Head of Portfolio (CDO - Digital & Data)
Role details
Job location
Tech stack
Job description
The United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is a system leader for health security; taking action internationally to strengthen global health security, providing trusted advice to government and the public and reducing inequalities in the way different communities experience and are impacted by infectious disease, environmental hazards, and other threats to health. UKHSA's remit, as an agency with a global-to-local reach, is to protect the health of the nation from infectious diseases and other external threats to health. As the nation's expert national health security agency UKHSA will:
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Prevent: anticipate threats to health and help build the nation's readiness, defences and health security
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Detect: use cutting edge environmental and biological surveillance to proactively detect and monitor infectious diseases and threats to health
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Analyse: use world-class science and data analytics to assess and continually monitor threats to health, identifying how best to control and mitigate the risks
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Respond: take rapid, collaborative and effective actions nationally and locally to mitigate threats to health when they materialise
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Lead: lead strong and sustainable global, national, regional and local partnerships designed to save lives, protect the nation from public health threats and reduce inequalities., We are looking for a Head of Portfolio (CDO - Digital & Data) to join the Portfolio and Business Partnering team, which is within the Digital and Data directorate, part of the Chief Data Office group. The team are responsible for:
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Oversight of the group's priorities, deliverables, roadmaps & status, ensuring alignment to Agency objectives.
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Manage strategic business partnering enabling robust relationship management and engagement across key stakeholders, dependents and users.
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Provision of project management resources across key deliverables.
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Assurance of spend in line with GDS' DDAT spend control framework., As Head of Portfolio (CDO - Digital & Data), you will lead the portfolio office, ensuring effective governance, reporting, and oversight of all projects and programmes. You will have responsibility for the prioritisation and allocation of resources across the portfolio to ensure optimal delivery of departmental / business strategic objectives in line with government priorities. This role is aligned to the Government Digital and Data Capability Framework (GDD), Digital Portfolio Manager - Head of Portfolio.
Working for our organisation We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce. UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all. Please visit our careers site for more information https://gov.uk/ukhsa/careers, + Lead the collaboration with CDO Business Partners and UKHSA business areas to identify and categorise new projects for a decision on entry into the portfolio through to acceptance into BAU (whole lifecycle)
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Establish clear governance frameworks and lead the co-ordination of reporting from projects across the Portfolio, including the analysis of performance at portfolio level for review by governance bodies such as the Portfolio Board.
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Responsible for the maintenance of the portfolio delivery map and critical path to monitor progress across projects, tracking interdependencies across change projects.
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Lead the identification and monitoring of portfolio risks, issues, assumptions and dependencies.
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Provide leaders with insights into the portfolio's future so they can make informed decisions on how resources are allocated across change initiatives to optimise return on investment.
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Establish ownership and responsibility for benefit realisation, reviewing business cases regularly to assess progress towards benefits realisation.
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Map stakeholder interest and influence alongside organisational strategic objectives to determine priorities for engagement and delivery.
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Engage with internal and external stakeholders, providing updates, challenge assumptions and resolve issues.
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Be a visible leader, communicating and building commitment to a shared vision and sense of purpose. Support business areas to take decisions independently.
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Build and lead a diverse, skilled and motivated team of digital portfolio managers, You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed 10 essential criteria, and this will be in the form of a:
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Application form ('Employer/ Activity history' section on the application)
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1000 word supporting statement. This should outline how you consider your skills, experience and knowledge provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria. You will receive a joint score for your application form and statement. (The application form is the kind of information you would put into your C.V -please be advised you will not be able to upload your CV. Please complete the application form in as much detail as possible). Please do not email us your CV. Healthjobs UK has a word limit of 1500, but your supporting statement must be no more than 1000 words. We will not consider any words over 1000 words. Longlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist into 3 piles of:
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Meets all essential criteria
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Meets some essential criteria
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Meets no essential criteria Only those who meet SOME and ALL essential criteria will proceed to shortlisting. Shortlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we may conduct an initial sift, on the lead criteria of:
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Extensive experience and detailed knowledge of planning, scheduling, budgeting, risk and issue management and assurance in a complex programme, project, or portfolio environment.
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Expert knowledge and experience of establishing and embedding governance and benefits management in multiple complex programmes/projects using both waterfall and agile methods within a Digital, Data and Technology portfolio.
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Qualifications in Portfolio Management Frameworks such as P3M, MPS, MoP or Prince2 and knowledge of how they support effective portfolio management, or equivalent experience Desirable criteria may be used in the event of a large number of applications/large amount of successful candidates. If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview & assessment. Feedback will not be provided at this stage. Stage 2: Interview - Success Profiles You will be invited to a single remote interview. Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills will be assessed/tested at interview. There will be a Presentation. You will be asked to prepare and present a 5-10-minute presentation at the start of your interview.
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What would be your approach to embedding portfolio management across an organisation-wide digital, data and technology environment? You will be provided with more information if invited to interview. The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be
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Lead Behaviour: Leadership
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Seeing the Big Picture
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Communication and Influencing
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Working Together Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records., Our core HQ offices are modern and newly refurbished with excellent city centre transport links and benefit from co-location with other government departments such as the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC). Security Clearance Level Requirement Successful candidates must pass a basic disclosure and barring security check before they can be appointed. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Basic Personnel Security Standard. IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ Artificial Intelligence (AI) 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 for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use. Link below: Artificial intelligence and recruitment | Civil Service Careers This is a Non-Reserved post under the Civil Service Nationality Rules. To be eligible for employment in the UK Civil Service applicants must meet the Civil Service Nationality Rules (CSNRs) which operate independently of and additionally to the Immigration Rules. Applicants must also meet necessary security and vetting requirements, along with any other relevant pre-employment checks. This job is broadly open to the following groups:
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UK nationals
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nationals of the Republic of Ireland
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nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
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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)
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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)
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individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
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Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service For more information on job nationality requirements and the right to work in the UK, see the Civil Service Nationality rules (opens in a new window) and the UK Visas and Immigration rules (opens in a new window) For posts on UKHSA Civil Service terms and conditions, new entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band. For existing Civil Servants and roles advertised across government, the rules of transfer apply, i.e., level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive a 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest. The Civil Service pay structure and progression is different from NHS Agenda for Change (AfC), most local authority pay grades and other systems that have annual pay increments. For further details, please refer to the Information Sheet- Starting Salaries & Benefits attachment. For AfC or Medical/Dental posts, you must have the correct professional registration to be appointed. The pay will follow the AfC or Medical & Dental terms & conditions. You may be asked to provide evidence of previous service whilst we are conducting pre-employment checks to determine your starting salary. For Temporary Appointments, if you are not currently a civil servant, you will take up the post on a Fixed Term appointment. You may be able to take this role up as a Secondment. If you are an existing Civil Servant, based outside of the UKHSA, you will take up the post as a loan which you will need your department to agree. You cannot take the post up as a fixed term. If you are an existing UKHSA member of staff, you will take up the post as either a level transfer or a temporary promotion as per the UKHSA's Pay policy. Given the nature of the work of the UKHSA, as a Category 1 responder under the Civil Contingencies Act, you may be required in an emergency, if deemed a necessity, to redeploy to another role at short notice. You may also be required to work at any other location, within reasonable travelling distance of your permanent home address, in line with the provisions set out in your contract of employment. Late Applications will unfortunately not be considered.
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 equality of opportunity. The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact UKHSA Public Accountability Unit via email: [email protected] If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website here. Reserve List - If more than the required number of suitable candidates pass the interview criteria, you may be kept on a reserve list for 12 months subject to your agreement. You may be contacted, in merit-order, if similar roles with closely matching essential criteria become available and the department choose to appoint from a reserve list. The panel will assess if candidates meet the requirement of the role first, using a specific benchmark system. If you are interviewed for the post and do not meet the required threshold for the specified grade, your application may be assessed against a similar, lower grade role and you may be offered the post should one be available. Interview expenses will not be reimbursed. UKHSA is required to check employment and/or education history covering three consecutive years. Please ensure you give details of at least two different referees, even if you were employed in one company for three years or more. If you are offered a job, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system. Please note, all communication regarding your application will be made via email, please ensure you check your junk/spam folders as emails are sometimes filtered there. Any move to UKHSA from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax-Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/. Benefits of working at UKHSA include
Requirements
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Qualifications in Portfolio Management Frameworks such as P3M, MSP, MoP or Prince2 and knowledge of how they support effective portfolio management, or equivalent experience
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Expert knowledge and experience of establishing and embedding governance and benefits management in multiple complex programmes/projects using both waterfall and agile methods within a Digital, Data and Technology portfolio.
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Evidence of portfolio management as a tool for managing organisational change.
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Extensive experience and detailed knowledge of planning, scheduling, budgeting, risk and issue management and assurance in a complex programme, project, or portfolio environment.
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Good knowledge and experience of business case development, resource management, business change and implementation and asset allocation.
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A visible leader with experience of driving performance through collaboration with project or programme teams; an advocate for continuous improvement.
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Proven ability to build productive relationships and influence diverse stakeholder groups - including technical specialists, delivery teams, senior leaders and external partners
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Good analytical skills, experienced in utilising digital tools to interpret and analyse complex data into clear, accurate and actionable portfolio level reports and insights to shape strategic decisions.
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Experience of working with product management and service management teams
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Be able to demonstrate persistence and resilience, achieving success by delivery despite obstacles or setbacks. Desirable criteria:
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Ability to operate in ambiguous, high pace environments - comfortable navigating uncertain or shifting priorities and enabling teams to maintain clarity and momentum through strong portfolio oversight Selection Process Details (Success Profiles) This vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your Behaviours, Experience & Technical skills.
Benefits & conditions
External: Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including internal applicants). Salary Information If you are successful at interview, and are moving from another government department, NHS, or Local Authority, the relevant starting salary principles for level transfers or promotions will apply. Otherwise, roles are offered at the pay scale minimum for the grade, but in exceptional circumstances there may be flexibility if you are able to demonstrate you are already in receipt of an existing, higher salary. Pay increases are through the relevant annual pay award for the role and terms. Please be aware that the salary is based on the office location. Grade 6
- £70,797-£81,450 (National)
- £72,950- £83,443 (Outer London)
- £75,104- £85,436 (Inner London), Plus public holidays and one privilege day for the King's birthday
- Access to a generous Defined Benefit pension scheme with employer contributions.
- Access to a cycle-to-work salary sacrifice scheme, season ticket advances and payroll giving.
- Access to a retail discounts and cashback site.
- We also promote flexible working patterns (part-time, job-share, condensed hours). UKHSA views flexible working as essential in enabling us to recruit and retain talented people, ensuring that they are able to enjoy a long-lasting career with us. All employees have the right to apply for flexible working and there are a range of options available including working from home, compressed hours and job sharing.
- We also offer a generous maternity/ paternity and adoption leave package. Hybrid Working UKHSA operates a hybrid working model where business needs allow. This provides us with greater flexibility about how and where we work, to get the best from our workforce. As a hybrid worker, you will usually spend a minimum of 60% of your contracted hours (averaged over a month) working at one of UKHSA's locations (approximately 3 days a week pro rata) and the rest of your time working from home. Disability Confident Scheme The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria at sift to ensure these candidates are invited to interview. If you wish to be included in this scheme please tick the box on your application form. Reasonable Adjustments The Civil Service is committed to making sure that our selection methods are fair to everyone. To help you during the recruitment process, we will take into account any reasonable adjustments that could help you. An adjustment is a change to the recruitment process or an adjustment at work. This is separate to the Disability Confident Scheme. If you need an adjustment to be made at any point during the recruitment process you should: Contact the recruitment team in confidence as soon as possible to discuss your needs. You can find out more information about reasonable adjustments across the Civil Service here: https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/reasonable-adjustments/ International Police Check If you have spent more than 6 months abroad over the last 3 years you may need an International Police Check. This would not necessarily have to be in a single block, and could be time accrued over that period. Internal Fraud check If successful for this role as one aspect of pre-employment screening, applicant's personal details - name, national insurance number and date of birth - will be checked against the Cabinet Office Internal Fraud Hub and anyone included on the database will be refused employment unless they can show exceptional circumstances. Currently this is only for External candidates to the Civil Service. Security Vetting Please check the Security Clearance needed for the role and follow the link for more information: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/united-kingdom-security-vetting-clearance-levels/national-security-vetting-clearance-levels Future location UKHSA is investing in a new state-of-the-art National Biosecurity Centre in Harlow, Essex, which will eventually bring together teams currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale and Porton Down. For more details, please see: Huge biosecurity centre investment to boost pandemic protection - GOV.UK. The new facilities will start becoming operational in the mid-2030s, with full completion by 2038. Staff will move in phases as facilities become available. If you're appointed to a role currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale or Porton Down, please note that we'll continue investing in these sites for the next decade. As we get closer to the transition, we'll provide full information about relocation support available to staff.