Skip to content Skip to navigation

Director of Digital, Change and Technology

Employee Specification

 

Criteria Requirement
Essential Desirable

Relevant degree level qualification or equivalent experience, supported by evidence of continuous professional and leadership development.

  

Experience of leading integrated digital, change and technology services as a corporate portfolio, including digital platforms, transformation, data/insight, performance and communications.

  

Experience of driving innovation through the adoption of emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), automation and digital enablement.

  

Proven track record of leading large-scale organisational transformation and service redesign, including cultural change, while maintaining performance, compliance and delivery across multiple programmes in complex environments.

  

Strong track record of translating corporate strategy into deliverable plans and measurable outcomes, using data, insight and performance frameworks to drive continuous improvement.

  

An understanding of the relevant legislation, guidance and initiatives impacting services delivered by the Digital, Change & Technology Service.

  

Highly developed political and organisational awareness, with proven experience of working with senior leaders and partners to provide strategic advice and influence decision-making.

  

Extensive senior leadership experience, with a proven track record of leading high-performing, multidisciplinary teams and delivering complex portfolios at scale within stakeholder-rich environments.

  
Experience of leading strategic communications, engagement, consultation or reputation-management activities within a complex organisation.  

Strong financial leadership experience, including strategic budgeting, medium-term planning, forecasting, analytics and resource prioritisation across complex service environments.

  

Strong understanding and application of governance, risk and assurance frameworks within the wider public sector and policy environment.

  

Strong understanding of data strategy, analytics, performance frameworks and insight-led service improvement.

  

Excellent organisational, project management, performance management and financial management skills with a methodical approach to ensuring high standards.

  

Strong capability to drive value for money, financial sustainability and resource alignment at scale

  

Commercial acumen to broker and manage future business development as well as driving creative solutions for new challenges.

  

Excellent communication, interpersonal, negotiation and influencing skills, with a proven ability to build credibility, gain confidence and secure buy-in from key stakeholders.

  

Analytical and problem solving skills at a strategic level with the ability to use data, insight and intelligence to inform long-term decision-making and service design.

  

Ability to lead a major corporate function and align multiple services into a single, high-performing system. 

  

Ability to lead complex change and large scale transformation programmes with clear prioritisation, governance and delivery discipline.

  

Ability to bring together digital, change, insight and communications into a coherent, outcome-focused operating model.

  

Ability to work corporately and with partners to deliver shared outcomes, taking joint ownership of decisions and delivery.

  

Senior level experience working in a large, complex and politically led organisation.

  

Knowledge of the challenges facing local government and the consequential implications for the Digital, Change & Technology service.

  

Experience of leading organisation-wide digital transformation, data strategy or customer-led service redesign

  

 

Job outline

Overall purpose

To lead the Council’s Digital, Change and Technology function as an integrated corporate service, translating organisational priorities into high-quality, co-ordinated delivery across digital, insight, communications and change programmes.


As a senior leader, the postholder is accountable for service performance, delivery outcomes and value for money, ensuring that digital capability, customer insight, corporate communications and change programmes operate as a coherent system that drives organisational effectiveness and improved outcomes for residents. 
Operating at scale, leading a complex portfolio of corporate services and ensuring alignment between strategy, financial planning and delivery across the organisation.


The postholder will lead a large, complex corporate portfolio spanning digital platforms, change programmes, policy, performance, customer insight and communications, with significant financial and resource accountability, delivering across highly interdependent functions and enabling organisation-wide performance.

 

Principal accountabilities

  1. Provide strategic leadership for digital and technology services, ensuring secure, resilient platforms, alignment of digital delivery with organisational priorities and customer need, and enabling efficient, scalable service delivery.

  2. Lead the exploration, adoption and governance of emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), automation and data-driven solutions, to support innovation, productivity and service transformation.

  3. Provide corporate leadership for change programmes and the co-ordination and project management of them, establishing a consistent organisation-wide approach to programme and project delivery, and ensuring clear prioritisation, robust governance, effective performance monitoring, and delivery of agreed outcomes and benefits.

  4. Provide strategic leadership for corporate communications, marketing and engagement, ensuring a clear and consistent corporate narrative, high-impact campaign development and promotion, effective communication of organisational priorities and decisions, and strong alignment between marketing activity, service delivery and customer experience.

  5. Position communications as a strategic corporate function that supports organisational change, reputation management, staff engagement, resident trust, consultation and service improvement.

  6. Lead the end-to-end performance and continuous improvement of digital, change, insight and communications functions, ensuring delivery is outcome-focused, evidence-led and financially sustainable, and driving improved organisational performance through co-ordinated service delivery and effective use of insight and data.

  7. Lead the integration of policy, performance, data and customer insight, driving the development of corporate strategy and policy and providing strategic leadership for performance management, to ensure timely, evidence-based and outcome-focused decision-making, strengthen accountability and service improvement, and embed customer voice and demand in service design and delivery.

  8. Champion a data-driven culture across the Council, ensuring the effective use of data, analytics, intelligence and insight to improve outcomes, inform strategic decision-making, support resource allocation and identify opportunities for innovation and transformation.

  9. Translate corporate priorities into aligned, deliverable plans and lead a complex portfolio to deliver statutory duties, organisational priorities and community outcomes.

  10. Deliver organisational priorities through co-ordinated change programmes across digital, insight and communications, improving performance and efficiency, embedding data and customer insight in decision-making and advising Members and senior leadership on delivery and priorities.

  11. Act as the lead for developments in Digital Strategy, with responsibility for putting the customer at the heart of business change in the Council's approach to customer service and leading on council consultation and engagement.

  12. Drive the development of the Data Strategy and shape and provide strategic intelligence and analysis to inform, influence and shape directorate policy making, strategy development, performance management and budget planning including investment and disinvestment business cases.

  13. Lead and develop senior leaders and professional teams across digital, change, insight and communications, creating a high-performing, inclusive and accountable culture that embeds collaboration, innovation, continuous improvement and a clear focus on delivering organisational outcomes.  Promote innovation, digital confidence and the responsible use of AI and emerging technologies across the workforce.

  14. Ensure effective deployment of resources to deliver value for money and financial sustainability, aligning resources to priorities while balancing immediate delivery with medium-term planning, and responding proactively to emerging challenges and opportunities.

  15. Be accountable for achieving the service objectives, standards, performance measures and activity targets set for Digital, Change & Technology.

  16. Build and sustain strong relationships with Members, partners and stakeholders, influencing across organisational and system boundaries to deliver joined-up solutions across digital, change, insight and communications, and providing expert advice to enable effective performance, service delivery and organisational outcomes.

  17. Represent and promote the Council on all relevant issues at local, regional and national forums and maintain and develop good working relationships with professional bodies, partners and other groups.

  18. Represent the Executive Director of Corporate Resources on all areas pertaining to Digital, Change & Technology and other Directorate wide matters, when requested by the Executive Director. 

  19. Responsible for managing all aspects of the budget relating to Digital, Change & Technology.

  20. Contribute to the management of the Council via membership of the Council’s Senior Leadership Team and civil contingency arrangements (agreed on-call rota arrangements).

  21. Any duties and responsibilities appropriate to the grade and level of responsibility of the post

In your role you are required to speak English with sufficient fluency to effectively perform your duties, as required by Section 77-84 of the Immigration Act 2016

The above principal accountabilities are not exhaustive and may vary without changing the character of the job or level of responsibility.