Job Details
Job title: Head of Digital
Salary/Grade: SMG4
Service: ICT
Reports to: Corporate Director
Manages/Supervises: Corporate Systems Manager, Technical Delivery Manager, Digital & Business Services Manager, Technology Solutions Manager
Job purpose
To lead, develop and deliver a high performing Digital Service that meets the current and future needs of the Council.
To drive and deliver digital transformation and develop operational service excellence in Digital Services.
To provide clear, visible and motivational leadership across the ICT service, where our people are valued and encouraged to contribute to the development of service improvements.
To role model and lead a positive and forward-thinking culture, responsive to change, performance driven and customer focused.
To advise the Council, Cabinet and Corporate Management Team on all matters within the portfolio.
Principal Accountabilities
- Lead the ongoing development and implementation of the Digital Strategy and roadmap, as part of the Council’s Fit for the Future transformation programme.
- Lead the ICT team to deliver high quality, resilient, accessible digital and technology solutions for the Council, ensuring compliance with ITIL based processes.
- Deliver an operating model to support the delivery of the digital strategy, ensuring that systems are fit for purpose and teams have the necessary skills and resources to deliver high quality services
- Champion digital and customer service excellence across the organisation, ensuring that digital solutions meet business and community needs.
- Lead the organisation’s digital preparedness for Local Government Reorganisation, working closely with partners and the implementation team to ensure an effective transfer into the unitary organisation.
- To be responsible for effectively developing, implementing and monitoring the Business Plan and budgets for the ICT Service. This will include contributing to the achievement of the Councils strategic priorities, ensuring the service meets agreed objectives and improvements and exercising financial control.
- To provide expert advice and guidance to Management Board, CMT, Elected Members and other Services on all aspects of Digital, Data and Technology.
- To be responsible for shaping and overseeing the organisation’s cyber security strategy to protect critical assets and ensure compliance with laws and standards. Foster a culture of cyber awareness and risk management throughout the organisation.
- Work closely with partners in other local authorities across the Essex system to ensure alignment of Digital services and sharing of resources, knowledge and good practice wherever possible.
- To be responsible for and provide leadership, guidance and support, including setting targets, monitoring performance and standards for managers and teams within the Service.
- To carry out roles identified within the resilience and emergencies and business continuity policies, ensuring plans exist within each service area and appropriate officers are able to respond both in and out of hours as required.
- To prepare and present reports to senior managers, members, partnerships, government agencies and to represent the Council internally and externally, as required.
Corporate Accountabilities
- To take responsibility for maintaining own health and attendance.
- To support, contribute and comply with quality and governance procedures as directed by management.
- To apply and actively promote the principles of the Council’s Equal Opportunities Policy in all areas of employment and service delivery.
- To apply and actively promote the principles of the Council’s Safeguarding Procedure in all areas of employment and service delivery.
- Any other duties as required to support the business, including maintaining business continuity and during civil emergencies. All staff may on occasions be called upon to support the Council to deal with emergency situations affecting the community we serve. In the event of an emergency or a rehearsal for such an event, you may be required to attend at times and at locations outside of the normal hours and duties of the post and to adopt duties directed by the Chief Executive or their nominated representative for the duration of the emergency.
- Any other associated duties detailed by Head of Service or his representative.
- To advise Line manager if, at any time, the above duties and responsibilities cannot be performed.
Skills, Knowledge and Experience
(Tested at application and interview stage)
Experience and qualifications
- Proven success of running a digital/ technology function of similar scale and complexity, including embedding a culture of digital innovation
- Can demonstrate knowledge and practical application of recognised programme management techniques and tools
- Can demonstrate a high level of knowledge and technical capability across a broad range of technology
- Substantial experience of working strategically on end-to-end services, demonstrating improved service outcomes as well as costed savings against implemented process improvements
- Proven leadership skills with the ability to inspire and motivate colleagues, driving cultural change, and forming diverse, effective teams to achieve strategic objectives
- Can demonstrate digital and change leadership in complex organisations
- Experience of working in a political organisation
- Experience of working in partnership across a number of different organisations
- Understanding of local government and challenges facing the sector
- Degree qualification or relevant professional qualification
- Experience in managing at a strategic level within local government
- Considerable experience of managing projects and project resources effectively and appropriately
- Experience of working collaboratively with key partners and stakeholders to deliver effective services
- High level of political acumen, with an ability to operate sensitively in a political environment
- Experience of implementing service improvements and transitional change
Skills and knowledge
- Excellent communication and engagement skills
- In depth knowledge of change tools and techniques and their appropriate use
- Knowledge of procurement regulations and their application
- Ability to manage resources and to plan and prioritise workload for self and team to meet challenging priorities and deadlines
- Knowledge of local government finance and budget preparation
- Ability to provide structured plans and set clear objectives that implement strategy and drive delivery
- Ability to drive culture change
- Ability to work collaboratively building trust, mediating, conciliating, negotiating, influencing and delegating
- High level leadership and management skills
- Highly articulate in both written and oral communications to audiences at all levels
- Resilient, tenacious and able to handle pressure positively, willing to tackle difficult issues, including under performance
- Ability to assess priorities, devise solutions and make sound decisions
- Ability to think strategically, insightfully, innovatively and proactively
- Ability to engage, inspire, motivate and influence staff at all levels
- Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines
Competencies
We test this at interview stage
Communicating Effectively
Demonstrate the effective use of the range of communication methods available: written, spoken, electronic, and use these methods in appropriate ways suitable to the context and situation
- Communicate across all levels in your department, seeking to establish open working relationships with all levels of staff
- Listen well and seek clarification and understanding, avoiding jumping to conclusions or making assumptions
- Ensure that communications are open, transparent, appropriate and respectful, and that responses are treated in an objective and constructive manner
- Ensure that communications of all types with external contacts uphold the values and reputation of BDC
- Ensure that communication and dialogue is maintained on an on-going basis, especially at times of change
Performing efficiently and effectively
Promote good performance, developing clear, structured and efficient ways of managing workload and delivering results. Staff should challenge themselves and others to perform well, and to adhere to the Council’s performance management systems
- Clearly set out the performance targets for your departments
- Focus on results and the achievement of targets and objectives
- Use a project management approach, providing a proactive monitoring role as appropriate
- Take appropriate action on poor service or people performance
- Encourage the development of a learning culture to ensure excellence and creativity in service and people performance
- Drive to develop a commercial culture where staff are enabled and equipped to test new ideas, processes and methods and are supported even if ideas fail
- Focus more on outcomes – income generation, cost reduction, use of resources – and less on the outputs involved
- Create and maintain strong and effective partnerships, understanding mutual benefits and potential disadvantages
- Understand competitive advantage and its role in strategy
- Know how and when to negotiate in a partnership arrangement
- Anticipate changing needs and remodel contracts over time
- Make decision making speedier to seize commercial opportunities
Using and managing resources efficiently and effectively
Demonstrate the effective and efficient use of the full range of resources used in and by the Council including time, finances, staffing, equipment, information, materials, buildings, etc.
- Set consistent, transparent, fair and ethical standards for the use of resources as an example to your department
- Proactively monitor the use of budgets and other resources against objectives, targets and projects, ensuring timely interventions to prevent overspending or mismanagement
- Demonstrate and encourage creative and innovative development and use of resources for the Council to maximise efficiencies while maintaining the effectiveness of services
- Seek value for money, and maximise opportunities for external funding
Engaging with the customer
Understand the needs and requirements of their customers, to provide excellent customer service, and to involve customers in the improvement of services
- Challenge services to consider innovative ways of involving the customer in the design and delivery of services
- Be a role model of excellent internal and external customer service
- Maintain a culture of continuous improvement
Working well together
Actively foster good working relationships with colleagues and customers in order to collectively achieve the Council’s direction and ambition
- Establish a climate of working together within your departments, and across boundaries, ensuring “joined-up thinking”
- Encourage and demonstrate cross-boundary working and challenge “silo-thinking”
- Foster political awareness and establish positive working relationships with members
Managers/Leaders Competencies
Managing and Developing People
Effectively manage and develop staff in order to achieve the Council’s objectives, improve performance and job satisfaction, and to develop the workforce of the future
- Use a structured approach to agree clear objectives and monitor progress in a positive way
- Provide appropriate development inputs for all staff and evaluate outcomes of learning activity
- Make a personal commitment and contribution to employee development e.g. coaching/mentoring
- Take action to resolve performance issues speedily and effectively, and within policy guidelines
- Develop self-awareness of own management style and seek to develop flexibility in order to be able to work effectively with a range of work styles
- Create a culture of empowerment in which staff can excel, develop and take ownership of their work and responsibilities
Providing Leadership
Establish and maintain personal credibility as a modern leader in local government
- Lead by positive example and be visible in doing so
- Provide all staff with a clear sense of vision and direction
- Enable the achievement of strategic goals across the organisation, with a joined up, and collective approach, being aware of impacts of own targets, objectives and projects on the rest of the organisation
- Understand and use effective change management techniques including the need for timely and honest communications through a variety of media
- Provide inspiration to all staff to strive for quality and continuous improvement
- Have presence, influence and impact at a high level
- Demonstrate confidence and ability to manage and to make appropriate decisions in times of crisis and public emergencies
- Use every opportunity at a county, regional and national level to promote the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of the District
Other conditions
- This post doesn't require a DBS check
- This post isn't politically restricted
Job profile updated
July 2026
Values and behaviours
Our values and behaviours are an integral part of who we are; they are the guiding principles that should inform how we work together, support each other and make decisions.
Our organisation thrives on the dedication and passion of its people and it’s important that we embody these values and behaviours and they become a part of our organisational DNA.
Our vision
We will be ambitious, support each other and work together in new ways to achieve outstanding results
Our core values
We value everyone
- We respect, recognise and support our people, residents and businesses
- We listen to each other, understand and treat everyone fairly
- We care about our people and appreciate the unique qualities in us all
We work together
- We respect, recognise and support our people, residents and businesses
- We work as one team, recognising everyone's contribution
- We build strong relationships and partnerships to deliver better outcomes
We are flexible
- We embrace change and new ways of working
- We are adaptable, open to new ideas and focus on solutions
- We aim to constantly improve, and we are not afraid to challenge the status quo
