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Job summary
Thank you for your interest in the Chief Data Officer role at DE&S
In recent years we have made significant progress in improving data maturity in our business operations and are now recognised leaders in the Ministry of Defence (MOD). At the same time, we are operating in an ever more threatening world requiring this data maturity to be rapidly extended into the battlespace where there is a pressing need for our military platforms to exchange data at an ever-increasing speed, including with allies. These platforms are also generating vast amounts of new data feeds which need to be analysed at pace, and advances in digital engineering are creating the need for much greater data sharing with industry to speed up the delivery of new military capability.
For these reasons we have decided to appoint a Chief Data Officer at Senior Civil Service level to provide functional leadership across all of our data activities. The successful candidate will own the DE&S strategic data plan and supporting policies, and will hold the authority to drive adoption across the business. The Chief Data Officer will also be required to work closely with the MOD Chief Data Officer and other senior data professionals across the MOD, industry and our allies.
This is an exceptional opportunity for an experienced data professional to make a real impact on the security of the UK whilst also working in an increasingly stimulating, diverse, inclusive and enjoyable work environment.
We look forward to discussing with you how you might become part of our talented team.
Job description
The Chief Data Officer has the following areas of responsibility:
Define the Data and Analytics (D&A) Vision and 5-year roadmap to support the DE&S Strategy and ensure ongoing relevance.
Lead on creating the data architecture and supporting artefacts.
Work with Defence Digital, allies and industry to develop data policy and standards to aid the flow of data across Defence in both the battlespace and the business environment.
Create an Enterprise Operating Model for D&A with accompanying data governance framework.
Establish and enforce standards for the production of Corporate MI and trend analysis in other parts of the business.
Lead the data governance team with a significant focus on driving up data quality.
Foster a data driven culture and data literacy across the organisation.
Oversee delivery models, methods and practices across the business.
Work with the IMIT Profession team to provide input to Strategic Workforce Planning to ensure DE&S has the specialist data skills to support the roadmap.
Operate as part of a virtual MOD CDO team co-ordinated by the Defence Digital CDO.
Job description
To be successful with your application, you will need to be able to demonstrate the following essential criteria:
- A visible leader, with a proactive commitment to diversity and inclusion and demonstrable experience of creating and maintaining a psychologically safe and inclusive environment.
- A leader that empowers their teams, providing clear direction and respecting the valuable contributions they make – a ‘servant leader’.
- Ability to engage, influence and interact confidently, diplomatically and with credibility, with Ministerial and senior personnel, both within the UK and international industry & governments. Working collaboratively with these senior stakeholders with a sensitivity to political context.
- Experience of working abroad (e.g. in an international organisation or an Embassy) with a focus on International programme management
- Operating in a senior leadership role within a large and highly complex organization, in both steady state and through organisational change, working in multicultural teams, and operating in a representational role
- Knowledge of Defence and national security business strategy across MOD and wider government
Essential Criteria:
- A proven track record of values-based leadership, including a proactive commitment to diversity & inclusion with demonstrable experience of maintaining a psychologically safe, positive and inclusive environment.
A track record of leading organisational change and delivering tangible benefits. - Experience of leading a data service team in a large and complex organisation across the data management lifecycle including architecture, data governance and data quality.
Knowledge of the security needs generated by operating in a high threat environment. - Experience of Enterprise Data Management, Business Intelligence and Data Science.
- Evidence of having worked with multiple stakeholders to gain agreement on complex technical issues.
Desirable Criteria:
- A recognised industry data qualification, such as DAMA
For full information on the role please see the candidate pack.
