Deputy Director, Data Value

Show government what its data is really worth. Then help it decide what to do next.

Government invests in data, but when you ask what it gets back, the answer is usually a case study or two. That makes it very hard to decide where to invest, what to scale and what to stop.

This job changes that. You'll build a clear, trusted view of where data is making a difference across government and where it isn't, so leaders can choose with evidence instead of anecdote.

Why now?

AI is raising the stakes on data, and leaders need to know where their investment will pay off. At the moment there is no single, agreed way to show that across government.

We need one answer to a simple question. What is data worth to citizens, to services, to the economy and to national security? Then we need to use that answer to make better decisions.

It can be done. Others have already published practical guides to valuing data, covering how to take stock of it, assess it and put a value on it. We want to do the same, properly, for government.

Where you'll work

You'll be part of the Government Digital Service (GDS), the digital centre of government. We're home to GOV.UK and the Incubator for AI (i.AI), we lead the Government Digital and Data function, and we have more than 1,000 colleagues across London, Bristol and Manchester.

What you'll do

• Take stock of what government owns. Oversee a joined-up view of public data assets, including inventories, asset intelligence and valuation. Start with the assets that matter most to national infrastructure, public services and citizen-facing products.
• Build the yardstick. Set up methods to judge the potential and the realised value of data assets and data-enabled products across their whole life, including where revenue could safely be raised to support public services.
• Be the authority on 'value'. Decide what counts as data value, from economic and operational to assurance and risk reduction, and make it consistent and comparable across departments and portfolios. Advise senior leaders on how value is understood, evidenced and explained.
• Show where it's working. Use that evidence to see where data creates the most value and where attention or investment should go next.
• Help leaders make the call. Give senior decision-makers value-led evidence on priorities, sequencing and investment, so they can see what to scale, redirect, pause or stop. Base it on the whole system, not on one success story.
• Keep citizens and users in the room. Make sure their view is built into every prioritisation and investment decision, working closely with Product, Portfolio and Strategy colleagues.
• Follow the value through. Build value into decisions before, during and after delivery. Track how it changes over time, from performance and adoption to longer-term outcomes, and feed what you learn back into future choices.
• Work safely in sensitive places. Operate within legislative, regulatory, governance and national security frameworks. Make visible the value that data brings in national security settings, where it often shows up as assurance, resilience or reduced risk.
• Tell the story. Turn complex activity across government into clear, credible insight for senior leaders, and help the organisation move from one-off case studies to a system-level view of impact.
• Lead a rigorous team. Lead the teams and partners working on data value, insight and asset intelligence, set a high bar for quality and professionalism, and help build a culture where decisions follow evidence.
• One boundary. You provide evidence and analysis for commissioning, roadmap and portfolio discussions. You don't own delivery or benefits realisation in departments.

What success looks like

• A clear, trusted view of data value across government, built on comparable evidence of use, adoption, outcomes and benefits. Senior leaders can see where data is delivering and where they need to step in.
• One system-wide definition of public value from data, covering citizen, service, economic and national outcomes, that shapes priorities, architecture and product decisions.
• Valuation methods that let leaders compare data assets and products and decide when to scale, invest, pause or close.
• A lifecycle approach, so value shapes decisions before, during and after delivery and feeds the next round of strategy, architecture and product priorities.
• A story that senior leaders believe, moving us from one-off case studies to a system-level understanding of impact.

The honest bit

Valuing data across a whole government is hard, and the method is still being built. You'll be setting it up as well as using it, so expect plenty of debate about what counts as value and who decides.

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)

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 1250 words. Important tip - please ensure that your cover letter includes how you meet the skills and experience listed in the “person specification” section above

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:

• seeing the bigger picture
• leadership
• working together

Recruitment Timeline

Closing date: 23:55 30th November 2026

Sift completion: 8th December 2026

Global Resourcing Interviews: 10th – 18th December 2026

Panel interviews: W/C 25th January 2026

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.

The 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 D&I Strategy.

Sponsorship

DSIT cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign. DSIT holds a Visa sponsorship licence but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not qualify.

Security: SC Clearance

Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.

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.

For meaningful checks to be carried out, you will need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time, to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. Whilst a lack of UK residency in itself is not necessarily a bar to a security clearance, and expectation of UK residency may range from 3 to 5 years. Failure to meet the residency requirements needed for the role may result in the withdrawal of provisional jobs offers.

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