Deputy Director, Learning Operations

DetailsReference number420798Salary81,000Non civil servants will be expected to start at the salary minimum if successful. Standard pay rules apply for existing civil servants.A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%GBPJob gradeSCS Pay Band 1Contract typePermanentBusiness areaCO - Government People Group (GPG)Type of roleHuman ResourcesOperational DeliverySenior leadershipWorking patternFlexible working, Full-time, Job shareNumber of jobs available1ContentsLocationAbout the jobBenefitsThings you need to knowApply and further informationLocationGlasgow, Manchester, Newcastle-upon-Tyne or YorkRegular travel to London required.About the jobJob summaryGovernment Skills (GS), part of Government People Group, was created in 2020 to improve the coherence and quality of learning and development in government through better training, knowledge and networks.The aim was to accelerate the development of the skills, knowledge and networks of all civil servants, reaching across the wider public sector and delivering better public services for citizens across the country.This is an exciting period of growth for Government Skills as we build the capacity and capability of the team to enable us to move to a new operating model, to transition the externally-delivered training components toward internal delivery.Job descriptionGovernment Skills is transforming the way learning and development operates, to enable Civil Servants to develop the skills and experience they need to deliver great public services and support the Government to deliver the Plan for Change. This includes developing a more targeted curriculum so people know what they need to learn and can find it easily, and reducing our reliance on externally purchased training.A major part of the new skills model is putting in place operational and physical infrastructure that will allow the civil service to design and deliver more training itself and to make better use of the government's estate for training.This role will lead on designing, sourcing and running the new infrastructure using funding that has been secured as part of the Spending Review.There are two major elements to the role: setting up the operational infrastructure to support effective internal design, delivery and evaluation of learning and development and; establishing a network of training venues that make best use of available Government estate.For the operational infrastructure, the aims are to:Define the systems, tools and processes needed to support higher volumes of internal learning design and delivery.Develop, implement and operationalise the new learning operations infrastructure, bringing in changes alongside the existing infrastructure in a considered wayDeliver and continuously improve 'business as usual' learning operations, meeting agreed service standardsFor the network of training venues, the aims are to:Identify and develop venues for training civil servants across the country, making best use of existing government estate and aligned to the government location strategy.Identify and develop a flagship headquarters for in person training excellence, serving as a central hub for high-quality public sector wide training.Enable shared use of training venues across the public sector where possible.You will be responsible for the overall design, sourcing and delivery of the infrastructure for learning operations. This includes leading work to develop a network of training venues.Your work will include:Shaping strategies and plans in your areas, and contributing to the development of the overall operating modelWorking closely with Government Skills colleagues to make sure operational systems support our varied needs.Building consensus among government organisations on our approach and liaising with public sector organisations to identify opportunities for collaboration.Developing business cases, to secure the necessary approvals for significant expenditure.Sourcing end to end learning operations systems that support the whole Civil Service.Leading the implementation of the new operational systems and processes, while keeping existing learning operations going effectively through a transition.Managing a multi-million-pound budget and ensuring value for money.Monitoring programme progress, identifying potential issues, and implementing corrective actions.Facilitating collaboration and communication among project teams and stakeholders.Person specificationEssential Criteria:Strong operational leadership and management of multidisciplinary teams delivering operational services to customers in a complex system, at scale.Excellent communication, influencing and collaboration skills, working with a broad set of senior stakeholders to shape and deliver excellent services.Strategy skills needed to shape new systems, structures and ways of working in a complex organisational landscapeExperience of developing end to end operational systems (as well as running them) and making the best use of data and technology.Experience of leading and delivering operational or infrastructure projects, with a range of diverse stakeholders, and a wider customer base.Experience of procuring/sourcing and service management: sourcing services and systems, including ongoing service management and change management.Highly Desirable:Experience in a training or educational setting.BehavioursWe'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:Managing a Quality ServiceChanging and ImprovingLeadershipWorking TogetherBenefitsAlongside your salary of 81,000, Cabinet Office contributes 23,465 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.Whatever your role, we take your career and development seriously, and want to enable you to build a really successful career within 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 and one privilege day to mark the King'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 term-time 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;Childcare benefits (policy for new employees as of 5 April 2018): The government has introduced the Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) scheme. Working parents can open an online childcare account and for every 8 they pay in, the government adds 2, up to a maximum of 2000 a year for each child or 4000 for a disabled child. Parents then use the funds to pay for registered childcare. Existing employees may be able to continue to claim childcare vouchers, so please check how the policy would work for you here;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.Things you need to knowSelection process detailsThis vacancy is using Success Profiles , and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.ApplicationTo apply for this post, you will need to complete the online application process, outlined below. This should be completed no later than 23.55, Sunday 7th September 2025.A CVsetting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Please ensure you have provided reasons for any gaps within the last two years.A Statement of Suitability(no longer than 1250 words) addressing the following:How you have used your strategy and influencing skills to develop a new operational system and gain support for it across organisations.How you have implemented new systems and processes while keeping business as usual services running.How you have led operational delivery teams in delivering and improving high quality services.How you have led the delivery of complex projects from developing business cases to completion.Please ensure your response to each question is clearly identified within your personal statement. There is no word limit for each individual question but the statement should not exceed 1250 words in total.Failure to complete both sections of the online application form (CV and Statement of Suitability) will mean the panel only have limited information on which to assess your application against the criteria in the person specification.Should you encounter any issues with your online application please get in touch with us via: AssessmentIf you are shortlisted, you may be asked to take part in a series of assessments which could include psychometric tests. These assessments will not result in a pass or fail decision. Rather, they are designed to support the panel's decision making and highlight areas for the panel to explore further at interview. For more information about the assessment process, please follow this link: https://scs-If you are successful at the application stage, you will be invited to attend a panel interview, in order to have a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the criteria set out in the Person Specification. We will be assessing against the success profiles Behaviours and Experience at interview.You may also have the opportunity to speak to a senior member of the department prior to the final interview to learn more about the role and organisation. Please note this is not part of the formal assessment process.Full details of the assessment process will be made available to shortlisted candidates. If you are required to prepare a presentation for the final interview you will be given the subject in advance.Anticipated Timeline (subject to change)Anticipated shortlist date - w/c 15th September 2025Anticipated assessment date - w/c 22nd and 29th September 2025Anticipated interview date - w/c 5th October 2025Reasonable AdjustmentIf a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:Contact Government Recruitment Service at: as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.Complete the 'assistance required' section in the 'personal information' page of your application form to provide information we should be aware of that will enable us to support you further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you're deaf, a Language Service Professional.Reserve listsA reserve list may be held for up to 12 months, which the Civil Service may use to fill future suitable vacancies across government for candidates who are considered appointable following interview.Further InformationIf you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact: Any move to Cabinet Office 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 here.Current Civil Servants (all contract types) will need to ensure that they are still employed as a civil servant at the point of starting in the relevant new post. If their contract ends (e.g. end of FTA contract or resignation) at any point during the recruitment/onboarding process for the advertised role, they will no longer be eligible and may be withdrawn.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.Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.This role has a minimum assignment duration of 3 years. An assignment duration is the period of time a Senior Civil Servant is expected to remain in the same post to enable them to deliver on the agreed key business outcomes. The assignment duration also supports your career through building your depth of expertise.As part of accepting this role you will be agreeing to the expected assignment duration set out above. This will not result in a contractual change to your terms and conditions. Please note this is an expectation only, it is not something which is written into your terms and conditions or indeed which the employing organisation or you are bound by. It will depend on your personal circumstances at a particular time and business needs, for example, would not preclude any absence like family friendly leave. It is nonetheless an important expectation, which is why we ask you to confirm you agree to the assignment duration set out above.SecuritySuccessful 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 . See our vetting charter .People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.Nationality requirementsThis job is broadly open to the following groups:UK nationalsnationals of the Republic of Irelandnationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UKnationals 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)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 2020Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil ServiceFurther information on nationality requirementsWorking for the Civil ServiceThe Civil Service Code 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 .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.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.Diversity and InclusionThe Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .Apply and further informationThis vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.Contact point for applicantsJob contact :Name : GRS SCS Recruitment TeamEmail : Recruitment teamEmail : Further informationCivil Service Commission Selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit, on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles.In accordance with the Civil Service Commissioners' Recruitment Principles, our recruitment and selection processes are underpinned by the requirement of appointment on the basis of merit by fair and open competition. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance you should contact; If you are not satisfied with the response you receive you can contact the Civil Service Commission at and more information can be found

Created: 2025-09-18