About the job

Job summary

The Government Digital Service is part of the Cabinet Office. We work at the very centre of government to make user-focused digital transformation happen. We build and maintain common platforms, products and tools for others to use and create great public services that are accessible, inclusive and easy to use. We also work with departments to identify patterns, share learning and create change to make government more efficient.

Our teams are organised around delivering on our priorities, which are to:

• make it easier for people to find what they are looking for on GOV.UK
• build common service platforms to make it simpler and cheaper to build quality digital services
• promote agile, user-centred design practices both in the UK and across the world

Effective identity assurance is central to digital transformation and GOV.UK One Login enables you to prove who they are online, with the necessary level of confidence to access and use particular services. Our technology stack runs on AWS, using serverless compute and storage products. Backend services are written in TypeScript/Node.js and JVM technologies. 

GOV.UK One Login represents a once in a career opportunity to work on a software product that will be used by the majority of the people living in the UK. It's a dynamic and challenging environment that will offer you career satisfaction as well as a chance to develop and enhance your skills.

There are two apps with identical functionality for iOS and Android.  The One Login Identity Checking app has been live since August 2022 on iOS, and since November 2022 on Android. The app has been downloaded 4.4m times and there are currently around 330k app journeys per month, although that number will increase as more government services are onboarded to One Login.

The GOV.UK One Login programme is in the process of adding functionality to enable the user to complete the entire One Login account creation/sign-in and identity proving journey in the app and to allow the user to maintain a persisted logged in status. This functionality is a key enabler in extending functionality further  to create a more personalised user experience through a new, strategic ‘GOV.UK’ app that will include the existing One Login Identity Checking functionality.

If this sounds like the next role for you on your career journey then we’d love to hear from you.

Find out more at the GDS Blog.

Job description

You will be a key part of the Digital Identity Programme Office Team and play a critical role supporting the governance and assurance efforts of One Login programme. Reporting to the Programme Delivery Manager (Governance & Assurance), you will lead, coordinate and support a range of activities to strengthen decision making, risk management and performance reporting and thus to maintain the confidence of a wide range of senior stakeholders across government and beyond.

You’ll be responsible for supporting the delivery of cross-government governance structures, at both ministerial and official levels. In doing so, you’ll provide a critical interface between the DI programme and external stakeholders, and also help to ensure team level and programme level stakeholders stay connected; ensuring alignment of expectations and enabling the DI programme to meet requirements. 

You will also support the Programme Delivery Manager with the development and implementation of the necessary reporting processes, ensuring the production and delivery of high-quality performance reports on a regular basis. 

As a Associate Governance & Assurance Manager you’ll be responsible for:

• effectively and efficiently managing the secretariat functions for One Login’s key governance fora
• supporting the Programme Delivery Manager to continuously improve the One Login’s governance arrangements and ensure the structures are enabling clear decision making and supporting the programme’s strategic priorities,including communicating the outcome of those decisions
• overseeing and coordinating the forward look and content creation for the cross-government DI Programme Board and other key fora 
• ensuring appropriate tools and resources are available and kept up to date to ensure visibility of One Login’s governance and decision making across the programme 
• working closely with the Programme Delivery Manager to develop and improve One Login’s Assurance strategy
• helping to drive improvements from the IPA Review plan and work towards our next review. Track the implementation of IPA recommendations
• supporting the operation of a reporting regime for One Login that is aligned to best practice and that meets the needs of the programme and GDS
• co-ordinating reporting commissions across the programme. Ensure the robustness of data and wider insight that is reported on. Provide effective analysis of performance for reporting to and review by governance bodies, including the IPA and Cabinet Office
• supporing RAID management, including the development, updating, and monitoring of risks, issues, assumptions and dependencies
• working closely with the wider team and stakeholders to ensure all aspects of the Risk, Issue, Assumptions and Dependency (RAID) register are managed

Person specification

We’re interested in people who:

• have excellent organisation skills and attention to detail with a proven ability to deliver at pace, working across conflicting priorities and often to tight timescales
• have an ability to maintain effective performance in difficult and challenging circumstances, encouraging and supporting others to do the same 
• have confidence to engage with stakeholders and colleagues across the programme of varying levels. 
• have the ability to understand the impact of actions on both the immediate and long term at both an individual and organisational level
• has an interest - and ideally experience - in programme management especially on major/GMPP projects, and/or an interest in governance and assurance, and strategic stakeholder management

Benefits

The benefits of working at GDS

There are many benefits of working at GDS, including:

• flexible hybrid working with flexi-time and the option to work part-time or condensed hours
• a Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%
• 25 days of annual leave, increasing by a day each year up to a maximum of 30 days
• an extra day off for The King’s birthday
• an in-year bonus scheme to recognise high performance
• career progression and coaching, including a training budget for personal development
• paid volunteering leave
• a focus on wellbeing with access to an employee assistance programme
• job satisfaction from making government services easier to use and more inclusive for people across the UK
• advances on pay, including for travel season tickets
• death in service benefits
• cycle to work scheme and facilities
• access to children's holiday play schemes across different locations in central London
• access to an employee discounts scheme
• 10 learning days per year
• volunteering opportunities (5 special leave days per year)
• access to a suite of learning activities through Civil Service learning

GDS offers hybrid working for all employees. This means that everyone does some working from home and also spends some time in their local office. You’ll agree to your hybrid working arrangement with your line manager in line with your preferences and business needs.

Any move to Government Digital Service from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

Things you need to know

Selection process details

The standard selection process for roles at GDS consists of:

• a simple application screening process - We only ask for a CV and cover letter of up to 750 words. Important tip - please ensure that your cover letter includes how you meet the skills and experience listed in the “person specification” section above
• a 60 minute video interview

If we receive a high number of applications, we will carry out an initial sift against the lead criteria which is; have excellent organisation skills and attention to detail with a proven ability to deliver at pace, working across conflicting priorities and often to tight timescales

Depending on how many applications we get, there might also be an extra stage before the video interview, for example a phone interview or a technical exercise.

In the Civil Service, we use Success Profiles to evaluate your skills and ability. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, increases performance and improves diversity and inclusivity. We’ll be assessing your technical abilities, skills, experience and behaviours that are relevant to this role.

For this role we’ll be assessing you against the following Civil Service Behaviours: 

• changing and improving
• making effective decisions
• communicating and influencing
• delivering at pace

Candidates that do not pass the interview but have demonstrated an acceptable standard may be considered for similar roles at a lower grade.

A reserve list will be held for a period of 12 months, from which further appointments can be made.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability status.

Please note that this role requires SC clearance, which would normally need 5 years’ UK residency in the past 5 years. This is not an absolute requirement, but supplementary checks may be needed where individuals have not lived in the UK for that period. This may mean your security clearance (and therefore your appointment) will take longer or, in some cases, not be possible.Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.