GDS Local – Collaboration and Data Secondments

Job summary

About GDS

The Government Digital Service (GDS) is the digital centre of government, leading the transformation of public services through technology. We are now part of the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and work across the UK, with hubs in Manchester, London and Bristol.

About GDS Local

GDS Local is a team in the Government Digital Service designed to strengthen collaboration and deliver for local government. We focus on integrating GOV.UK platforms into local services, reforming the technology market, and catalysing data innovation.

GDS Local is a specialist unit within the Service Transformation Directorate, working at the point where central government platforms, local services and sector reform meet. We help councils and government partners create the conditions for better, more joined-up public services by unlocking usable data, accelerating adoption of common components, shaping a more open technology market and building stronger routes for collaboration.

Our work is focused on four connected objectives:

• Creating a shared vision for local government technology, data and the market so councils can make better digital and procurement decisions
• Unlocking usable, shareable data so councils and delivery partners can support people earlier, faster and more effectively
• Making it easier to adopt common products and platforms such as GOV.UK App and One Login, while reducing the risk and cost of reuse
• Building the conditions for collaboration across councils, sector bodies and central government so change can scale across the whole system

Our mission is ambitious and practical: to help make public services simpler, more responsive and more connected for local authority residents, especially those with complex needs. By improving how councils buy technology, share data, adopt trusted platforms and work with government, we are helping create easier lives for residents, better value for money across local government and greater public trust in digital services.

What we look for across the team:

• Passion for improving local public services
• Comfort working at pace in complex environments, with pragmatism and delivery focus

A collaborative approach that brings people together and shares credit

Job description

We are inviting expressions of interest from local government practitioners and existing civil servants who want to join GDS Local on a secondment to help shape national digital work with and for councils.

You will help strengthen collaboration routes between councils, sector bodies and central government teams, so we can solve problems once and share learning widely.

Role 1) Collaboration Role

This role is for someone who can help GDS Local work collaboratively with councils across the country, building trusted relationships and practical routes for shared problem-solving. You will help develop communities, build bridges between local and central government, understand what matters most to councils and strengthen the collaboration infrastructure needed for learning, delivery and change to scale.

This is likely to include:

• Building and maintaining relationships with councils, sector bodies and central government teams.
• Helping design and run communities, workshops, roundtables and other collaboration formats.
• Listening to councils to understand common needs, barriers and opportunities for shared work.
• Turning conversations and insight into practical outputs, such as shared plans, guidance, playbooks or next steps.
• Supporting the infrastructure needed for collaboration to continue beyond individual meetings or projects.
• Building your capability in cross-system collaboration, community building and working at the interface between local and central government.

Role 2) Data and Innovation Role

This role is for someone who can help GDS Local make better use of data, evidence and local insight to support innovation across councils. You will help identify common opportunities, connect local authority experience with national priorities, and support practical work that improves how data is shared, used and translated into better services for residents.

This is likely to include:

• Working with councils to identify where data and evidence could help improve local services or support earlier intervention.
• Exploring common data challenges, opportunities and use cases across different local authorities.
• Helping translate local insight into clearer national priorities, hypotheses and practical work packages.
• Supporting pilots, discovery activity or innovation projects that test new ways to use or share data.
• Capturing learning, evidence and examples so they can be shared across councils and government partners.
• Building your capability in data-informed service transformation, innovation methods and translating evidence into practical delivery.

Success in this role would mean GDS Local has a clearer view of common data and innovation opportunities across councils, with sharper hypotheses, stronger evidence and practical activity that can be tested, shared and scaled.

Person specification

Role 1) Collaboration Role

Success in this role would mean councils feel better connected to GDS Local and to each other, with clearer shared priorities, stronger routes for collaboration and practical outputs that help joint work continue beyond the secondment.

Role 2) Data and Innovation Role

Success in this role would mean GDS Local has a clearer view of common data and innovation opportunities across councils, with sharper hypotheses, stronger evidence and practical activity that can be tested, shared and scaled.

Benefits

We offer a competitive mix of benefits including:

• A culture of flexible working, such as job sharing, homeworking and compressed hours.
• A hybrid office/home based working model where staff will spend a norm of 40-60% of their time in the office (minimum of 40%) over a month with flex dependent on balancing business and individual need (from September 2021, depending on how the public health guidance evolves).

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

How to apply

Please send your CV and a short personal statement (1–2 pages) to: [email removed] by 23:55 on 13th September. These should set out:

• Why you think this secondment would be valuable to you, your organisation and GDS Local
• The skills, experience and insight you would bring to the role
• If you would like to, a challenge or opportunity you think this platform could help you address
• Your current role and organisation, plus confirmation that your line manager supports the secondment

We will review EOIs on a rolling basis and may follow up with an in