Senior Policy Advisor Public Sector Data Value

The Government Digital Service (GDS) is the digital centre of government. We are responsible for setting, leading and delivering the vision for a modern digital government.

Our priorities are to drive a modern digital government, by:

1. joining up public sector services
2. harnessing the power of AI for the public good
3. strengthening and extending our digital and data public infrastructure
4. elevating leadership and investing in talent
5. funding for outcomes and procuring for growth and innovation
6. committing to transparency and driving accountability

We are home to the Incubator for Artificial Intelligence (I.AI), the world-leading GOV.UK and at the forefront of coordinating the UKs geospatial strategy and activity. We lead the Government Digital and Data function and champion the work of digital teams across government.

Were part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and employ more than 1,000 people all over the UK, with hubs in Manchester, London and Bristol.

The Government Digital Service is where talent translates into impact. From your first day, youll be working with some of the worlds most highly-skilled digital professionals, all contributing their knowledge to make change on a national scale.

Join us for rewarding work that makes a difference across the UK. You'll solve some of the nations highest-priority digital challenges, helping millions of people access services they need.

The role and our team

Do you want to make a difference at the heart of the governments digital transformation effort? Are you motivated to work on something which has never been done before? Are you excited by working in multidisciplinary teams and coming up with innovative ways to make policy? This is an exciting role for someone who wants to help government be a catalyst for innovation in public services and the economy.

The Office for the Chief Data Officer in the Government Digital Service is maximising the use and impact of public sector data.

This valuable resource has the potential to radically transform peoples lives. It can boost economic growth, underpin ground-breaking research, improve the delivery of public services and fuel cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) development and applications. We are investing over 100m across the next three years to make this happen.

We are recruiting for a Policy Adviser (SEO grade).

Join us and you'll have the chance to innovate at the heart of government on one of its most exciting challenges. We are looking for candidates with different sets of experience you may come from a policy, strategy, or analytical background within or outside of government. You dont need a background in technical data delivery. You do need enthusiasm for learning about new topics, wide range of partners. Wherever you are, we want to hear from you.

Working in the Office for the Chief Data Officer, you will collaborate with colleagues across government to design and test new approaches that help public bodies fully realise the transformative potential of their data. You will be part of a team helping the public sector robustly understanding the enormous value of its data, responsibly share it with others in the way that will achieve maximum benefit for people, and build partnerships with businesses, researchers and other organisations.

The team is friendly, high performing and places high emphasis on building a strong team culture so people can do their best work. We strive to be innovative, apply digital delivery methodologies to policy-making, and learn from a wide range of sources to improve delivery. This is an opportunity to grow your career in the civil service, learn from colleagues with a wide range of experience and contribute to a brilliant working environment.

Key responsibilities

You will take ownership of meaningful pieces of work, typically involving a mix of research, analysis, engagement and delivery. You will lead workstreams, deliver through others and be comfortable operating independently. Responsibilities will include:

• Turning complex issues into clear policy by framing the problem, identifying options, assessing trade-offs, making recommendations and implementing solutions.
• Working with analysts, user researchers, lawyers and other professions to shape practical proposals based on user needs, strategic aims and constraints.
• Producing high quality written products including briefings, submissions and clear narratives for a range of audiences.
• Working with a wide range of stakeholders across government and external partners, to gather insight and build alignment.

Essential criteria

You dont need to be a data expert. We are looking for people with strong strategy and policy skills and the motivation to apply them in a data and digital context.

We are interested in your ability to:

• Analyse complex issues and use evidence well: structure ambiguous problems, assess evidence critically, and develop clear, practical options, taking forward work through to implementation.
• Communicate clearly and effectively: produce high quality written outputs and explain complex issues in plain English for a range of audiences, including senior and external stakeholders.
• Build strong relationships: work collaboratively with a wide range of stakeholders and build consensus to deliver shared outcomes.
• Manage your work and deliver at pace: independently lead your workstreams, keep momentum on fast moving work, take ownership of priorities, manage competing demands, and maintain high standards of delivery.
• Quickly get up to speed with new topics and areas of work: take a curious and structured approach to learning to develop credible expertise in new contexts.

If you are interested in this role but are unsure whether you meet all the requirements, we encourage you to apply.

Desirable criteria

The following experience or knowledge would be an advantage, but is not essential:

• Experience of working on data, digital or technology policy or delivery
• Experience working in a digital delivery environment, applying agile methodologies and working with colleagues from across a range of digital professions