Descriptions & requirements
The Role
The Electronic Monitoring (EM) Deputy Director (SCS1) is a senior digital leadership role providing end‑to‑end accountability for EM digital services in a high‑risk, safety‑critical environment. It leads digital, data and technology capability underpinning Electronic Monitoring, which is central to public protection and compliance enforcement.
- The role operates across policy, operations, commercial and technical domains, ensuring continuity of services aligned to ministerial priorities.
- It is accountable for live service performance and strategic direction, including transformation, supplier strategy and future capability.
- The postholder must make authoritative decisions during incidents, outages and data integrity risks, often with significant reputational and public safety implications.
Key Responsibilities
Reporting into the HMPPS Chief Digital Officer you will be responsible for:
- Provide digital leadership in a mission-critical live service
- Be accountable for the availability, reliability, security and performance of EM digital systems.
- Ensure EM remains a trusted tool for public protection, supporting safe operational decisions.
- Balance operational risk, policy intent and supplier performance under pressure.
- Set the future of digital EM services, including:
o Product and platform development
- Investment prioritisation
- Supplier strategy
- Ensure services are user-centred, data-driven and technically resilient.
- Collaborate closely with peers to manage dependencies and ensure users’ needs are met
- Manage relationships with Ministers and C-suite stakeholders to gain strong buy-in within the Ministry of Justice and across the wider civil service. Ensure all relevant security and service standards are met, and departmental change delivery best practice is adhered to.
- Ensure budget and commercial management is in line with Treasury and Cabinet Office regulations.
- Management of a budget of ~£12m per annum
- Direct and matrix management of around 60 people
Please note, this list is not exhaustive and may evolve over time.
Additional Responsibilities
Governance, assurance & compliance
- Accountable for compliance with digital, cyber, privacy and data ethics standards
- Provide evidence to audit, governance boards and external scrutiny bodies
Essential Experience:
- Experienced senior leader, who has successfully led major and complex digital programmes of work
- Extensive experience of budget and commercial management
- Extensive experience of stakeholder management, including internal and external stakeholders up to executive or ministerial level
- Deep understanding of digital technologies, cloud adoption and modern delivery practices
- Managing Successful Programmes Accreditation or equivalent.
Desirable Experience:
- Understanding of Justice or public sector working environments
Diversity & Inclusion
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the [2] Civil Service People Plan and the [3] Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy.
References
Visible links
1. https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/equality-and-diversity
2. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-people-plan-2024-2027
3. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-diversity-and-inclusion-strategy-2022-to-2025
Job Description Attachment
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Electronic Monitoring Digital and Data Deputy Director Candidate Pack.docx (Job Description Attachment)
Application form stage assessments
Essential Experience:
• Experienced senior leader, who has successfully led major and complex digital programmes of work
• Extensive experience of budget and commercial management
• Extensive experience of stakeholder management, including internal and external stakeholders up to executive or ministerial level
• Deep understanding of digital technologies, cloud adoption and modern delivery practices
• Managing Successful Programmes Accreditation or equivalent.
Desirable Experience:
• Understanding of Justice or public sector working environments
Interview stage assessments
Other Assessments
Use of Artificial Intelligence (Al)
Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.