About the job

Summary

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is one of the UK’s biggest organisations. We collect in excess of £605 billion a year in revenue from our 50 million customers from across the UK to pay for the UK’s public services and help families and individuals with targeted financial support including Tax Credits.

This is an exciting time to join a priority, high profile Programme of work within HMRC’s Chief Technology and Design Officer group as part of the department’s Head of IT Strategic Change profession. This is a senior leadership post with HMRC’s  Chief Digital and Information Officer group. The group is responsible for establishing and embedding; IT strategy, enterprise architecture, solution architecture and assurance across the Chief Digital and Information Officer (CDIO) group, conducting product, design and user research, stimulating a culture of innovation across  CDIO to support wider HMRC, all the while providing operational support to these functions.

Job description

Jobholders will have an architecture mindset and lead in a fast-paced environment guiding the team in the shaping and sizing of all aspects IT strategic change. We are looking for applicants who can encourage innovation and challenge the status quo, promote efficiency and reuse, who are excited by new technologies and motivated to explore how they could benefit the Civil Service through technology solutions. This is whilst performing the important assurance roles which are important with large scale IT change.

The Head of IT Strategic Change role has primary responsibility for ensuring high quality; shaping, sizing and estimating the impact of fulfilling the business objectives through technology services/solutions, whilst participating in the long-term strategy for technology in Tax as well as Customs and International Trade during and following Britain's exit from the EU (Brexit).

If you are up for your next challenge and interested in joining the team, then we look forward to hearing from you.

The Chief Technology and Design Office defines HMRCs technology direction through the IT Strategy.  Providing the design and architecture capabilities that underpin the strategy this enables the delivery of HMRCs goals of minimising technical debt, embedding  innovating architecture and design practices, and embracing the art of the possible through new ideas and approaches. 

Chief Technology & Design Office has responsibility for high level technology design (Architecture and Service Design) and detailed Architectural Solution Design for all enterprise-wide programmes and projects and policy impacting work.  The team brings together Architects, Service Designers, User Researchers and specialists from our platform teams and CIO areas to collaborate on the design of new ideas and new services.  The group also brings together IT strategy across all parts of CDIO Group, supporting emerging Programmes of work, assuring both solutions and services through internal governance, working to refine external processes (Programme lifecycle, costing estimates).

Responsibilities

The Head of IT Strategic Change s is a senior leadership role which reports to the Director of CDTO to optimise the development, alignment and delivery of strategic change between HMRC’s operational and policy areas and the CDIO delivery teams.

The successful candidate will be accountable for the following:

• Produce, manage and iterate a single CDIO wide IT plan to inform and assure progress towards our IT strategy.

• Lead on consultancy assessments that provide data-driven reports on proposed business changes.

• Validate that HMRC’s IT Strategy  remains aligned to the appropriate operational and policy strategies.

• Promote improved processes and programme appropriate delivery methodologies.

• Influencing business thinking around making effective use of the IT Architecture in relation to delivering the Spending Review commitments.

• Manage a single pipeline of change to facilitate CDIOs engagement through design and delivery.  

• Provide assurances to Cabinet Office on how IT change impacts cross cutting strategies and costs through spend control assessments.    

• Working closely with transformation programmes, signalling  any key strategy gaps that aren’t being addressed from either the operational or technology strategies.

• When required, intervening in change programmes on behalf of the Director General.

• Understand and influence operational and policy strategies.

• Provide an improved business context.

• Increase the identification and reuse of common services.

• Engage with other IT Leaders and the wider government community to develop a cross government perspective for their domain areas.

• Drive up HMRC’S collective Business & Enterprise Architecture skills through participation in the Competency Group and where possible provide some standardisation of best practice.

Person Specification

The role holder will come from an IT background and should have demonstrable experience of shaping change across a complex IT estate and have a proven track record in successful stakeholder relationship management. They will also demonstrate the following essential criteria:

• Experience of shaping policies and projects across the end-to-end design lifecycle

• Good understanding of both Architecture and User Centred Design practices

• Strong analytical skills and proven experience using a range of methodologies for estimating, risking and impacting

• A good working understanding of programme and project management, IT delivery methodologies, thru to experience in strategic IT planning.

• Excellent stakeholder management skills and the ability to communicate often complex information easily and simply

• Knowledge of fiscal, and change management processes

• Confidence and resilience to provide firm challenge to some of HMRC’s most senior leaders and generate change across the business

• Demonstrable experience of leading teams, driving engagement and managing performance and capability

• Showing ambition and initiative in furthering their career due to a genuine passion for technology

Desirable

• Hold or be willing to work towards TOGAF 9.2

• Performed as an IT Architect

• Lead teams of IT Architects

• Strong understanding of large enterprise systems that manage finances and customer interactions

• Practical knowledge of innovative technology trends such as Distributed Ledger

• Performed in a ‘presales’ solutioning capacity on IT solutions