Deputy Director Portfolio Office & Business Partnering - UKSA - SCS1

Working to the UKHSA's Director of Digital and Data, the Deputy Director - Portfolio Office and Business Partnering works closely with the directorate Senior Leadership Team to deliver impactful change in support of the UKHSA mission.

This a pivotal leadership role; it drives the definition and prioritisation of the change portfolio, managing the flow of demand and assuring its delivery.

The role is supported by an empowered team with strong culture of always looking forward and progressive action; broadly structured as:

• Portfolio Office, who hold and own the portfolio catalogue, drive quarterly planning increments and supporting the portfolio board in prioritising the delivery agenda in line with UKHSA priorities.
• Business Partners, who connect across the UKHSA business units to understand the mission requirements, support the definition of value adding change and how it translates to Digital and Data outcomes.
• Project and Programme Management, driving Digital and Data deliveries to successful outcomes.
• Government Digital and Data capabilities and compliance, leading the profession for UKHSA and assuring compliance with GDS / DHSC spend controls.
• As a Deputy Director the role also demands broader leadership engagement across the Directorate, CDO and UKHSA as a whole, leaning in to support wider success across the organisation.

  Key responsibilities will include:

  • Developing, maintaining and monitoring the portfolio level end-to-end delivery plan and support investment cases, ensuring prioritisation alignment with Strategy and policy, the business plan and priorities
  • Leading the Portfolio Delivery Team of PMO professionals across planning, reporting, risk management analysis, governance and assurance. Set, maintain and enforce delivery standards for CDO across Planning, Reporting and Risk Management
  • Managing and improving the effective and reliable provision of areas such as business analysis, user experience, digital PMO, PM, delivery management, demand management & requests for change
  • Collaborating to further develop and implement a robust and timely demand management methodology governing new major project requests and change requests; assess and maintain oversight of the viability, affordability, and sequencing of Technology change initiative requirements.
  • Defining and leading the CDO Governance framework and manage and deliver the portfolio assurance plan and pipeline targeting a rolling programme of assurance activities.
  • Increasing the likelihood and confidence of delivering the desired objectives & outcomes, through chairing of regular Portfolio Governance forums, (e.g.: DDAT Forum) and challenging programmes accordingly.
  • Being the Centre of Excellence for delivery methodology, tools and templates; advising and supporting other delivery professionals. Support technical programme delivery across CDO and the wider UKHSA (including portfolio management and change board) embedding, managing, and championing appropriate standards, policies, procedures and governance.
  • Establishing and embedding high quality effective management reporting for CDO performance metrics, new demand, the Book of Work and change initiative forecasts.
  • Portfolio Performance & Controls - assessing risk and issue management at portfolio level, analysing and identifying major trends and working with the Project SROs and Leads and PMOs to put in place mitigating action at the portfolio level. Ensure mitigations are in place and resolved through negotiated agreement
  • Deputising for Director of Digital and Data with respect to decisions as they pertain to IT Business Partnering, strategic requirements gathering, business focussed launch and change management.
  • Leading, managing, and developing all G6 direct reports, and ensuring that UKHSA's culture and ways of working are embedded across all direct and indirect reports.
  • Leading the team ensuring they work closely with senior colleagues to embed, communicate, and deliver our Technology strategy, and ensure it continues to meet and reflect the needs and requirements of our evolving business. You will be the voice of the business, and advocate and influence strategic digital and technology decisions across UKHSA to achieve value for money and alignment with digital and technology service design principles.
  • Being responsible for ensuring your team support UKHSA in the delivery of its objectives, enabled and influenced by digital and technology capabilities. You will take the lead in developing trusted, influential relationships that both support and challenge UKHSA in its digital thinking and be a trusted internal strategic partner.
  • Working with Architecture and Standards, helping shape and influence digital roadmaps and business plans at a directorate, group and department level, ensuring that the development of digital solutions and capabilities support the needs of UKHSA and aligns to the Agency's strategies.

    This role will influence the following key stakeholders:

    Internal

    • Director of Digital and Data
    • CEO (where appropriate)
    • UKHSA Heads of Functions (e.g. in Chief Operating Officer, Chief Medical Adviser and Chief Scientific Officer Groups)
    • Chief Data Office Directors and Deputy Director peers

      External

      • Government departments and organisations e.g. Government Digital Service
      • Academic leaders and research bodies
      • Devolved Administrators, Departments and Organisations
      • International bodies and Government
      • Private sector leaders

         

        Person specification

        Essential criteria

        • Have a degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or any other related field. An equivalent of the same in practical experience is also acceptable for the position
        • Experience of executing a programme of work to deliver required scope within time, cost, and quality
        • Financial management, forecast assessment and action planning, setting and managing a budget to an agreed forecast, managing risks and opportunities, and working in the context of demonstrating value for money
        • Substantial experience in an organisation-wide, senior portfolio management and programme delivery position, together with project and change management methodologies. Demonstrable experience of setting the portfolio and delivery priorities across an extensive technology estate
        • Able to lead authorship of key programme documentation, such as business cases, benefits realisation, and government gateway reviews
        • Strong drafting skills (briefings, submissions) with the ability to communicate succinct, meaningful narratives and conclusions to both internal and external senior stakeholders
        • Excellent interpersonal and stakeholder management skills, a proven commitment to collaboration, and the ability to communicate often complex information easily and simply, with diplomacy and tact, to all levels, including directors and senior management
        • Experience of working in multi-discipline change teams to produce measurable costed solution impacts
        • The ability to work under pressure with multiple tasks in a dynamic and fast-paced environment and adjust approaches to meet extremely short and conflicting deadlines - bringing teams and suppliers along in a collaborative and inclusive way