Head of Programme and Reporting (G7)

Business unit information

The Modernisation and Reform Unit supports Ministers and Permanent Secretaries to reform the operation of government and build A Modern Civil Service. The team is one of a cluster of strategy teams in the Cabinet Office and works across the breadth of the Civil Service and beyond to deliver on the ambitions set out in the Declaration on Government Reform (published in 2021) 

The Unit does this in three ways:

• Advising senior members of the Government on progress against their reform priorities and how delivery can be maximised;
• Providing support to Government departments in their work to deliver reform across government;
• Providing clear leadership and direction for government reform, establishing a sense of shared ownership at all levels of the Civil Service.

 The reform agenda is a priority for the civil service. This is an exciting opportunity to lead the MRU programme and reporting team, in direct support of the Civil Service Chief Operating Officer, Cabinet Secretary, and ministers.

We are looking for someone who cares about making a difference on this important agenda.  You will play a visible and important role, representing the team and its ambition across government. You will also help bring focus on our capability to analyse data, to explore meaningful facts and trends and present them to senior officials and leaders across government.

The team prides itself on its diverse people and therefore welcomes applications from as wide a field as possible, and all flexible and adaptable working styles. We are also committed to acting as an exemplar for reform. As a result, there will be opportunity to try new approaches and utilise new tools and techniques to effectively deliver your role.

You will play a vital role in supporting the delivery of reform priorities, tracking progress and providing advice to senior officials on implementation. You will work very closely with departments and SROs, bringing them together, and identifying where delivery is at risk. High quality, accurate and timely analysis is absolutely critical to success.

Reporting to the G6 Head of Implementation, you will lead a small team directly responsible for governance, reporting and data analysis.

The post holder will be responsible for:

• Leading and developing an effective reporting system to gather information from departments and SROs to track implementation of reform priorities – driving increased accountability for delivery;
• Building team capability to analyse, interpret, and present data both visually and verbally in a compelling way for senior audience – using your own analytical skills to challenge and shape reporting data provided;
• Improving data quality and trust through improved governance and automation of data capture.
• Overseeing coordination of the Government Reform Delivery Board, chaired jointly by the Cabinet Secretary and the Civil Service Chief Operating Officer;
• Maintaining a diverse, highly motivated and effective team, promoting a professional, open and collaborative approach to colleagues across Whitehall and beyond;
• Role modelling the change we want to see across the Civil Service, building an inclusive team culture that supports individuals to prioritise upskilling themselves, rewards innovation and encourages breaking down barriers to collaboration.

We are looking for candidates who are comfortable with change and ambiguity, and excited about working as part of a team to deliver reform within a complex and large stakeholder landscape

The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate experience against the following essential criteria:

• You will have a track record of governance and reporting within a complex organisation;
• The personal presence, effectiveness and credibility to operate at a very senior level, with  a proven track record of advising most-senior stakeholders;
• The ability to work at pace in a complex multi-stakeholder environment, problem solving and driving progress in the face of a range of competing views and priorities;
• Knowledge and experience of: data preparation, exploration and visualisation; data interrogation and analysis; and presentation of results using good visualisations;
• Excellent problem solving skills, a high-degree of strategic awareness and a willingness to challenge the status quo;
• Upholds high-quality standards in the output that they are responsible for.

Other beneficial skills and experience

• Experience of using Tableau, though we are interested in any data visualisation tools that you have used and we are willing to provide training.
• Picking up new technologies relevant to the data manipulation, data analytics and visualisation domain.
• Prior experience of change and transformation programmes.
• Experience working in the public service outside of the Civil Service.
• A strong understanding of how the Civil Service and public service works.

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

• Communicating and Influencing
• Managing a Quality Service
• Making Effective Decisions
• Seeing the Big Picture

• Learning and development tailored to your role.
• An environment with flexible working options.
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity.
• A Civil Service Pension which provides an attractive pension, benefits for dependants and average employer contributions of 27%.
• A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by one day per year up to a maximum of 30.

Job contact :

• Name : Head of Implementation
• Email : businesssupport-mru@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Recruitment team

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