Head of Strategy and Portfolio

Job summary

GDS

The Government Digital Service (GDS) is the digital centre of government. We are responsible for setting, leading and delivering the vision for a modern digital government.

Our priorities are to drive a modern digital government, by:

1. joining up public sector services
2. harnessing the power of AI for the public good
3. strengthening and extending our digital and data public infrastructure
4. elevating leadership and investing in talent
5. funding for outcomes and procuring for growth and innovation
6. committing to transparency and driving accountability

We are home to the Incubator for Artificial Intelligence (I.AI), the world-leading GOV.UK and at the forefront of coordinating the UK’s geospatial strategy and activity. We lead the Government Digital and Data function and champion the work of digital teams across government.

We’re 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.

The Government Digital Service is where talent translates into impact. From your first day, you’ll be working with some of the world’s most highly-skilled digital professionals, all contributing their knowledge to make change on a national scale.

Join us for rewarding work that makes a difference across the UK. You'll solve some of the nation’s highest-priority digital challenges, helping millions of people access services they need.

Please note

Former DSIT recruitment campaigns are continuing as usual, but candidates should be aware that following the Government’s announcement on the changes to some civil service departments, roles will be subject to the machinery of government moves and will ultimately be in one of the new departments. We will provide more information if you are selected for a role. This work remains of high importance to the civil service, and we thank you for your continued interest.

Job description

Shape the future of public service transformation

CustomerFirst was created to test a new approach to transforming government services. We work with departments to redesign services end-to-end using a NewCo approach, bringing specialist teams around live problems and building an approach that can support reform at scale.

We are looking for an exceptional Grade 6 to sit at the centre of CustomerFirst. You will help shape our strategy and make sure we meet our objectives, connect with cross-government priorities, oversee the portfolio and make sure we are using our people, money and senior attention on the things that matter most.

This is a high-impact role. You will work directly with the CustomerFirst senior leadership team and help turn complex, fast-moving delivery into clear choices, strong governance and measurable progress.

Success after 12 months looks like

CustomerFirst is progressing towards it objectives, adapting as the evidence builds.

Senior leaders have a strong grip of priorities, finance, risks and delivery confidence that enable rapid, effective decision making.

You have delivered a mid-point review that gives decision-makers a clear view of progress and value.

Lessons from projects are captured and turned into practical NewCo tools and knowledge products.

Regular travel is an essential requirement of this role, including frequent attendance at the London office and visits to partner organisations across the UK, with applicants based in Manchester expected to travel to London on a regular basis to support face-to-face collaboration.

Person specification

Key Responsibilities

What you will do:

Lead CustomerFirst strategy - You will help shape and refresh the CustomerFirst strategy as we learn from delivery. You will ensure we are on track to meet our objectives, identify where the value proposition needs to shift and create the conditions for senior leaders to make clear decisions. You will support the development of the pipeline and strong relationships with other government departments. You will aslo be responsible for connecting our work to pioneering transformation programmes across government, including the Future Civil Service programme.

Own portfolio oversight - You will lead oversight of the full CustomerFirst portfolio, including governance, finance, priorities, dependencies, risk and reporting. You will ensure leaders have the right information at the right moment, without creating bureaucracy for its own sake. You will work closely with colleagues to ensure a healthy pipeline of activity, and resource allocated to this work.

Drive monitoring, evaluation and learning - You will ensure CF is taking a robust approach to monitoring and evaluation across CustomerFirst, supported by GDS analysts. This includes ensuring we build a clear evidence base, tracking progress against objectives and leading the mid-point review that will inform future decisions about the programme.

Build the NewCo toolkit and knowledge base - You will work with delivery teams, GDS, i.AI and wider partners to capture lessons from CustomerFirst projects. You will help turn those lessons into practical products, playbooks and toolkits that can be reused across government.

Support policy leadership across the portfolio - You will support policy professionals embedded in CustomerFirst projects, helping surface policy choices early and making sure barriers, dependencies and trade-offs are brought into senior conversations at the right time.

Lead a small, high-performing strategy and portfolio function - You will build the operating rhythm for the function and lead both directly and through influence. You will create clarity in ambiguity, uphold standards and support a culture where people can do their best work at pace.

As a line manager, you will be responsible for working with your members of staff to define their objectives, as well as managing their development and performance.

Essential Criteria

Experience leading complex strategy, portfolio, transformation or business management work.

Strong judgement in ambiguous environments, with the confidence to create clarity where there is no obvious answer.

Experience advising senior leaders and turning complex information into decisions.

Strong financial management, planning or resource prioritisation skills.

Experience building governance, performance or reporting systems that improve decision making rather than slow people down.

Ability to surface tensions, challenge constructively and push senior colleagues towards clear choices.

Strong leadership and management skills, including direct and matrix management, that prizes inclusion, performance management and development.

Desirable Criteria

You will be brilliant in this role if you:

Can see the whole chessboard, not just one project.

Love collaborating and creating connections - you don’t tolerate siloes.

Are comfortable saying “this is the trade-off” in a room of senior people.

Prefer useful evidence over perfect slides.

Can create or