Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
Head of Geospatial Operations
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Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Darlington, Edinburgh, Manchester, Salford
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:
- 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
Geospatial data is key to delivering modern digital public services and is an exciting growth area for the UK. As Head of Geospatial Operations you will oversee government’s purchasing and delivery of geospatial data and the contracts that enable this, driving innovation and value to the taxpayer.
About The Role
This is a senior leadership role, with accountability for a complex, multi-year programme. The postholder will be responsible for bringing together workstreams, projects, governance and delivery activity into a single coherent programme delivery system, ensuring that the programme is well planned, effectively governed and able to progress through key approvals and transition milestones.
Alongside the programme management, the role is responsible for overseeing the successful delivery of value for the public sector from government’s major geospatial contracts, working closely with suppliers and the Government Digital Service Commercial team.
Please note that this role is also available in other existing DSIT locations (including London) for DSIT employees, who are able to apply and retain their current location.
Person specification
You will also lead the team that manages the major geospatial contracts that underpin the UK geospatial ecosystem. You will lead the delivery of the Public Sector Geospatial Agreement (PSGA), working closely with Ordnance Survey to maximise the value of the data that the public sector relies on. This includes oversight of the operation of the National Underground Asset Register (NUAR).
Additionally, you will lead the programme delivering the new strategic requirements for the PSGA and work across government to ensure the contract is used to reduce costs and build innovation. This includes procurement of additional data sets to be made available across the public sector, managing the transition from projects to operational contracts.
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You will also lead the management of the Aerial Photography Great Britain (APGB) contract and oversee the Post Code Address File (PAF) Public Sector Licence – owning the delivery of and long-term strategy for these national data assets. You will provide strategic oversight of commercial and contractual activity to ensure alignment with the government's objectives.
Your team will lead the programme of work to bring together these and other geospatial innovations into a coherent offer for the public sector and work closely with policy and commercial teams to drive real value for the UK’s data economy.
As a line manager, you will be responsible for working with your members of staff to define their objectives, as well as managing their development and performance.
Essential Criteria
- Leadership: A strong track record in managing teams across a range of disciplines. Ability to build an inclusive, high-performing culture that drives excellence and collaboration.
- Managing a Quality Service: Delivering outcomes from providers using contract management expertise and demonstrating value for money and service improvements for users
- Communicating and Influencing: Communicating effectively with users and partners across the public sector to represent their needs. Influencing external suppliers, stakeholders and customers successfully to deliver intended benefits.
- Project delivery: Experience of playing a leading role in project and programme management, delivering significant outcomes while managing budgets and risks.
Desirable Criteria
- Technical: Experience of working with geospatial data and associated suppliers.
Qualifications
- Professional project management qualifications
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Leadership
- Managing a Quality Service
- Communicating and Influencing
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- Project delivery
Alongside your salary of £69,675, Department for Science, Innovation & Technology contributes £20,184 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.
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.
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Selection process details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.
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 750 words) to set out how your skills and experience demonstrate the essential criteria.
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 and technical questions.
The link to the technical/professional competency framework that candidates will be assessed against, for their reference: https://projectdelivery.gov.uk/government-projects-academy/project-delivery-capability-framework/
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.
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.
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.
New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.
A location based reserve list of successful candidates will be kept for 12 months. Should another role become available within that period you may be offered this position.
Candidates who meet the minimum benchmark may be placed on a Reserve List for consideration for similar roles, including those at a lower grade. Candidates who narrowly miss the benchmark and are not placed on the Reserve List may still
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