About the job

Job summary

About the Role

We are living through an extraordinary period of technological evolution that is changing how we live, work and travel. Location data and technologies enable us to be on the cutting edge of innovation and are increasingly valuable tools for businesses, public-sector organisations, and individuals. Spatial applications give us new insight into our place in the world, from tracking a parcel as it is delivered to your door, to our creation of a digital map of the pipes and cables that are buried underground.

The Geospatial Commission (GC) is a directorate of the Science, Innovation and Growth Group of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). Operating under a charter and framework, it sets the nation’s Geospatial Strategy on behalf of Government and the wider public sector. It is advised by an expert external set of Commissioners, the Chair of which is appointed by DSIT Ministers.

The GC employs a diverse range of professionals including analysts, policy, project managers, and data specialists from a variety of backgrounds. Work stretches across a broad range of sectors including transport, health, infrastructure and land use and topic areas such as public sector innovation, cutting-edge technologies and location data ethics and privacy. 

he Geospatial Commission is delivering against an ambitious national strategy published in Summer 2023 to unlock the significant economic, social and environmental opportunities offered by location data technologies and services across the whole economy, including to:

• Provide strategic oversight of the geospatial ecosystem in the UK, setting geospatial strategy, policy and standards.
• Hold the budget for the public sector’s largest investment in geospatial data.
• Make targeted investments in data projects that accelerate innovation and adoption of geospatial data applications.
• Deliver the national Underground Asset Register (NUAR) which is a critical DSIT Major Project

You can find out more about our current priorities in the UK's Geospatial Strategy. 

The Geospatial Commission Director is responsible for: 

• Providing Executive representation on the Geospatial Commission’s independent board.
• Overseeing the Geospatial Commission’s £140m annual budget.
• Managing a team of c70 commercial, programme, analysis, policy, comms and data specialists.
• Effective programme delivery and data contract management.

Job description

Key Responsibilities

• Board role and senior engagement and influencing: managing the GC’s independent commissioners, agreeing areas of work, deciding board agendas and running the GC quarterly formal board; working closely with ministers and key CEOs of arms length bodies for other government departments; and representing the UK at senior geospatial fora, including internationally.
• Financial management: working within departmental delegations to oversee GC spend on staff, programmes and contracts; allocating and tracking spend efficiently, including income, ringfences and commercial gainshare lines; applying appropriate assurance and regular financial reporting.
• Team: managing 4 SCS1-led teams (strategy; markets; finance and ops; NUAR), fostering a supportive and empowering culture where diversity and inclusive working are valued, and expertise is effectively allocated across the 70FTE.
• Programme/contract delivery: providing strategic direction and being accountable for the delivery of key programmes and contracts, including the National Underground Asset Register and the £1.4bn Public Sector Geospatial Agreement; ensuring adherence to public sector commercial and programme management reporting requirements and risk management.
• UK Geospatial Strategy 2030: responsible for delivering the commitments in the government’s geospatial strategy; leading geospatial policy including development of key considerations about location data access, privacy and security; working with partners to identify and deliver measures to support market and public sector innovation and the UK’s global geospatial policy presence.

Person specification

• Leadership – A proven approach to team working that prizes inclusion, values diversity, and successfully promotes a culture of positivity and passion for the work both within and outside of the organisation. Being a role model for the Civil Service values. 
• Strategic Insight - A high degree of comfort with working in a broad and often ambiguous data or technology policy environment, identifying strategic aims and priorities and communicating a clear direction of travel on the Geospatial Commission’s behalf.
• Influencing and engagement- Credible with senior stakeholders, including in commercial negotiations and/or promoting geospatial as a key component when designing wider, impactful government policy. Effective at engaging with and maintaining a wide network of key stakeholders and partners and communicating with credibility and fluency as a key actor in the UK geospatial ecosystem 
• Delivery: Experience of delivering complex programmes to budget and of setting up clear processes and functions to prioritise delivering value underpinned by evidence

Skills, experience and qualifications (Desirable):

• An understanding of government finance, and commercial and programme management practices.
• Experience of working in a data, science or technology policy environment.
• An understanding of the principles of market economics.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £100,000, Department for Science, Innovation & Technology contributes £27,000 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

How to Apply

To apply for this post please follow the instructions on the CS Jobs website by no later than 23:55 8th April 2024. As part of the application process, you are asked to complete the following:

1. A CV setting out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role, relevant achievements in recent posts, together with reasons for any gaps within the last two years.
2. A Statement of Suitability (no more than 1250 words) explaining how you consider your personal skills, qualities and experience provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with particular reference to the essential criteria in the person specification.
3. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to undertake a series of psychometric assessments including a Staff Engagement Exercise (SEE) and Individual Leadership Assessment (ILA) as part of the recruitment process prior to the final interview. This assessment will not result in a ‘pass’ or ‘fail’ decision. Rather it is designed to support the panels decision making and highlight areas for the panel to explore further at interview.
4. Final Interview, candidates will be required to prepare a presentation which will form part of the final interview. Full details of the assessment process will be provided to shortlisted candidates.

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.