Programme Director, Customs Declaration Service (CDIO), HMRC, Southend-on-Sea

Summary
This an exciting time for digital and technology in HMRC. We are in the middle of a major transformation process that will fundamentally improve the department’s networks, technology, and digital services for our customers and colleagues. I have only been part of our journey for a short period of time but am constantly amazed by the scope of HMRC’s operation and the opportunities we have to become a world leader in government technology.

To achieve our goals, we’re innovative in our approach using the latest technology available. It’s not just our customers we focus on - we want our colleagues’ experience of working with us to be an outstanding one and have career pathways that are rewarding and fulfilling for everyone in the department.

We’re creating a genuinely diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone feels able to bring their best.

Job description
The continuing economic and social wellbeing of the UK depends significantly on the effective and smooth operation of customs processes to regulate and manage the movement of freight. The UK collects around £34 billion annually from Customs and Excise duties and Value Added Tax (VAT) on transactions at the border. In 2019, around £908 billion of goods crossed the border.

To ensure we continue to deliver seamless facilitation of goods following the UK’s exit from the EU, IT systems changes must be fully scoped, planned and implemented. The HMRC Customs Declaration Service is now live and can handle all import and export declarations types enabling the seamless facilitation of trade.

The next challenges are that by December 2020, HMRC will need to make changes to the CDS service to support the UK leaving the EU at the end of the Transition Period. Then, in 2021, the service will need further enhancement to support new trade agreements and to handle significantly increased volumes of traffic.

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Chief Data and Information Officer (CDIO) group within HMRC. You will be supporting a large scale and radical transformation that will have a profound impact for both internal and external customers. HMRC has one of the largest IT estates in the UK, ranging from data analytics platforms to complex legacy systems. The breadth, variety and complexity of these systems and business processes they support are on a scale rarely seen in other global organisations.

The individual in this role will:
• Lead digital delivery programmes for HMRC;
• Build and maintain strong relationships with senior stakeholders across HMRC, HMT and Cabinet Office
• Work seamlessly with the other functional units in CDIO to achieve flawless delivery;
• Manage complex supply relationships and commercial issues affecting the changes to be delivered;
• Be a champion for the development of project delivery skills and capabilities within CDIO.

Key Responsibilities
• Leading the delivery of IT Change for HMRC and managing relationships across a multi-supplier environment

• Building and maintaining strong relationships with senior stakeholders across HMRC, HM Treasury and Cabinet Office

• Working seamlessly with the other functional units in CDIO to achieve flawless delivery

• Managing complex supply relationships or commercial issues affecting the changes to be delivered

• Challenging supplier solutions, costs and timescales, to ensure the IT solution provides VfM

• Championing the development of project delivery skills and capabilities within CDS

• Leading, directing, motivating and managing the project teams undertaking IT delivery

• Ensuring appropriate levels of project governance and control and providing timely and accurate progress reporting to meet stakeholders needs

• Agreeing the critical success factors for the successful delivery with senior business stakeholders

• Building business stakeholders’ confidence based on strong relationships and trust

• Playing a full role as a member of both the CDS, and wider HMRC, senior Leadership teams.

Responsibilities
To be successful in this role you will need to be an exceptional leader, multi-level communicator and a purpose driven technology influencer.
Your proven strategic capabilities combined with extensive enterprise level experience within a highly regulated environment, will provide the basis for delivering both the short term business technology needs, as well as the long term HMRC legacy.
An experienced CIO (Chief Information Officer), you will lead the change from an organisation underpinned by technology, to one that is technology service led, delivering some of the critical national infrastructures.

Specialist Knowledge & Experience
• People in these roles will be expected to hold (or work towards) accredited IT qualifications at or equivalent to Diploma level. Also, to be members of the BCS & PDLA or equivalent, working towards membership of MPLA.

Qualifications
• At least one professional Programme and Project Management qualification i.e. Agile; PRINCE 2; MSP and/or PDLA/MPLA are essential.

Desirable
• The job holder should have experience of successfully managing and delivering large scale IT change: this includes managing the delivery lifecycle and utilising their commercial awareness to effectively challenge external suppliers to ensure they are providing the best service against value for money.
• SFIA Level 5/6 Experience in the Business Change domain is highly desirable. The individual will have a solid level of competence across all the SFIA skills categories, so that they can be a role model and strategic leader in IT for HMRC. Proven experience of Agile delivery is highly desirable.

Benefits
• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension

Whatever your role, we take your career and development seriously, and want to enable you to build a really successful career with the department and wider Civil Service. It is crucial that our employees have the right skills to develop their careers and meet the challenges ahead, and you’ll benefit from regular performance and development reviews to ensure this development is ongoing. As a Civil Service employee, you’ll be entitled to a large range of benefits.

This includes:
• 25 days annual leave on entry, increasing on a sliding scale to 30 days after 5 years’ service. This is in addition to 8 public holidays
This will be complimented by one further day paid privilege entitlement to mark the Queen’s Birthday;
• a competitive contributory pension scheme that you can enter as soon as you join where we will make a significant contribution to the cost of your pension; where your contributions come out of your salary before any tax is taken; and where your pension will continue to provide valuable benefits for you and your family if you are too ill to continue to work or die before you retire
• flexible working patterns including part- time or time-term working and access to Flexible Working Schemes allowing you to vary your working day as long as you work your total hours
• generous paid maternity and paternity leave which is notably more than the statutory minimum offered by many other employers
• interest-free loans allowing you to spread the cost of an annual travel season ticket or a new bicycle
• the opportunity to use onsite facilities including fitness centres and staff canteens (where applicable)
• occupational sick pay