Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
Cyber Talent Capability Manager
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Bristol, London, Manchester
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:
- joining up public sector services
- harnessing the power of AI for the public good
- strengthening and extending our digital and data public infrastructure
- elevating leadership and investing in talent
- funding for outcomes and procuring for growth and innovation
- 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
This role sits in the Capability and Partnering team, part of the Government Digital and Data Workforce and Capability team in Government Digital Service (GDS).
We put the right conditions in place to achieve Government Digital & Data and Cyber transformation at scale by working cross-government with departments and other government functions like commercial and project delivery professionals.
The Capability and Partnering team is responsible for talent development across the Digital and Data Function and the Cyber Profession (both cross-government), with this role predominantly focused on cyber talent.
We’re looking for SCS Cyber Talent Capability Managers to join our high impact Senior Talent team. You’ll be supporting the development of the Senior Civil Service (SCS) within the Government Cyber Profession.
In this role, you’ll be at the heart of talent capability work for senior leaders across departments. You’ll collect, own and continuously improve our talent data, drive delivery and work with stakeholders at the highest levels.
Person specification
Key Responsibilities
As a Cyber Talent Capability Manager, you will:
- Confidently manage and use talent data, ensuring our SCS talent dataset is accurate, robust and up to date via our rAPId platform. You’ll work closely with analysts to improve data quality, generate insight and lead key processes such as annual talent data commissions, succession planning and workforce planning activity.
- Lead cross-government engagement, partnering with departments and senior stakeholders to build trusted, productive relationships. You'll ensure clear, consistent communication and maintain high-quality records that support strategic engagement and decision-making.
- Deliver and improve talent approaches, helping to grow a diverse and capable pipeline of senior cyber and digital leaders. You’ll implement and review talent management tools, support leadership development offers and contribute to our inclusive leadership priorities.
- Drive delivery across a portfolio of projects and programmes, planning ahead, adapting quickly and reporting on progress to ensure the delivery of high quality, reliable services. You will use talent data, stakeholder intelligence and evidence to identify risks, opportunities and future capability needs.
- Provide leadership and direction, aligning work across the senior talent space and effectively deputising for the team lead when needed. You’ll act as a role model for collaborative, inclusive and effective leadership.
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This is an exciting opportunity to shape how we identify, support and grow our senior cyber and digital leaders who are driving real change in the public sector. Come and join us and make a real difference!
Essential Criteria
We are interested in people who have:
- Experience of owning, gathering, interpreting and using complex data to support effective decision making and planning, including identifying risks and opportunities for improvement using evidence based insights to inform talent management activities
- Excellent communication and influencing skills, with experience working confidently with senior stakeholders across organisations. Able to manage large volumes of complex information, communicate clearly and persuasively, and build and maintain trusted, productive relationships.
- Experience of leading delivery across multiple projects or workstreams, effectively prioritising and managing interdependencies, while maintaining attention to detail and delivering to a high standard.
- Experience of working with and within diverse teams, showing initiative and a proactive approach to resolving issues. Contributing to a positive, inclusive team culture and championing diversity, equity, and inclusion, supporting efforts to improve representation across the cyber profession.
- Experience of working in, or closely with, HR and people functions, ideally delivering senior-level talent management strategies including the design and delivery of talent, leadership or capability initiatives, workforce and succession planning and/or people analytics, aligned to organisational priorities and stakeholder needs.
- Demonstrable experience of using creative and strategic thinking to develop and implement talent development products, services or solutions that meet a wide range of user and stakeholder needs and are aligned to strategic objectives and address functional challenges.
Desirable Criteria
- Experience working in, or closely with, the cyber or digital and data professions, with an understanding of the challenges facing senior technical leaders.
- CIPD Level 5 (or willing to obtain).
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Communicating and Influencing
- Working Together
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Making Effective Decisions
- Managing a Quality Service
Salary and Benefits
Alongside your salary of £44,620, Department for Science, Innovation & Technology contributes £12,926 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).
The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology offers a competitive mix of benefits including:
- A culture of flexible working, such as job sharing, homeworking and compressed hours.
- Automatic enrolment into the Civil Service Pension Scheme, with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
- A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by 1 day per year up to a maximum of 30.
- An extensive range of learning & professional development opportunities, which all staff are actively encouraged to pursue.
- Access to a range of retail, travel and lifestyle employee discounts.
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Office attendance
The Department operates a discretionary hybrid working policy, which provides for a combination of working hours from your place of work and from your home in the UK. The current expectation for staff is to attend the office or non-home based location for 40-60% of the time over the accounting period.
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
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.
As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV and personal statement.
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Please use your personal statement (in no more than 1000 words) to explain how your skills, knowledge and experience make you suitable for the Cyber Talent Capability Manager role, demonstrating how you meet the essential criteria set out in the advert. Please use relevant examples from your career history and experience.
Applications will be sifted on CV and Personal Statement.
In the event of a large number of applicants, applications will be sifted on the personal statement only.
Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
The interview will consist of behaviour questions.
Sift and interview dates
Sift and interview dates to be confirmed.
Further Information
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.
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.
Reasonable Adjustment
We are proud to be a disability confident leader and we welcome applications from disabled candidates and candidates with long-term conditions.
Information about the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) and some examples of adjustments that we offer to disabled candidates and candidates with long-term health conditions during our recruitment process can be found in our DSIT Candidate Guidance. A DSIT Plain Text Version of the guidance is also available.
We encourage candidates to discuss their adjustment needs by emailing the job contact which can be found under the contact point for applicants section.
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