escalating as appropriate to safeguard delivery outcomes.
- Support the planning and schedule delivery activities via a roadmap or plan on a page, maintaining project plans, timelines, and supporting change control processes.
- Act as advocate for PMO functions across the business, promoting the PMO and associated best practice within the business and the wider DSIT.
- Identify, develop and share best practice on processes, tools and templates and support with its implementation and roll out to other teams.
- Monitor and report delivery progress on all portfolio items and produce performance reports against milestones and outcomes.
- Support governance and assurance and help teams to follow governance and delivery processes.
- Produce key documentation and reports, including briefing papers, planning data, and governance materials to support programme performance and accountability.
- Support the prioritisation of a group of projects and programmes.
- Support more senior portfolio managers and leadership in making improvements.
Person specification
We Are Looking For
- Foundational understanding of different project delivery methods—such as Waterfall, Agile, and Hybrid—and an interest in learning how to apply the right approach to the right task.
- An adaptable communicator who can translate analysis into clear insights for both technical and non‑technical colleagues, choosing the right format to help the team make informed decisions.
- Foundational experience within project, programme, or portfolio environments, including an understanding of delivery essentials such as RAID management, planning, and change control.
- A methodical approach to work, with an appreciation for how planning and forecasting help teams stay on track. You understand that there are different ways to build a plan and are keen to learn which tools work best for different tasks.
- The ability to map out project stakeholders and provide them with tailored, evidence‑led communications. You focus on building rapport and use logic and insights to explain decisions and help the team reach a consensus.
- The ability to assist in an administrative capacity to keep strategic planning organized—from coordinating meetings to preparing documentation.
