Director General for Technology, Digital and Data

We are seeking a purpose-driven leader who is deeply mission-aligned and passionate about improving health and care services in the UK through technology and data innovation. This individual will bring resilience and pragmatism, adopting a hands-on approach to delivering complex programs and achieving tangible outcomes. They will demonstrate exceptional strategic communication and influence, translating business needs into actionable technical roadmaps while galvanising diverse stakeholders and teams around a shared vision. Analytical and decisive, they will navigate ambiguity with confidence, making sound judgments under pressure., As the Director General (DG) for Technology, Digital and Data, you will define and deliver the strategic vision and technology roadmap to enable this digital transformation. You will lead the integration of digital and data solutions into patient services, drive efficiency and innovation, and oversee the transition to a new operating model aligned with ministerial priorities and the 10-Year Plan to increase productivity and provide a superior experience for citizens and staff alike. You will initially be a member of the Joint Executive Committee that oversees the work of teams in both NHSE and DHSC, and following the abolition of NHSE, play a central role in the leadership of the new DHSC. You will manage a sizeable budget, shape organisational design, and build a high-performing, collaborative team to enable a modern, data-driven health and care system. You will lead digital transformation across health and care, driving large-scale technology and data initiatives to modernise and standardise services to ultimately improve patient outcomes. You will ensure secure, scalable, and resilient technology infrastructure, while shaping organisational design, and operating models aligned with ministerial priorities. The role demands a well governed function, delivering operational excellence, setting high performance standards, and fostering collaboration across complex government structures. You will champion innovation, manage significant budgets, and build high-performing, cross-functional teams to deliver technology-driven solutions that advance health and care services and create measurable impact for UK citizens. You will continue the capitalisation and capability build of the NHS App for higher adoption through improved citizen experience. Lastly, you will instil best practice management of a cohesive, well governed and rationalised sourcing map and vendor ecosystem for DHSC., This recruitment process is regulated by the Civil Service Commission, and follows clear guidelines to ensure selection is fair, open, and made on merit. The Civil Service Commission has two primary functions:

• Providing assurance that appointments to the Civil Service are made on merit, on the basis of fair and open competition. For the most senior posts, the Commission oversees the process directly and appoints a Commissioner to chair the selection panel.

• Hearing and determining appeals made by civil servants under the Civil Service Code, which sets out the values of impartiality, objectivity, integrity, and honesty. Selection Panel The selection panel for this role will be chaired by: Christopher Pilgrim, Civil Service Commissioner (Chair) Other panel members:

• Samantha Jones OBE, Permanent Secretary, Department of Health and Social Care

• Sir Jim Mackey, NHS England Chief Executive

• Other panel members to be confirmed You will receive an acknowledgment of your application. The panel will assess applications to select those demonstrating the strongest fit with the role, based on the evidence provided against the essential criteria. It is essential you address all criteria in your application. Failure to do so may affect your progression. Shortlist candidates will be invited to take part in a series of assessment which may include:

• A Stakeholder Engagement Panel Exercise

• Meetings with key departmental stakeholders, which may include a Minister Details of the final assessments including briefs will be confirmed with shortlisted candidates. Shortlisted candidates will then progress to a final interview (face-to-face in London) with the selection panel. Full details of the assessment process will be shared with candidates invited to interview. For full details about this role, the full selection criteria, how to apply or to request a candidate pack please contact Egon Zehnder at DHSCDGTech@egonzehnder.com The closing date for applications is 23:55 on 9 February 2026. Your submission should include:

• The role title and reference number in the subject line of your email.

• A current CV, including your educational and professional qualifications and full employment history (explaining any gaps), with details of budgets and teams managed and highlighting key achievements.

• A Statement of Suitability, no more than two A4 pages, explaining why this appointment interests you and how you meet the criteria set out in the candidate profile.

• Please note that references and open-source due diligence checks (including into social media accounts) may be undertaken for all short-listed candidates.

• A declaration of interest form.

• A completed Monitoring Form to support the Department's commitment to equality and diversity. The form includes: o Monitoring questionnaire (reported anonymously) o Information on the Disability Confident Scheme for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum criteria. If you require any adjustments to make the recruitment process more accessible, please contact Egon Zehnder at DHSCDGTech@egonzehnder.com Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. 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). See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements 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)

Working for the Civil Service The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants. 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). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Above all, they will possess a forward-looking vision for technological advancement, combining strategic thinking with a genuine enthusiasm for data and innovation to shape impactful solutions for the future., Digital Transformation Leadership: Track record developing and executing a technology vision aligned to organisational strategy; with proven ability to transform digital, technology and data access inc. platform modernisation in large-scale, matrixed organisations, with responsibility for multi-million-pound budgets. Technology Infrastructure & Resilience: Expertise in building secure, scalable, and future-proof digital systems and embedding digital/data solutions into frontline service delivery. Program & Resource Management: Skilled in executing multi-faceted technology initiatives within scope, budget, and timelines; strong financial stewardship and governance of large-scale budgets and resource allocation ensuring transparency, accountability, and alignment against strategic priorities. Organisational Design & Strategic Planning: Ability to drive operating model transformation, optimise resource allocation, and co-create future-state structures with senior stakeholders. Vendor Management: Track record managing third party and outsourced arrangements to optimise cost effectiveness and efficiency. Industry Experience: Healthcare Services/OR experience in regulated, mission critical environments (Banking, Telco, Utilities, Transport). Experience working at Board and Executive Leadership levels.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension
• The role includes 25 days annual leave, increasing on a sliding scale to 30 days after 5 years' service. (This is in addition to 8 public holidays and one privilege day) This role is being advertised on a permanent basis. If preferable, Loan or Secondment options will also be available for existing Civil Servants (Loan) and applicants from accredited NDPBs or any other employer (Secondment). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.