Talent Strategy Lead

You will:

• lead on accelerating and scaling the adoption of high-quality government digital and data apprenticeship programmes, for new and existing talent, across government.
• lead development of government digital and data outreach programmes to drive greater awareness, engagement and attraction to early career government digital and data opportunities in CS, with specific focus on under-represented groups.
• establish deep and productive relationships with departmental talent leads and technical specialists across government so that we can respond to emergent challenges.
• work closely with the leads of our other key transformation programmes that have direct dependency on Government Digital and Data Talent, such as Graduates and Innovation Fellows.
• ensure that government digital and data Talent strategies directly support acceleration toward greater diversity and inclusion in our cross-government digital and data teams.
• be in touch and up to date with the wider market and organisational trends/dynamics associated with talent development in digital and data.

Person specification

You will:

• have experience in developing and implementing talent strategies to support workforce development in large or complex organisations;
• demonstrate experience of building talent pipelines to attract new and diverse talent via multiple routes such as graduates schemes, apprenticeships, T Levels, etc;
• have experience leading and delivering projects in a fast-paced environment, amid ambiguity and changing priorities;
• be able to think critically, use analysis, and challenge of assumptions or change the status quo;
• communicate clearly and persuasively and build relationships with stakeholders, including with those at very senior levels;
• have a brilliant track record of leading, inspiring and managing teams, setting objectives and developing skills and capabilities;
• demonstrate budget management skills, including monitoring performance and benefits against a plan.

Benefits

The benefits of working at CDDO

There are many benefits including:

• flexible hybrid working with flexi-time and the option to work part-time or condensed hours
• a Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
• 25 days of annual leave, increasing by a day each year up to a maximum of 30 days 
• an extra day off for The King’s birthday
• an in-year bonus scheme to recognise high performance
• career progression and coaching, including a training budget for personal development
• paid volunteering leave 
• a focus on wellbeing with access to an employee assistance programme
• job satisfaction from making government services easier to use and more inclusive for people across the UK
• advances on pay, including for travel season tickets
• death in service benefits
• cycle to work scheme and facilities
• access to children's holiday play schemes across different locations in central London
• access to an employee discounts scheme
• 10 learning days per year
• volunteering opportunities (5 special leave days per year)
• access to a suite of learning activities through Civil Service learning

CDDO offers hybrid working for all employees. This means that everyone does some working from home and also spends some time in their local office. You’ll agree to your hybrid working arrangement with your line manager in line with your preferences and business needs.

Any move to the Central Digital and Data Office from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This role is being advertised with Manchester or Bristol as a location. There is an exception to this, if a current London-based member of staff from CDDO applies, and is successful, they would retain their London base for pay and allowance purposes.

The standard selection process for roles at CDDO consists of:

• a simple application screening process - We only ask for a CV and cover letter of up to 750 words. Important tip - please ensure that your cover letter includes how you meet the skills and experience listed in the “person specification” section above
• a 60-minute video interview

Depending on how many applications we get, there might also be an extra stage before the video interview, for example a phone interview or a technical exercise.

In the event we receive a high volume of applications, we will conduct the initial sift against the lead criteria which is:

• Have experience of developing and implementing talent strategies to support workforce development in large or complex organisations;

Recruitment Timeline:

Role Closes - 28th July 2024

Sift - week commencing 29th July 2024

Interview - week commencing 12th August 2024

In the Civil Service, we use Success Profiles to evaluate your skills and ability. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, increases performance and improves diversity and inclusivity. We’ll be assessing your technical abilities, skills, experience and behaviours that are relevant to this role.

For this role we’ll be assessing you against the following Civil Service Behaviours: 

• Leadership
• Seeing the big picture
• Working Together
• Developing self and others

Candidates that do not pass the interview but have demonstrated an acceptable standard may be considered for similar roles at a lower grade.

A reserve list will be held for a period of 12 months, from which further appointments can be made.

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 and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.

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