Head of Portfolio - Digital (Ref: 21099)

Job summary

Job description

Head of Portfolio - Digital

Location: National* (some travel may be required)

Closing Date: 28th August

Interviews: 10, 11, 14 & 16 September

Grade: 6

(MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain this grade on lateral transfer)

Salary** (please see more info below):

National: £71,381 - £80,419

London: £75,674 - £85,257 (which may include an allowance of up to £9,151)

Working pattern: Full-time, Part-time, Flexible working

Contract Type: Permanent

Number of vacancies: 1

Vacancy number: 21099

*We offer a hybrid working model, allowing for a balance between remote work and time spent in your local office. Office locations can be found ON THIS MAP

Please note that unless you are an existing member of staff at Justice Digital, Data and Science, the only London location being recruited to is 10 South Colonnade, E14 4PU. We are no longer recruiting to 102 Petty France, SW1H 9AJ.

The Role

We’re recruiting a Head of Digital Portfolio to join our warm and collaborative team at Justice Digital, Data and Science.

This role aligns against the Head of Portfolio Management role from the Government Digital and Data Framework.

As Head of Portfolio, you will provide authoritative strategic oversight of a complex and high-profile digital portfolio operating within a multi-stakeholder government environment. You will ensure transparency of delivery performance, effective governance and assurance, and robust management of risk and dependencies. Through high-quality portfolio insight, you will enable informed decision-making at senior leadership and Board level.

You will lead and develop a team of digital portfolio managers and contribute to the wider portfolio management community across Justice Digital, Data and Science.

At this role level, you will:

• Provide strategic oversight and governance of digital initiatives across the portfolio, ensuring coherence and alignment to Justice Digital, Data and Science strategy.
• Ensure proportionate, effective and consistently applied governance and assurance controls.
• Oversee portfolio-level risks, interdependencies and systemic issues, addressing or escalating as appropriate.
• Deliver clear, evidence-based insight on portfolio health, trends and future delivery confidence to senior leaders.
• Build and lead a diverse, skilled and motivated team of digital portfolio managers.
• Strengthen portfolio management capability across Justice Digital, Data and Science through coaching, mentoring and professional development.
• Contribute to cross-portfolio collaboration, ensuring a joined-up and transparent approach to change delivery.

You’ll receive a range of excellent benefits when you join our department, including:

• A generous employer pension contribution of 28.97% through the Civil Service Pension Scheme.
• 25 days of annual leave, (increasing to 30 days once you have reached 5 years of service),plus 8 bank holidays and a privilege day for the King’s birthday.
• Flexible working arrangements including hybrid working, working part time or compressed hours. Designed to support a positive work–life balance.
• Employees are allocated 10% of their working time for personal and professional development.
• A £1k per person learning budget is in place to support all our people, with access to best-in-class conferences and seminars, accreditation with professional bodies, fully funded vocational programmes and e-learning platforms.
• Compassionate maternity, adoption, and shared parental leave policies, with up to 26 weeks leave at full pay, 13 weeks with partial pay, and 13 weeks further leave. And maternity support/paternity leave at full pay for 2 weeks, too!

You can find more details of the Benefits we offer here. To help picture your life at MoJ Justice Digital, Data and Science please take a look at our blog.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Portfolio Oversight

• Provide strategic leadership and oversight of the digital portfolio, ensuring visibility of delivery progress, risks, dependencies and outcomes.
• Enable senior leaders to make informed decisions through high-quality analysis, performance reporting and forward-looking insight.
• Support the development of outcome-driven roadmaps aligned to organisational and cross-government strategy.
• Maintain a clear view of systemic pressures, trade-offs and delivery confidence across the portfolio.

Governance & Assurance

• Lead the design, implementation and continuous improvement of portfolio governance and assurance frameworks.
• Hold accountability for the integrity and effectiveness of portfolio governance mechanisms.
• Ensure standards, controls and reporting mechanisms are proportionate and consistently applied.
• Oversee escalation of risks and issues to senior governance forums, including Board-level reporting.
• Act as a subject matter expert in portfolio governance, supporting teams to apply appropriate and effective controls.

Portfolio Performance & Insight

• Define and monitor portfolio-level performance indicators focused on outcomes, delivery confidence, risk exposure and strategic alignment.
• Analyse portfolio performance data to identify trends, systemic risks and cross-cutting dependencies.
• Provide structured, evidence-based recommendations to address delivery challenges and strengthen portfolio health.

Leadership & Capability Development

• Lead, develop and motivate a team of digital portfolio managers, setting clear direction and expectations.
• Foster an inclusive, high-performing culture that promotes continuous improvement and professional growth.
• Contribute to the development of portfolio management capability and standards across Justice Digital, Data and Science.
• Champion transparency, clarity and professionalism in portfolio communications.

Cross-Organisational Collaboration

• Build strong, trusted relationships with delivery teams, senior stakeholders and wider government partners.
• Work collaboratively with other Heads of Portfolio to ensure a coherent, aligned approach to change delivery.
• Support alignment of portfolio oversight with broader departmental and cross-government objectives.

If this feels like an exciting challenge, something you are enthusiastic a