Ever wondered what it's like to work at one of Greater Manchester's leading tech employers?
Meet Orla, Junior Delivery Manager at Government Digital & Data.
How did you get into your current role?
In the past, I didn't have any previous experience in the digital and data sector, however, I was fortunate enough to be accepted on to the Digital and Data Fast Stream, which posted me at the CDDO in my first year of the programme. The programme allows me to try new roles each year to see which roles I would like my career to develop in the future. . I rotate on a 12 month basis, and am 3 months away from my next posting. The entire programme lasts three years.
What do you enjoy most about working at Government Digital and Data?
I have really enjoyed the role, so far and the opportunities I have been given, which help me to develop my skills to become a digital leader. My manager supports me to learn new skills, by gaining new experiences. For example, I was given oversight over a large project budget, to help me learn financial management skills.
What does a typical day look like for you?
I usually attend various teams’ planning meetings, which I chair. I ensure that everyone’s goals and objectives are clear and visualised. I encourage everyone to be transparent in giving realistic deadlines on when actions will actually be completed.
The most important part of these planning meetings is to ensure each team member feels comfortable to raise any blockers or risks which they anticipate for the week ahead. I will escalate the relevant ones with the team lead, to ensure there is a plan in place to mitigate any risks to delivery.
The rest of the day involves ensuring the governance of the portfolio boards, developing the risk register, realising improvements to help the team’s flow of work and running the departmental Delivery Management Community of Practice.
As a Fast Streamer, a portion of my time is spent improving skills which will help me become a future leader within the Digital and Data profession in the Civil Service. For example, I regularly undertake formal training, and have a mentor. I also volunteer to carry out outreach talks on the Fast Stream to secondary schools, who have a high percentage of students on free school meals.
What is it like starting a new job post-pandemic?
Although I did start jobs before the pandemic which were not hybrid, I have found starting new jobs post-pandemic surprisingly easy. THis was especially true at my current role, where a laptop was couriered to me in advance of starting my role, so on my first morning I could log-in and make sure I was set up for the day. My team all liaised with me and reached out to find out what days I was planning to go to the office that week, so they could all meet me. I had lunch with a lot of them that week, and everyone generally tries to have lunch together when they are all in on the same day!
What excites you the most about the work?
At the moment, I would say that I routinely have a new challenge to work against, that I haven't experienced before. This may mean I need to do some research, speak to an experienced colleague, or undertake a learning course.
Have you learned anything new since you started?
So much!. For example, I now regularly chair meetings, which I have previously never done. I have learnt to manage project boards, ensuring they are kept up-to-date, and persuade others to do so. I also recently have begun to run a large budget, which has been a big learning curve! I think the most significant thing I have learnt is that most new things aren’t as daunting as they seem, and you can pick them up if you procure the right guidance!
