Head of IT Services for Criminal Investigation & Avoidance Disruption - HMRC - SCS1

Job summary

There has never been a more exciting time to join HMRC as we continue to become one of the world’s most digitally-advanced tax authorities. 

In HMRC, we are creating a dynamic, customer centric and data-driven organisation with a culture that focuses on and significantly invests in the continual development of our people. To meet the challenges of bringing in more tax, closing the tax gap, reducing costs and improving the customer experience, we need to evolve our approach, using smart data analysis and state of the art technology to drive customer led solutions. 

Our IT methodology to achieve this is quite simple – work collaboratively across the organisation to simplify tax and reduce customer effort through an engaged and efficient organisation in order to exceed revenue targets. 

In Chief Digital and Information Office (CDIO)  we are undergoing a major operating model transformation to pivot our operation to focus more on services. The Chief Digital Product Office (CDPO) will play a key part in delivering this change, with Service aligned teams collaborating across CDIO and the business to define the future technical roadmap and transformation plan.

Job description

The Head of IT Services for Criminal Investigation and Avoidance Disruption is a key role responsible for leading the technology team focused on delivering a reliable and effective service. This involves overseeing technology strategy, managing the underlying technology, and maintaining strong business relationships. The Service Owner will ensure the quality of the service, manage the portfolio, and provide end-to-end service delivery. The role requires a skilled leader who can influence the business strategy, collaborate with other departments, and drive innovation to meet changing needs. This position offers value to the customer, organisation, and the taxpayer.

Responsibilities

• Build strong relationships with senior executives and stakeholders to ensure technology change aligns with business needs.
• Develop and execute comprehensive business and technology strategies in collaboration with key leadership teams.
• Provide expert technology consultancy and stay informed about current and future business technology trends.
• Foster collaborative relationships with stakeholders to enhance their understanding of IT services.
• Deeply understand the business' strategic goals and concerns to provide the most effective IT support.
• Agree upon and implement a technology strategy that aligns with the business' objectives and delivers a positive user experience.
• Communicate the value and potential of digital technologies to the business in an engaging and enthusiastic manner.
• Execute strategic plans to drive large-scale technology transformations.
• Develop and implement a cloud strategy to migrate on-premise solutions as needed.
• Oversee the delivery of multiple technology solutions across various projects and teams.
• Lead and inspire diverse digital and technology teams to achieve excellence.
• Navigate challenges and deliver transformation effectively in a complex environment.
• Ensure end-to-end business service delivery by understanding requirements, managing operations, and collaborating with other IT functions.
• Prioritise security, compliance, and governance in all new and existing services.
• Drive organisational change and foster collaboration across different teams.
• Stay updated on emerging technologies and represent business interests in industry forums.

Management of People

• The role involves directly managing a team of 10 people and overseeing a business service team of circa 20.

Person specification

The ideal candidate will be a skilled and experienced senior leader with a deep understanding of IT systems and technologies. They should be able to effectively align technology strategies with business objectives and drive organisational change. Strong communication and relationship-building skills are essential, as well as the ability to solve problems and make sound decisions.

The successful applicant will need to demonstrate relevant experience and effective delivery of the following essential criteria.

Essential Criteria:

• Proven experience leading a technology enabled department within a large and complex organisation, to deliver reliable and sustainable fraud investigation IT services
• Proven understanding of technology and its application in the field of law enforcement. This includes knowledge of architectural frameworks, ITIL and other relevant regulatory standards
• Demonstrable experience in managing the end-to-end lifecycles of IT products and services.  
• Demonstrable understanding of the business context and be able to translate business needs into effective technology solutions while maintaining product integrity and business goals
• Proven ability to lead and empower diverse teams across multiple locations, fostering a positive and inclusive culture of trust and autonomy.
• Experience of developing roadmaps for IT business services, influencing supplier roadmaps and provide senior interface
• Demonstrative ability of successful stakeholder management and building relationships across a range of senior communities, internal and external, often without direct authority

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £76,000, HM Revenue and Customs contributes £22,017 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Things you need to know

Selection process details

Application:

To apply for this post, you will need to complete an online application by submitting the following:

• A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
• A Statement of Suitability explaining how your personal skills, qualities and experience demonstrate effective delivery of the essential criteria. Wherever possible include specific facts and figures that demonstrate the tangible results of your work. (Maximum of two A4 pages long)
  

Your CV and Statement of Suitability should reflect your most relevant and recent skills and experience in relation to the role. Therefore, we recommend that each document is no more than two A4 pages long.

Interview:

You will be asked to attend an interview for a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence. 

We will also ask you to prepare a 5-minute verbal presentation. Details will be issued in advance of your interview.

Interviews are expected to take place week commencing w/c 9th December 2024 and will be held in person at a location to be confirmed (full instructions will be issued prior to interview).

Regardless of the outcome, we will notify all candidates as soon as possible once all interviews have concluded.

All Criminal Record Checks applications are considered fairly in accordance with the DBS Code of Practice and the Recruitment of ex-offenders Policy.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through building your depth of expertise.

As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).