Head of Digital Strategy - 2 year Fixed Term Contract (Hybrid) London, England
Job description
Do you want to work at a London Borough that puts caring for People, our Planet and our Places at the heart of its vision and aims to be the Borough of fun! Why wouldn't you? If so we have a really exciting new role to lead and evolve a new approach to digital. One that genuinely makes a difference to our residents and communities lives, enabled through innovative technology and a new approach to delivery.
About Barnet Council
Barnet is a borough with much to be proud of. Our excellent schools, vibrant town centres, vast green spaces, and diverse communities all help make it a wonderful place to live and work. As a council we want to build on these strengths as we move into the future. We are growing and developing as an organisation to meet the challenges facing our borough and we are committed to working with partner organisations and residents to make Barnet even better. As an organisation, our staff are committed to Our Values: Caring, Learning to Improve, Inclusive, Collaborate.
About the Directorate
The Resident Experience and Digital service is reshaping the way our residents access our services and influencing how our services are designed so they are accessible and inclusive to all. Through Barnet’s Resident Experience & Digital Strategy we are delivering a programme of work to improve access to those services and prioritise support for those residents who have more complex and/or sensitive needs. This will mean Resident’s having more holistic support across council services and a better overall experience. We are delivering this through implementing new technology and models of delivery, re-designing processes and informing a culture change that is resident centric.
About the role
We are looking for a Head of Digital Strategy to oversee all elements of delivery of the Councils Digital Strategy, project delivery, technical adoption, and associated delivery teams. Barnet Council is embarking on an ambitious transformation programme to deliver the priorities outlined in our Plan for Barnet, 2023 to 2026. Delivering the priorities outlined in the Councils Resident Experience and Digital Strategy and developing how this strategy evolves and develops to meet the ambitions laid out in our Plan for Barnet is a key part of the role.
Barnet is constantly evolving as it modernises and improves its effectiveness and access to services through a resident-centred approach, enabled by better use of data and technology. This will require new approaches to delivery, and a new approach to understanding resident needs and solving the most complex problems we face.
This is a new role in Barnet. You will be responsible for educating and demonstrating agile delivery, cultural change, user-centred methodologies, and new technologies. You will lead the establishment and growth of this function.
About you
- will have demonstrable experience of delivering large complex digital programmes, enabling the outcomes outlined in our strategy and able to show impact and tangible benefit achieved.
- a passion for improving services, a customer centric mindset and user focused leadership across operational and technical teams co-producing solutions that work for and add benefit to the people using them.
- will have experience of developing new digital functions, providing leadership to multi-disciplinary teams. Managing across complex 3rd party supplier arrangements ensuring product development is agile, responsive to user need and enables organisational priorities.
- will have delivered technologies and data solutions that have transformed both resident and staff experiences, ensuring measurable positive impact. Have an understanding of the public sector digital and technology agenda and the opportunities and challenges presented.
- will have excellent communication, interpersonal, and analytical skills, including the ability to present persuasively to colleagues, partners, and other senior stakeholders.
What we offer
- 31 days annual leave, plus public & bank holidays
- Access to the Local Government Pension Scheme
- Work-life balance options may include hybrid working, flexitime, job share, home working, part-time
- A vast range of lifestyle discounts from major retailers, supermarkets, energy suppliers & more
- Broad range of payroll benefits including cycle to work, eye care vouchers, travel, and gym membership
- Excellent training and development opportunities
- Employee well- being training programs
How to apply
Read the job description and person specification before clicking ‘Apply’ to commence the online application form.
If you would like any further information about the role before applying, please contact Barry May, Assistant Director, Resident Experience & Digital at [email protected] or you can also contact [email protected] for an informal chat to learn more about us and the role.
Barnet Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Barnet operates stringent safer recruitment procedures.
To deliver Barnet Council’s commitment to equality of opportunity in the provision of services, all staff are expected to promote equality in the workplace and in the services the Council delivers. As such we value diversity and welcome applications from all backgrounds including from the LGBT+ community, genders, ages, disabilities, faiths/beliefs and candidates from Black, Asian, and ethnic minority backgrounds. For further information, please read our equality statement.
Barnet Council embraces all forms of flexible working (including part-time, compressed hours, and remote working) and is committed to offering employees a healthy work-life balance. Candidates are encouraged to talk about relevant requirements and preferences at interview.
Barnet Council is a Disability Confident Committed Employer. We welcome and encourage job applications of all abilities. If you require any reasonable adjustments in the application or interview, please contact the lead contact on this advert. We will make reasonable adjustments to make sure our disabled applicants and those with health conditions are supported throughout our recruitment process. We support the access to work scheme, further details www.gov.uk/access-to-work/apply
All posts with the council are subject to a probationary period of six months, during which time you will be required to demonstrate to the council satisfaction your suitability for the position in which you will be employed.
Due to the high number of applications that are received for posts we may close vacancies before the stated closing date if sufficient number of applications are received. Therefore please apply as soon as possible.
Please ensure you regularly check the email account (including JUNK MAIL folders) that you use to submit your application, as all communication will be sent electronically. Should you not hear from us within four working weeks of the closing date for this post, then regretfully, in this instance, you have not been shortlisted.
