Innovation Capability Lead

Disclosure & Barring Service

£60,380 - £64,882

A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Grade 7 Permanent

Technology & Innovation Business Management and Improvement Information Technology

This role is available on a remote, hybrid, or office basis. Initially, all DBS employees' contracts are office-based at one of our two sites (Liverpool and Darlington). Employees can apply for remote or hybrid work from day one. If approved, the arrangement will start after six months.

About the job

• Promote DBS as a safeguarding organisation with internal and external stakeholders.
• Be an active member of the Heads of Service group, promoting leadership and collaboration with peers.
• Work collaboratively with directorates at all levels and stakeholders to deliver innovative change.
• Work with the wider directorate of Technology and Innovation to support the organisational delivery of change.
• Support the Associate Director in creating joined-up innovation plans that have positive impact and are aligned to the DBS's overarching strategy.

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage and support innovation as a service to the organisation, maintaining that service and providing key statistics on the performance of the service.
• Lead on evaluating and implementing innovative opportunities as and when they arise and provide full guidance to the business on the impact on processes, policies and operating models.
• Monitor the external environment to gather intelligence on emerging technologies, products, services, methods and techniques.
• Provide clear direction, effective leadership and development support to colleagues within the team.
• Facilitate Innovation workshops with stakeholders and external parties where appropriate to explore opportunities for innovation.
• Provide specialist innovation expertise that supports a change request or opportunity that has emerged.
• Continually improve Innovation practices and processes to deliver value for money through data analysis.

Person specification

Essential Criteria:

• Experience of successfully delivering innovative solutions as part of a cross-functional team in complex organisations.
• Proven track record in leading and facilitating thought leadership activities.
• Evidence of effective influencing others within a challenging environment to successfully deliver against key priorities.
• Experience in managing teams to deliver against set objectives.

Technical:

• Track record of developing and testing hypotheses to deliver recommendations around the viability of proposals.

Desirable Criteria:

Experience:

• Proven experience in leading an innovation capability within a large organisation.
• Experience at a senior level in a regulated organisation.
• Six sigma and continuous improvement experience.

Technical:

• Excellent research and analytical skills.

Further Information:

Benefits:

• Generous annual leave entitlement
• Excellent maternity, paternity and adoption schemes (after a qualifying period)
• Commitment to the health and wellbeing of our employees
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Flexible working opportunities
• Eyecare voucher scheme
• Occupational Health Service including referrals for counselling and physiotherapy
• 24/7 Counselling and Wellbeing Service
• A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Selection process details:

This vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

To apply for this role: Please provide a CV along with a personal statement of no more than 500 words, outlining how your skills and experience meet the requirements of the role, including all essential and desirable criteria.

In addition, please provide, in no more than 500 words examples demonstrating the behaviours: Communicating & Influencing, Developing Self & Others.

The CV and Personal Statement will be sifted first for all candidates. Those candidates who achieve the pass mark for the CV and Personal Statement will progress to a further sift on the behaviours.

AT INTERVIEW: For all candidates who are successful at the initial sifting stage, you will be invited to a Microsoft Teams virtual interview. The aim of the panel interview will be to assess your ability to demonstrate the following behaviours: Leadership, Changing & Improving, Making Effective Decisions, Delivering at Pace.

The STAR (Situation, Task, Action and Result) technique is a useful method to help structure your answer:

• Situation - provide some brief details about the situation.
• Task - outline what your objective or purpose was during that situation.
• Action - describe what you did in that situation and how you approached it.
• Result - state the outcome, for example: Were the objectives met? What did you learn/gain from being in that situation?

Sift and interview dates:

The following timetable outlines indicative dates. Please note, these dates may be subject to change without prior notice.

• Closing date: Monday 16th February 2026 at 10am
• The initial sift to shortlist applications is the week commencing: Monday 16th February 2026
• Interviews are due to take place the week commencing: Monday 23rd February 2026

Interviews will be held via Microsoft Teams. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.

Security:

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard checks.

Nationality requirements:

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• Nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• Nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• Nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• Individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements:

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles.

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion:

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found.

Apply and further information:

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