Description
- Apply before 11:55 pm on Monday 1st June 2026
- Location: Bristol, Cambridge, Coventry, Darlington, London, Manchester, Nottingham, Sheffield
- Salary: £200,000
Job summary
The DG for Digital and Infrastructure will lead a new, highly capable and multi-disciplinary Group bringing together the digital, technology, data, and analysis functions in the Department. The DG will also lead the education estates function, with one of the top priorities for the role being to transform our capital strategy to make it more data and digitally enabled.
Job description
The DG for Digital and Infrastructure will be responsible for delivering:
- An ambitious cross-cutting digital, AI and data strategy plan that transforms how the sector and Department deliver all their work. This means leading work across DfE and the wider sector to embed digital, AI and data into every major strategy, driving improvements in outcomes for children and learners.
- DfE digital and technology services - leading a DDaT function of ~1800 colleagues to deliver user-centred, agile digital services to support outcomes – on everything from childcare and early years to teacher recruitment and fostering. The DG will also lead on delivery of the DfE technology strategy, including strengthening cyber resilience in the education sector and improving cyber security of DfE systems.
- Strategic data transformation across education and care sectors, including creating a powerful data spine for easier, more automatic collection and linking of data from education and care providers; and using this to drive insight and new services, and improve outcomes for children and learners. This will include work on a Single Unique Identifier.
- Improvements in the education estate - leading on implementing a new strategy for the education estate, linking it to wider responsibilities around improving education infrastructure. This includes delivery of major capital programmes such as the School Rebuilding Programme and several large capital funding programmes across school, colleges, nurseries and children’s homes. This function carries some of the highest levels of risk and accountability in the Department - including life-and-death decisions on safety (e.g. RAAC). The DG must exercise exceptional judgement in managing vast surveying and build programmes, making frequent rapid, high-stakes decisions.
Person specification
Essential Criteria
The Civil Service is open to talented people from anywhere in the world, and from any career background; we will always seek to identify transferable skills from the individual’s experience. To be appointed, you will need to show:
- Expertise in digital, AI and data leadership at scale: Ability to set a clear vision and strategy that transforms outcomes across a whole sector. Experience in leading large digital, data and technology functions to improve performance and ensure cyber security underpins digital and data systems.
- Delivery at pace and scale: Proven ability to lead major transformation programmes across complex delivery landscapes, working in partnership with schools, colleges, local authorities and private sector partners including in the ed tech and construction industries.
- Strategic thinking and policy influence: A track record of embedding digital and data into the core strategies of large organisations or systems, and of developing high quality, influential policies in partnership with decision-makers at the most senior levels.
- Leadership: Proven leadership experience, including through change, with evidence of the ability to build, inspire and motivate high-performing teams within an organisation of similar scale and complexity. Determination to create and maintain excellent, lean, effective teams which bring diversity of thought and take powerful action.
- Judgement and risk management: Exceptional skill in balancing huge opportunities with significant risks, calibrating engagement with a vibrant but under-evidenced and rapidly changing market. Ability to lead and change thinking over time.
Desirable Criteria
- Education expertise: Knowledge of the education or social care policy landscape and the ed tech sector is desirable. Whether they have some experience of these or not, candidates must demonstrate an interest in - and willingness to rapidly learn about – the education and care systems, and the evidence base, including on the science of learning.
Benefits
- 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%
Things you need to know
Artificial intelligence
Please see the Candidate Brief attached below for more information.
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting (opens in a new window).
This job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
- Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service
Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)
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We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).
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