Head of Information Technology
Veterinary Medicines Directorate
Apply before 11:55 pm on Monday 22nd July 2024
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About the job
Job summary
As Head of Information Technology (IT) you will lead and drive teams to deliver a wide range of IT services that support both internal and external stakeholders, playing a key role in delivering the VMD mission.
“to protect public and animal health, the environment and promote animal welfare by assuring the safety, quality and effectiveness of veterinary medicines and other animal health inputs”.
You will be an experienced IT professional with a strong technical background who is motivated and organised. You will have excellent communication skills, enabling you to lead the organisation through an exciting period of organisational and technical change. Developing a strategy and roadmap that modernises the IT landscape, providing stakeholders with a suite of tools and services that allow the VMD to deliver an excellent service to our stakeholders.
Job description
In your role as Head of IT, you will:
- Have overall responsibility for all IT services delivered by the organisation.
- Lead Operational teams, implementing, managing, delivering, and supporting IT services.
- Lead Digital teams, delivering external facing digital services and bespoke internal facing services. Ensuring alignment with the Government Service Standard (https://www.gov.uk/service-manual/service-standard)
- Be responsible for ensuring the legacy IT estate is maintained whilst transitioning to modern IT services.
- Manage stakeholder relationships across several domains.
Your responsibilities will include:
- Setting the IT Strategy, focussed on providing services that deliver value in the short, medium, and long term, ensuring user needs, and business outcomes are embedded in the services provided.
- Providing technical leadership across the estate, ensuring that IT services are resilient, secure, compliant and that suitable tools and technologies are selected.
- Supporting and driving team management activities. Identifying team capability and development requirements in relation to the needs of the VMD and the changing technical landscapes; manage team resources to ensure it is skilled and equipped to meet those needs.
- Overseeing IT budgets and provide input into funding business cases as necessary, ensuring that required levels of service can be met within budget.
- Building productive working relationships with key stakeholders within Defra, across government and external.
- Overseeing the management of supplier and delivery partner relationships and proactively build relationships to support these
- Comply with ISO 9001 (quality management) and ISO 27001 (information security) standards, and GDPR and record management requirements.
- Act corporately – meeting, role-modelling, embedding, and championing the corporate objectives set by the VMD.
Person specification
As Head of IT, it is important that you demonstrate excellent leadership skills as well as technical. We are looking for you to have:
• Experience leading teams and setting strategic direction, focussing on delivering excellent service.
• Experience working in and promoting agile methods.
• Experience implementing transformational change and providing continuous improvement.
• Experience of working in a fast paced environment, managing multiple workstreams.
• Strong communication skills, allowing you to confidently collaborate with stakeholders at all levels.
• Strong technical skills across a wide range of technologies.
VMD are currently building services in both AWS and Azure as well as maintaining some legacy technologies and provisioning devices and software to staff, your experience will demonstrate you can discuss these at a technical level and supported by others provide guidance and assurance. Some of the principles and technologies we currently use are:
- Government Digital Service guidelines and services
- https://www.gov.uk/guidance/government-design-principles
- https://design-system.service.gov.uk/ - Agile methodologies (Scrums, Kanban) - Jira, Confluence
- Cloud platforms and technologies – Microsoft Azure (Microsoft 365), AWS
- Software development principles and Architecture (Enterprise architecture, Solutions architecture, software architecture and data architecture)
- Cloud infrastructure and Infrastructure as Code (IaC – Terraform, CloudFormation and Azure Resource Manager)
- Databases and Storage – SQL, MongoDb, PostgreSQL, Redis, Amazon S3, AWS DocumentDb
- Identity – Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD)
- Software Engineering - .NET, Node.js, Angular
- Containerisation technologies – Docker, Kubernetes, Amazone EKS
- Several tools for logging, monitoring, assuring and securing.
- We utilise Microsoft 365 tooling available through E5 licenses to provision devices to users
Behaviours
We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:
- Changing and Improving
- Managing a Quality Service
- Making Effective Decisions
Technical skills
We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:
- At interview you will be asked questions on your technical expertise in relation to the technologies outlined within the person specification
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 average employer contribution of 27%
- Free onsite parking
- Free eyesight test
- Onsite gym
- Access to a prayer room
Things you need to know
Selection process details
Application Process
As part of the application process, you will be asked to complete a CV and Personal Statement, and Behaviour Statements. The CV will ask for your job history, qualifications and past skills and experience.
Your Personal Statement should be no more than 500 words and should demonstrate how your qualifications / knowledge / skills / experience match the requirements set out in the job advert
When giving examples of Behaviours please use the Situation, Task, Action, Result (STAR) format. Behaviours , Civil Service Careers (civil-service-careers.gov.uk)
Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.
Sift
Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead behaviour, Changing and Improving.
Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift,or progressed straight to assessment/interview.
Interview
If successful at application stage, you will be invited to interview where you will be assessed on Behaviours, Experience, Technical and Strengths.
A presentation or additional exercise may also be assessed.
Sift and Interview dates
The sift will be conducted 23rd July 2024
Interviews are currently scheduled to take place at the VMD Office on the 1st and 2nd August 2024
Please note that this timeline is indicative at this stage and could be subject to change.
Salary
New entrants are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band.
Location
Please be aware that this role(s) will be contractually based at the VMD headquarters in Addlestone, Surrey. Fixed location, but flexible working arrangements.
As part of the pre-employment process for this post, successful candidate(s) will be able to agree a contractual workplace from those locations listed in this advert. The agreed contractual workplace is then the substantive and permanent place of work for the successful candidate(s)
Where the location is ‘National’ the successful appointee should discuss and agree an appropriate contractual location in line with both Defra’s location policy and site capacity, prior to proceeding with pre-employment processes.
Successful applicants currently employed by the hiring Defra organisation for this post may choose to remain in their current contractual location or may choose to change contractual location to one of those listed above. This should be discussed and agreed prior to proceeding with pre-employment processes.
The agreed amount of time spent at a workplace for this post will reflect the requirement for Civil Servants to spend at least 60% of their working time in an organisation workplace with the option to work the remaining time flexibly from home. Working time spent at a workplace may include time spent at other organisational locations including field-based operational locations, together with supplier, customer or partner locations. This is a non-contractual agreement which is consistent with common Civil Service expectations.
Travel costs to non-contractual workplaces will be subject to departmental travel and subsistence policies. Travel costs to contractual workplaces are the responsibility of the employee.
The successful candidate is required to carry out all their duties from a UK location, and cannot do so from an overseas location at any time.
Defra includes the core department, APHA, RPA, Cefas and VMD.
Working Pattern
This is a full-time post. It may be possible for individuals to fill these roles on an 80% FTE basis, but no less due to the tight time constraints of the work commitments.
Job shares could be possible, although a degree of flexibility would be required so that the job holder(s) could take full responsibility for all aspects of their own work, including attendance at relevant meetings. In order for a job share to be considered there must be two people who are successful at interview who want to work in this way. Term time / part time working would not be possible due to the short timelines assigned to the tasks and project deadlines.
Visa Sponsorship Statement
Please take note that Defra does not hold a UK Visa & Immigration (UKVI) Skilled Worker License sponsor and are unable to sponsor any individuals for Skilled Worker Sponsorship
Near miss
Candidates who are judged to be a near miss at interview may be considered for other positions in Defra which may be at a lower grade but have a potential skills match.
Reserve List
A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.
Reasonable Adjustment
If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.
If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:
- Contact Government Recruitment Service via defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.
- Complete the “Assistance required” section in the “Additional requirements” page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.
Accessibility
If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.
Criminal Record Check
If successful and transferring from another Government Department, a criminal record check may be carried out.
In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf. However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.
Internal Fraud Database Check
Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment.
A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5-year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.
NSV
For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the following page https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/demystifying-vetting
Higher Security Clearance
Please be aware the levels of national security clearance are changing which may impact on the level needed for this role by the time of appointment. All efforts will be made to keep candidates informed of any changes and what that will mean in terms of vetting criteria. For more information please See our vetting charter.
Childcare Vouchers
Any move to Defra from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk
Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.
Security
Nationality requirements
Working for the Civil Service
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).
Diversity and Inclusion
Apply and further information
Contact point for applicants
Job contact :
- Name : Karl Harman
- Email : k.harman@vmd.gov.uk
Recruitment team
- Email : DefraRecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
Further information
Government Recruitment Services via email: defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Click https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/contact-us/ to visit Civil Service Commission.
