Deputy Director – Insights, Data Science, Economics and Analysis (IDEA Unit)

The Government Digital Service (GDS) is the digital centre of government. We are responsible for setting, leading and delivering the vision for a modern digital government.

Our priorities are to drive a modern digital government, by:

• joining up public sector services
• harnessing the power of AI for the public good
• strengthening and extending our digital and data public infrastructure
• elevating leadership and investing in talent
• funding for outcomes and procuring for growth and innovation
• committing to transparency and driving accountability

We are home to the Incubator for Artificial Intelligence (I.AI), the world-leading GOV.UK and at the forefront of coordinating the UK’s geospatial strategy and activity. We lead the Government Digital and Data function and champion the work of digital teams across government.

We’re part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and employ more than 1,000 people all over the UK, with hubs in Manchester, London and Bristol.

The Government Digital Service is where talent translates into impact. From your first day, you’ll be working with some of the world’s most highly-skilled digital professionals, all contributing their knowledge to make change on a national scale.

Join us for rewarding work that makes a difference across the UK. You'll solve some of the nation’s highest-priority digital challenges, helping millions of people access services they need

As Deputy Director, you’ll lead the Government Digital Service’s IDEA Unit – a high-performing, cross-disciplinary analytical capability at the heart of government’s digital and data reform agenda.

You’ll provide strategic leadership for a team of analysts, economists, data scientists and researchers who deliver the insight, evaluation and evidence base behind some of the UK Government’s most ambitious programmes, including One Login, the National Data Library, AI adoption, service transformation and system reform. You’ll also build internal automation and AI solutions that help the organisation deliver.

Former DSIT recruitment campaigns are continuing as usual, but candidates should be aware that following the Government’s announcement on the changes to some civil service departments, roles will be subject to the machinery of government moves and will ultimately be in one of the new departments. We will provide more information if you are selected for a role. This work remains of high importance to the civil service, and we thank you for your continued interest.

This is a system leadership role. You’ll champion the use of data and evidence across GDS and government, making sure decision-makers have the insight and confidence to invest in transformative programmes that deliver better services and outcomes for citizens.

As Deputy Director, you’ll:

• provide collective leadership as part of GDS’s Senior Leadership Team, shaping strategy and direction and making sure IDEA’s work supports organisational priorities and government reform goals
• lead and inspire the IDEA Unit, creating an inclusive, high-performing culture across a multidisciplinary team of economists, analysts, researchers and data scientists
• set the strategic vision for analysis and evidence in GDS, making sure outputs are high quality, timely and influential with senior decision-makers across Whitehall
• oversee economic analysis and evaluation of major programmes, including One Login, the National Data Library and AI adoption, ensuring value for money, reduced risk and strong funding cases
• champion data science, automation and AI solutions that drive efficiency, productivity and innovation across GDS operations and government services
• ensure robust data infrastructure and governance, including pipelines, dashboards and performance frameworks that underpin strategic decision-making
• act as Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) for major analytical programmes, such as the Digital Dashboard, the Data and Analytics Strategy or cross-government workforce insights
• represent and connect the system, building partnerships with senior leaders in government, academia and industry and shaping thought leadership in digital, data and AI
• develop talent and capability, building a sustainable pipeline of analytical leaders and embedding professional standards across the 4 analytical professions

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 500 words. Important tip - please ensure that your cover letter includes how you meet the skills and experience listed in the “person specification” section above
• a 60 minute video interview. As part of the interview process there will be a presentation task to be prepared and presented during the interview. Details around the presentation task will be shared with shortlisted candidates

Depending on how many applications we get, there might also be an extra stage before the video interview, for example a phone interview or a technical exercise.

In the event we receive a high volume of applications, we will conduct the initial sift against the lead criteria which is:

• have proven system leadership across multiple analytical disciplines, overseeing and enabling work spanning economics, data analytics and AI or data engineering, and making sure each discipline is used to maximum effect in large, complex programmes

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:

• leadership
• making effective decisions
• working together

Recruitment Timeline

Sift completion: week commencing Monday 16th November 2026

Panel interviews: week commencing Monday 23rd November 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.

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.

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.

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