Principal IT and Digital Officer

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The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) plays a vital role at the heart of UK life. The wide-ranging work we do includes safeguarding the natural environment, supporting the UK's world-leading food and farming industries, sustaining a thriving rural economy and leading the engineering of the nation's defences against natural threats and hazards. Join Defra and you will be part of a department that is responsible for the food we eat, the water we drink and the air we breathe.

The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) will sit within Defra. As a newly established body that will be focussed on environmental protection and improving the natural environment, this organisation will play a vital role in the UK's future approach to key issues such as climate change and biodiversity loss - and it is here that you could find the most fascinating challenge. Helping us establish the organisation and build essential IT and digital capabilities, you will:

Take the lead on all IT service management decisions, seeing to it that the relevant processes have been put in place to deliver your IT and digital strategy. This strategy will meet the UK Government's Technology Code of Practice, and will detail your approach to cloud, outsourcing and digital services.

Put systems administration and user support processes in place. If these are being provided through a third-party supplier, you will manage this relationship, seeing to it that service level agreements are being met, and that issues and incidents are being handled appropriately.

Oversee the transition period while the OEP is legally established. Once this has happened, you will be a trusted advisor to colleagues across the organisation on all IT and digital issues.

Work collaboratively with senior-level colleagues in disciplines such as HR, Procurement and Finance across the Chief of Staff Directorate. Supporting the development of evidence-based investment cases and procurement projects, you will share your expert knowledge of new and emerging IT systems and digital solutions.

Embed a culture of continuous improvement and meticulous attention to detail, ensuring the relevant policies, guidance and controls are being followed in all decision-making processes.

Join us as we shape this progressive new organisation, and you will have the opportunity to define the most ambitious IT and digital strategies. To excel in our team, you will therefore have significant senior-level experience in a similar role, overseeing the administration of computer systems and software, hardware, networks, web-services, user connectivity, data and security. With ITIL foundation and practitioner qualifications, you will have a background in preparing IT or digital strategies, and you will enjoy procuring IT solutions and managing multiple cloud-based services, plus third-party suppliers. As such, you will have excellent communication and leadership capabilities, with the capacity to get the best out of a multidisciplinary team. Highly analytical, you will be capable of listening to what we need to achieve within the OEP, and translating this information into practical IT and digital solutions.

We aim to support the professional and personal wellbeing of everyone in Defra. Our benefits include generous annual leave, a contributory pension, staff bonuses and recognition, salary sacrifice benefit options, and an employee discount scheme. We also offer flexible working and a variety of learning and development opportunities.

Apply before 11:55 pm on Monday 14th June 2021