Programme Support Officer

Job summary

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

About the team

GOV.UK One Login is the new straightforward, secure way to access a range of government digital services and is a critical programme within DSIT. The Programme Management Office (PMO) plays a vital role in supporting the successful delivery of GOV.UK One Login.

We work collaboratively with teams across the department, providing the business support, governance and operational coordination that enable our colleagues to deliver their objectives.

Our team is responsible for a wide range of activities, including recruitment, onboarding and offboarding, finance, governance, business planning and stakeholder engagement. We are committed to continuous improvement, working together to develop efficient processes that support high-quality delivery in an Agile environment.

We're a supportive and inclusive team that values collaboration, innovation and professional development. You'll have the opportunity to build your skills, broaden your experience and contribute to work that makes a real difference.

Job Summary

Are you an experienced programme or project support professional who enjoys keeping complex work organised, coordinating activity and helping teams deliver their priorities?

We're looking for a Programme Support Officer to join our Programme Management Office. This is a varied and rewarding role where you'll provide high-quality business, programme and operational support across a range of activities that are essential to the successful delivery of GOV.UK One Login.

You'll work closely with programme managers, delivery teams, corporate functions and senior stakeholders across the department. You'll coordinate recruitment and workforce activity, support financial and governance processes, maintain programme information and reporting, manage shared inboxes and contribute to the delivery of business priorities.

You'll also take an active role in improving the way the PMO operates, identifying opportunities to streamline processes, improve information and strengthen the support we provide to programme teams.

This is a role for someone who is organised, proactive and comfortable working in a fast-paced programme environment, managing competing priorities and taking ownership of their work.

Person specification

Key Responsibilities

As a Programme Support Officer, you'll provide essential business, programme and operational support to the Programme Management Office, helping to ensure that the programme has the people, information, processes and governance arrangements needed to deliver its priorities effectively.

You'll work closely with programme managers, delivery teams, corporate colleagues and senior stakeholders across DSIT. You'll coordinate a range of activities, maintain accurate programme information, monitor actions and deadlines, and ensure that important business processes are completed efficiently and to a high standard.

You'll be expected to work with a degree of independence, use your judgement to manage competing priorities and proactively identify issues or opportunities for improvement.

Your responsibilities will include:

Programme and Project Support

• Provide day-to-day programme support to programme and project managers, helping to coordinate activity and maintain progress against agreed priorities and deadlines.
• Maintain programme trackers, action logs, risk and issue information and other programme records.
• Coordinate information and actions across different teams, ensuring that owners are identified and deadlines are understood.
• Monitor progress against key activities and proactively follow up outstanding actions.
• Support programme planning, workshops, meetings and other delivery activity.
• Identify issues, dependencies or delays and escalate these appropriately.

Governance

• Coordinate programme governance meetings, including scheduling meetings, managing attendance, preparing agendas and coordinating papers.
• Ensure papers and supporting information are collated, quality checked and circulated within agreed timescales.
• Record decisions, actions and key points accurately.
• Maintain governance action and decision logs and proactively follow up with action owners.
• Track actions through to completion and provide updates to programme leads.
• Support the preparation of information for programme boards, senior leadership meetings and other governance forums.
• Maintain clear and accessible governance records and documentation.

Recruitment, Onboarding and Workforce Support

• Coordinate recruitment activity across the programme, working with hiring managers, recruitment teams and relevant stakeholders.
• Maintain recruitment trackers and provide updates on vacancies, recruitment stages and outstanding actions.
• Coordinate interviews, assessments and associated administration.
• Support pre-employment activity and ensure recruitment actions are progressed within agreed timescales.
• Coordinate onboarding activity to ensure new starters have a smooth and effective joining experience.
• Support offboarding activity, ensuring relevant actions are c