Business Growth Service (BGS) Digital Policy Lead

The Business Growth Service (BGS) brings together government-funded advice, digital content and specialist support to form a more coherent offer for small and medium-sized businesses. (Government growth service to save small business time and money - GOV.UK)

As business.gov.uk becomes the primary route into government support, and as digital tools including AI-enabled services develop, the BGS team must ensure that policy intent, user need and digital delivery are tightly aligned to deliver a world class digital self-serve offer to businesses.

This role sits at the centre of that challenge.

The Role

The BGS Digital Policy Lead takes responsibility for the digital strategy for the Business Growth Service (BGS), ensuring that business.gov.uk enables the BGS vision of a digital by default approach to business support that both provides self-serve information to businesses, while also simplifying the wider support landscape.

The postholder will set the day-to-day policy direction of Digital, Data and Technology (DDAT) teams working on priority BGS digital initiatives, ensuring delivery across key areas (including AI-enabled services and business.gov.uk content) meets policy intent, user need and ministerial priorities.

They operate as the senior policy lead and intelligent client for BGS digital delivery translating strategic objectives into clear, prioritised direction for multidisciplinary digital teams, while shaping longer-term digital strategy for the service.

The postholder owns relationships with a wide range of senior stakeholders across policy, digital, delivery partners and external organisations, ensuring that BGSs digital offer develops at pace, scales effectively, and delivers measurable impact for businesses.

Key Responsibilities

• Set day-to-day strategic direction to DDAT teams delivering priority BGS digital work, ensuring alignment with policy objectives, user needs and service standards. Translate complex policy requirements into clear, actionable direction for multidisciplinary digital teams, balancing ambition with delivery feasibility.
• Act as the senior intelligent client for BGS digital delivery, owning priorities, defining outcomes, and providing assurance on scope, quality and value. Take responsibility for setting the policy direction for the development and evolution of business.gov.uk. Ensure wider BGS strategy and end-to-end business needs are met through our digital support channels.
• Shape the longer-term digital and service strategy for BGS, including the use of AI and emerging technologies to improve business journeys.
• Own and steward relationships with senior stakeholders across DBT, wider government, Growth Hubs and delivery partners, influencing decisions and resolving tensions. Identify opportunities to integrate digital delivery across BGS programmes, driving coherence across national, local and partner services. Communicate technical concepts and options with clarity to senior policy officials.
• Provide assurance and advice to senior leaders and ministers on progress, risks and opportunities in BGS digital delivery.

The Person

Essential Criteria 

The below criteria are essential and will be assessed at application stage;

• Experience leading and shaping the delivery of policy into live delivery in complex organisations.

• An understanding of how digital teams operate and experience of working with multidisciplinary digital teams.

• Strong ability to set direction, challenging assumptions and ensuring delivery aligns with strategic objectives.

• Proven capability to lead and influence senior stakeholders.

• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate complex policy and delivery issues into clear advice for senior decision-makers.

• Excellent stakeholder management skills.

Desirable Criteria 

The below criteria are desirable only. These will not be assessed throughout the recruitment process, but will be used in the event of tied scores between candidates;

• Experience working with AI-enabled services or data-driven digital products in a public service context.

• Understanding and experience of working on AGILE projects

• Familiarity with business support, SME (Small and Medium Sized Enterprises) policy, or local delivery ecosystems.

• Experience shaping digital content, user journeys or service propositions at scale.

• Understanding of agile digital delivery and multidisciplinary team working.