Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Head of Data Exploitation
Get notified of more jobs like this · No spam, ever
How your CV stacks up
Upload your CV to see how well it fits this job role
?%
Bristol, York
Job Summary
Defra is the UK government department responsible for safeguarding our natural environment, supporting our world-leading food and farming industry, and sustaining a thriving rural economy. Our broad remit means we play a major role in people's day-to-day life, from the food we eat, and the air we breathe, to the water we drink.
Digital, Data, Technology and Security (DDTS) is the trusted team for digital across the entire Defra Group.
We have around 1000 colleagues across DDTS and our ambition is to make it easier and faster than ever for people to interact with Defra. If you are ready to drive innovation and push boundaries, we want to hear from you. Join us and together we will create a great place for living, and a green and healthy future for all.
Find Out More About DDTS:
Job Description
Defra is looking for a Head of Data Exploitation to support better use of data. The role helps the department to effectively use data, analytics and new technology to improve services, support better decisions and derive new value. The Head of Data Exploitation will be responsible for setting the vision and strategy for Data Exploitation across the Department, driving innovative engineering and technology approaches and delivering high quality technical services that enable effective value generation from data assets.
The successful candidate will work with a wide range of senior stakeholders across key business units and be responsible for multifunctional teams of:
- data scientists
- engineers
- analysts
- service owners
- product managers
These teams provide a range of technical data, analytics and engineering platform services, including the Data Analytics and Science Hub (DASH). The successful candidate will be responsible for ensuring that these services meet user needs, are continuously improved and support key work across Defra Group.
The Head of Data Exploitation works with senior leaders across Defra, and builds links with science, analysis and policy communities, to help users across the Department adopt modern data practices and tooling. The Head of Data Exploitation also represents Defra in cross government and professional forums. The role brings together strategy, technical oversight, service ownership and capability development.
Person Specification
Responsibilities
- Advise leaders and teams on complex data exploitation opportunities.
- Provide oversight, governance and ownership of data products and services.
- Technical delivery of Defra’s Data Analytics & Science Hub (DASH) and overseeing the product and service management of MS Fabric by leveraging cloud technologies such as Databricks, Azure Machine Learning, and Fabric to enable scalable analytics.
- Represent Defra’s in cross-government and professional forums as subject matter expert.
- Play a key role in Defra’s Digital and Data leadership team, helping define and deliver a new operating model for services across Defra group.
Reasons to use Rodeo
Start with a chat, not a search bar
Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
It searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
Skills And Experience
- Leadership and line management of multidisciplinary teams, including teams that are geographically dispersed.
- Strong operational management background, delivering data platforms and services in multi-supplier, outsourced environments and establishing clear service roadmaps.
- Leading governance/assurance in a regulated or high-assurance context, setting and monitoring procedures for effective task management for both teams and self.
- Experience in leveraging data, analytics, and technology to drive business transformation.
- Working across multidisciplinary teams to embed standards without blocking delivery.
- Handling novel, ambiguous risks and advising senior decision-makers.
- A track record of working in partnership with senior leaders, operational, and technical specialists to deliver high-profile and innovative data-enabled transformation.
Professional Or Academic Qualifications
- A degree in a STEM subject, or equivalent practical experience, with data/analytics/technical exposure.
- Relevant data/analytical qualifications or professional body membership.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Managing a Quality Service
- Changing and Improving
- Making Effective Decisions
Technical Skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Communication between Technical and non-Technical (expert level)
- Data Development Process (expert level)
- Data Innovation (expert level)
- Data Integration Design (expert level)
- Problem Management (expert level)
- Programming and Build (data analytics and engineering) (expert level)
We only ask for evidence of these technical skills on your application form:
- Communication between Technical and non-Technical (expert level)
- Programming and Build (data analytics and engineering) (expert level)
Salary and Benefits
Alongside your salary of £67,730, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs contributes £19,621 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).
- Learning and development tailored to your role
- An environment with flexible working options
- A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
- A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
Application Process
As part of the application process, you will be assessed on your experience. This will be evaluated by looking at your CV and Personal Statement, so please provide the following and ensure your experience is clearly demonstrated:
- A CV
- A 500 word Personal Statement: Referring to the 'skills and experience' sections of the job advert, please demonstrate how you are suitable for the role by providing relevant examples.
- Individual 250 word statements to show how you have demonstrated each of the technical criteria:
- Communication between Technical and non-Technical - 250 words.
- Programming and Build (data analytics and engineering) - 250 words.
Get help with your application
Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Selection Process Details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.
The Civil Service marks each element of the selection process on a merit basis. You can visit the gov.uk website for further information on the Civil Service rating scale.
Ensure you have tailored your CV and Personal Statement to the 'skills and experience' section of the job advert by providing examples on how you are suitable for the role using the STAR method.
Please ensure you demonstrate clearly, within your personal statement, how you meet these requirements, as the information you provide will form a key part when the panel is scoring your application.
For further information on STAR, you can check out our Hints and Tips document.
Interview
If successful at sift, you will be invited to an interview where you will be assessed on the Behaviours and Technical Skills listed below.
Interview dates are to be confirmed. Please note that these may be subject to change.
Interviews will be held virtually on Microsoft Teams.
As part of the recruitment process you will be required to do a presentation. Full details will be provided later within the process.
Location
As part of the pre-employment process for this post, successful candidate(s) will be able to agree a contractual workplace from those locations listed in this advert. The agreed contractual workplace is then the substantive and permanent place of work for the successful candidate(s).
Where the location is ‘National’ the successful appointee should discuss and agree an appropriate contractual location in line with both Defra’s location policy and site capacity, prior to proceeding with pre-employment processes.
Further Information
- Reserve list
- Merit Lists
- Near Miss
- Childcare Vouchers
- Visa Sponsorship Statement
- Salary
- Reasonable Adjustment
- Accessibility
- Criminal Record Check
- Internal Fraud Database Check
- Feedback
- Security
- Nationality requirements
- Working for the Civil Service
- Diversity and Inclusion
Contact point for applicants
Job Contact:
Recruitment team
Further information
If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact Government Recruitment Services via email: defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: here
“It took my CV and asked me questions relevant to understanding what kind of jobs to suggest for me. Suggestions were almost perfect. Jobs were exactly what I’ve been looking for.”
Jessica, London
Skills
Location