Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
Head of Talent, Partnerships and External Engagement
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Bristol, London, Manchester
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
Build the team and movement behind CustomerFirst
CustomerFirst is testing a radically different way of transforming public services. We are building diverse, cross-functional teams to transform public services end-to-end using a NewCo methodology.
That means we need more than good recruitment. We need exceptional people, strong partnerships, a clear story and a network of supporters inside and outside government.
We are looking for a Grade 6 who can build all of that. This role brings together talent strategy, recruitment, workforce insight, partnerships, communications, events and external engagement into one senior leadership role.
You will make sure CustomerFirst has the right people and skills now, while also building the external relationships, outreach and reputation that help the model scale across government.
This is not a traditional HR role. It is about building the talent engine and external ecosystem behind a high-profile transformation unit. The right person will help CustomerFirst attract specialist capability, learn from the best outside government and make the NewCo model visible, credible and scalable.
Success After 12 Months Looks Like:
- CustomerFirst is recognised as a destination for transformation talent across Government.
- All CustomerFirst project teams (8-10 specialists) are recruited and operating effectively according to our talent strategy.
- Recruitment and onboarding feel faster, clearer and more purposeful for candidates and hiring teams.
- Senior leaders have better workforce insight and can make sharper decisions on capability and deployment.
- CustomerFirst has a strong network of external partners whose insights are improving our operating model and improving outcomes.
- Events, outreach and communications increase the visibility, credibility and reach of Customer First.
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Person specification
Lead the CustomerFirst talent strategy
You will set and lead the talent strategy for CustomerFirst. You will advise senior leaders on workforce planning, capability gaps, deployment, succession and the mix of routes needed to bring in the right expertise at the right time.
Improve recruitment, onboarding and offboarding
You will oversee recruitment, onboarding, induction and offboarding across CustomerFirst as projects scale. You will be accountable for making sure the experience is clear, fair, human and fast enough for live delivery, while also setting the standard for candidate experience.
Build new routes to talent
You will develop routes into CustomerFirst, including fixed-term appointments, secondments, loans, contingent labour, industry partnerships where appropriate. You will help leaders choose the right route for the work, not simply default to the familiar one.
Lead external engagement and drive partnership opportunities
You will identify, shape and manage new partnership opportunities with organisations that can bring capability, insight, credibility or challenge. This may include technology firms, AI companies, start-ups and scale-ups, universities, professional networks, public sector innovators, service transformation specialists and customer experience experts.
Own events, outreach and engagement opportunities
You will help CustomerFirst show its work. You will spot and create opportunities for events, roundtables, workshops, showcases, speaking slots and community activity that build confidence in the model and attract people who want to contribute.
Shape communications and the CustomerFirst story
Working with communications colleagues and senior leaders, you will help tell the CustomerFirst story in a way that is clear, credible and human. This includes recruitment marketing, internal engagement, external outreach, thought leadership and partner-facing content.
Develop culture and ways of working
You will help create the conditions for people to do their best work. This includes performance expectations, inclusion, learning, feedback, wellbeing and practical ways of working for a team that is growing quickly and operating in ambiguity.
Use workforce insight to support decisions
You will build stronger management information on workforce, skills, capability, vacancies, deployment and joining routes. You will turn that information into advice for senior leaders so talent decisions are based on evidence, not instinct.
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
We are looking for people who thrive in a fast-moving transformation environment. Our team members are mission-driven, relentlessly customer-focused, comfortable working in ambiguity, able to build strong relationships across organisational boundaries and committed to helping others grow and succeed.
For this role we are looking for someone who can build organisations, partnerships and communities.
Essential Experience:
- Experience creating and delivering talent, workforce, organisational development or capability strategies.
- Strong external engagement or partnership-building experience, ideally with senior stakeholders across sectors.
- Experience leading recruitment, onboarding, workforce planning or capability activity in a complex environment.
- Ability to build a compelling story and use communications, events or outreach to influence behaviour and attract interest.
- Strong senior stakeholder management, with the confidence to advise, challenge and shape decisions.
- Experience using workforce, people or organisational data to support decision making.
- Strong leadership and management skills, including direct and matrix leadership, inclusion, performance management and team development.
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Desirable Criteria
You Will Be Brilliant In This Role If You:
- Are as comfortable talking to a graduate, tech founder or an SCS leader.
- Can turn a loose relationship into a useful partnership with clear value on both sides.
- Understand that talent is not just recruitment. It is attraction, deployment, experience, culture and reputation.
- Can build energy around a mission without drifting into hype.
- Use events and communications as tools for adoption, not vanity activity.
- Care about candidate experience, high standards and the public value of bringing brilliant people into government.
- Love collaborating and creating connections - you don’t tolerate siloes.
- Invest the team around you, championing the team’s culture, diversity and inclusion.
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Changing and Improving
- Delivering at Pace
- Seeing the Big Picture
- Leadership
Salary and Benefits
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.
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.
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