Head of Change Portfolio

This is a senior role, reporting to the Director of Strategy & Delivery and working closely with the wider Senior Leadership Team, the CEO and Defra. The Directorate is composed of 9 x Customer Portfolios, the Portfolio Management Office (PMO) together with teams responsible for delivery of the Cefas Organisational Strategy and the CMB office.  The Customer Portfolios oversee delivery and manage all Cefas’ customer projects to time and within agreed budgets.  The new Directorate also has a leadership role in ensuring the successful delivery of the annual business plan, the full implementation of Cefas 2030 organisational strategy and in overseeing change management within Cefas.

As a leader of people, the Head of the Change Portfolio is responsible for all change management programmes and will motivate Cefas to achieve its best possible outcomes, by driving deeper colleague engagement in implementing Cefas’ Organisational Strategy (Cefas 2030), modelling new ways of working, and fostering an inclusive and diverse environment. As a change ambassador and practitioner, this leader will develop cross-cutting plans and will oversee their delivery across Cefas.

You will lead Cefas’ Change & Improvement Programme (CHIP).  This brings together all change initiatives across Cefas, prioritising them, and delivering them in a consistent and systematic approach in line with professional change and project management principles whilst putting people at the heart of all changes. By doing this, the intent is to bring together our combined perspectives, skills and experiences, focussing on delivering agreed priority changes.

A key part of the role is providing leadership and oversight of project delivery which supports the portfolio of internal change projects across Cefas. This role will therefore facilitate the identification and overall prioritisation of our major change projects, including decision-making on resourcing and thereby ensure that our work on internal change projects can be more than the sum of their parts to embed cultural changes.

This will require visible and effective leadership, leading change management activity across SLT and working with key stakeholders to deliver the benefits and outcomes aligned with the delivery of our major programmes. The right person will translate Cefas’ strategic priorities contained within Cefas 2030 into clear change initiatives and use best practice change management standards, tools and processes in their delivery. This will require the successful candidate to maintain networks both internally and externally.

You will also play a role in facilitating 2-way dialogue between senior leaders and colleagues through the Cefas Evolve forum.  This is a new cross Cefas forum which will support engagement across Cefas.  This forum will provide an alternative route for colleagues to engage and provide feedback and make suggestions on specific focus topics, complementing established networks.  

The post holder will need to establish effective working relationships across Cefas, with scientists and operational leaders encouraging the full implementation of Cefas 2030 and the associated change programmes.

Cefas is proud of a diverse and inclusive work environment, committed to fairness and the promotion of equality of opportunity for all. We know that having a range of experiences, backgrounds, ways of working and thinking, makes us a stronger organisation, better at reflecting the communities we serve. We embrace different views and experiences and value the fresh perspective that people from a variety of circumstances bring to the work we do. We welcome applications from candidates who have not previously worked for the Civil Service, mid- and late-career changers with transferable skills, people from all backgrounds and circumstances regardless of disability, gender, age, ethnicity, LGBT+ identity and socio-economic status.

It is crucial to be able to hit the ground running with minimum training and support and be able to deliver in line with our organisational strategy.  This post provides a challenging opportunity for an experienced leader to help implement our ambitious strategy, focusing on operational changes including those arising from future potential major organisational change programmes including from Civil Service Reform. 

This role offers a unique opportunity for a high potential, experienced leader to drive meaningful change initiatives aligned with Defra and wider Government programmes. As you assume a leadership role in this position, you’ll have the chance to shape the direction of the Portfolio, expanding your influence, responsibilities, and expertise. Given the level of autonomy and empowerment that exists in this role it would suit someone who wanted to develop their skills for future promotion.

The successful candidate will initially lead a number of key activities aligned with Cefas 2030 strategic priorities and have the opportunity to develop the Change Portfolio over time:

Enabling individuals to thrive together, delivering safely wherever we work. 

• Determining the overall portfolio and prioritisation of our major internal change projects including decision-making on resourcing to ensure that they can be more than the sum of their parts and cultural change is fully embedded;

• Increasing engagement with the Change Management profession ensuring that there is opportunity for everyone across the Strategy & Delivery Directorate to develop across their professional specialisms;

• Establishing and growing change management capability across Cefas which recognises the professional development for change managers;

• Through your own efforts and working with others across Cefas building an inclusive and supportive culture where diversity is truly valued;

• Providing an increased focus of the Strategy & Delivery Directorate on talent management, succession planning and career development to build the future project delivery capability of the organisation.

Working Together

• Supporting a review (and then implementing the outcome) of how our major programmes are managed and delivered, including how to strengthen and clarify senior accountability, governance, decision-making and oversight in delivering and championing change;

• Taking an overview across all of our internal change projects to ensure agreed priorities are delivered;

• Developing and then implementing a cross-Cefas strategic change programme with SLT, that enables the organisation to be agile, change ready and responsive to transformational change​;

• Managing tools and processes to measure strategic delivery and change & communications effectiveness for ongoing improvement;

• Leading and responding to change initiatives arising from Cefas, Cabinet Office and Defra transformational programmes including those associated with future Spending Reviews.

• Ensuring all change management programmes are appropriately resourced and that the solutions meet Cefas requirements through high quality detailed impact assessments, providing insights on training requirements and appropriate interventions.

• Working with others including SLT and other operational leaders to strengthen Cefas’ capability and capacity to deliver change in a way that evolves our culture based upon open communication and trust.

The following are essential criteria required for this role and you must be able to demonstrate your skills and experience in the following areas:

• Highly developed project/programme management skills, and the ability to assimilate a wide range of information quickly;
• High-energy strategic problem solver with exceptional ability to bring clarity to sophisticated concepts, then mobilise and align colleagues to deliver;
• Excellent change management and problem-solving skills;
• Outstanding communication skills to engage all levels of stakeholders from leadership to entry-level colleagues;
• Previous direct people management experience;
• Effective leadership skills and experience of leading high performing multidisciplinary teams;
• Personally committed to driving change initiatives to maximise effectiveness and efficiency; and
• Experience of creating a culture of valuing people and adopting continuous improvement using a collegiate team-based approach.

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Changing and Improving

• Generous annual leave entitlement – Cefas offers 25 days’ annul leave on entry (rising to 30 days over first 5yrs) for full-time new entrants to the Civil Service. Employees receive 8 public holidays a year, plus an additional day to mark the late Queen’s birthday 
• Access to learning and development tailored to your role
• A working environment that supports a range of flexible working options
• A working culture which encourages inclusion and diversity
• Eligible to join the Civil Service Pension scheme – more information can be found on the CSP website Home – Civil Service Pension Scheme 
• Staff recognition vouchers
• In-year award scheme

Office Attendance

Cefas expects everyone to spend at least 60% of their working week attending a workplace or working away from home (averaged over a 4-week period). This includes attending Cefas sites, offsite meetings with customers/partners, training, travelling and fieldwork as well as visiting other Defra Group/Government offices. While up to 40% of people’s working week may be spent at home, this is not a requirement and individuals are able to work 100% of their contracted hours on our sites if preferred.

Full details of all relevant policies will be available as part of the induction or laid out in the contract when offer accepted.

Job contact :

• Name : Clare Avieson or Alec Wilson
• Email : resourcing@cefas.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : defrarecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk