UK Health Security Agency
Head of Delivery
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Job Summary
Our vision is that UKHSA’s Digital Development and Operations division delivers efficient, world-leading services that work every time, for everyone. As Head of Delivery, you will set the standards for agile delivery management across DDO and beyond, exemplifying what good looks like across the delivery roles and building a high-performing, capable delivery community.
You will be a recognised expert in agile and lean practices, a credible subject matter expert in your profession, and a proactive leader and constructive member of DDO’s leadership team. You will develop an understanding of the strategic outcomes your teams are working towards, and plan and conduct your work to enable your Delivery Leads in the delivery of those outcomes — aligning new and existing work to UKHSA’s priorities and delivering maximum benefit from limited resources.
You will represent and champion the delivery profession within UKHSA, across government and in industry, working with other Heads of Profession to promote effective cross-functional delivery and acting as an ambassador for UKHSA in all external engagements. This role is based on a hybrid working model, with travel to UKHSA offices 3d/w.
Job Description
- Coach & lead teams in agile and lean practices as a recognised expert, continuously challenging teams, improving ways of working
- Accountable for delivery pace and quality across the DDO portfolio focussed on outcomes, actively addressing risks, issues & dependencies, and identifying innovative ways to unblock issues
- Lead continual planning process across and beyond the DDO product and services portfolio in a very complex environment, identifying dependencies, coordinating delivery & feeding into CDO Portfolio reporting
- Implement organisational re-designs & lead on strategy for the whole organisation, joining up business needs with innovative analysis
- Identify & challenge organisational processes, coaching the organisation to inspect and adapt and guiding teams to adopt new approaches
- Mediate & mend relationships, communicating with stakeholders at all levels, collaborating to manage risk and complexity. Represent the delivery community to large audiences inside and outside of UKHSA
- Lead the delivery management community of practice, build culture, capability and excellence across the profession, and be responsible for recruitment
- Manage strategic commercial partnerships and act as the escalation point for large or high-risk commercial management issues. Coach others in appropriate commercial management
- Influence business demand & prioritisation as a member of senior management meetings and deputise for the Head of Digital Products and Services as required
As Head of Delivery, you are the most senior delivery management practitioner within UKHSA’s Digital Development and Operations division. You will exemplify what good looks like across the delivery roles, represent and champion the delivery profession within UKHSA and across government, and lead the delivery management community of practice to build capability and excellence in agile and lean practice.
You will set the standards for agile delivery management across DDO and support your Delivery Leads in delivering strategic outcomes, overseeing the DDO portfolio of digital products and services. You will be a proactive leader and constructive member of the DDO senior leadership team, responsible for the strategic alignment of delivery work to UKHSA’s priorities, the management of complex stakeholder relationships, and the continuous improvement of delivery practice across the organisation.
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This role leads the delivery community and profession. It requires expert-level capability across all core delivery management skills, from agile and lean practices to team dynamics, planning, stakeholder communication and organisational change, combined with the credibility and influence to drive strategic delivery outcomes at the highest level.
Core Responsibilities (see Delivery manager - Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework)
- Agile and Lean Practices
- Maintaining Delivery Momentum
- Planning
- Team Dynamics and Collaboration
- Making the Process Work
- Communicating Between the Technical and Non-Technical
- Community Leadership and Capability
- Commercial and Financial Management
- Lifecycle Perspective
Working Relationships
The Head of Delivery reports to the Head of Digital Products and Services and is a key member of the DDO leadership team. The role is accountable for the performance and development of the delivery management community across DDO, with direct responsibility for Senior Delivery Managers and accountability for their teams.
Internal:
- Deputy Director for Digital Development and Operations
- Head of Digital Products and Services
- Senior Delivery Managers and delivery management community across DDO
- Heads of Profession across the DDO senior leadership team
- Product, engineering, design and data colleagues
- Finance, commercial and programme management colleagues
- Senior business stakeholders and key sponsors across UKHSA
External:
- Government delivery and agile communities of practice
- Cross-government Heads of Profession networks
- Industry and professional delivery management communities
- GDS Governance colleagues
- DHSC & Cabinet Office Governance colleagues
- Partners
This list is not exhaustive.
Person specification
Essential Criteria
- Significant demonstrable experience of delivering complex digital products and services in UK Government, Health or similar heavily regulated environment, adopting product and user centric mindsets and championing agile ways of working
- Significant demonstrable experience in planning beyond product delivery, navigating cross-service dependencies, addressing the most complicated risks, unblocking issues and coaching others as the central point of expertise.
- Previous experience as a Delivery Lead, ideally at Head of Delivery level, with a strong track record of leading delivery management communities and building capability across the profession.
- Strong relationship management skills, with confident and convincing presentation skills, excellent verbal and written communication and influencing skills at all levels, including senior and executive stakeholders, technical and non-technical audiences and internal and external stakeholders.
- Ability to work in an ambiguous environment, clarifying strategies and plans, and giving a sense of direction and purpose for self and team.
- Commercial and Financial Management experience
- Self-motivated and able to work remotely and autonomously as part of a distributed leadership team.
- An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships, both in day-to-day practice and in relation to management systems.
Desirable Criteria
- Experience delivering across lifecycle.
Salary Information
Alongside your salary of £70,797, UK Health Security Agency contributes £20,509 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).
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Grade 6
- £70,797-£81,450 (National)
- £72,950- £83,443 (Outer London)
- £75,104- £85,436 (Inner London)
This position also offers Market Pay Supplement (MPS) of up to £10k which is subject to review on 31/03/2027.
Eligibility Criteria
- External: Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including internal applicants).
Location
This role is being offered as hybrid working based at any of our Core HQs. We offer great flexible working opportunities at UKHSA and operate using a hybrid working model where business needs allow. This provides us with greater flexibility about how and where we work, to get the best from our workforce. As a hybrid worker, you will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of your contractual working hours (approximately 3 days a week pro rata, (averaged over a month) working at one of UKHSA's core HQs (Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, and London). Our core HQ offices are modern and newly refurbished with excellent city centre transport links and benefit from co-location with other government departments such as the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).
Security Clearance Level Requirement
Successful candidates must pass a standard disclosure and barring security check before they can be appointed.
Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your Behaviours, Experience & Technical skills.
Stage 1: Application & Sift
Success profiles Success Profiles - GOV.UK
You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed 8 essential criteria, and this will be in the form of a:
- Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
- 1500 word supporting statement.
This should outline how you consider your skills, experience and knowledge provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria.
You will receive a joint score for your application form and statement. (The application form is the kind of information you would put into your C.V –please be advised you will not be able to upload your CV. Please complete the application form in as much detail as possible). Please do not email us your CV.
Healthjobs UK has a word limit of 1500.
Longlisting:
In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist into 3 piles of:
- Meets all essential criteria
- Meets some essential criteria
- Meets no essential criteria
If used, the pile(s) that meets ALL essential criteria’ will proceed to shortlisting.
Shortlisting:
In the event of a large number of applications we may conduct an initial sift, on the lead criteria of:
- Significant demonstrable experience of delivering complex digital products and services in UK Government, Health or similar heavily regulated environment, adopting product and user centric mindsets and championing agile ways of working
- Significant demonstrable experience in planning beyond product delivery, navigating cross-service dependencies, addressing the most complicated risks, unblocking issues and coaching others as the central point of expertise.
- Strong relationship management skills, with confident and convincing presentation skills, excellent verbal and written communication and influencing skills at all levels, including senior and executive stakeholders, technical and non-technical audiences and internal and external stakeholders.
Desirable criteria may be used in the event of a large number
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