Deputy Director - Strategic Change

The post holder will lead an ambitious change agenda at the heart of the department. This is an exciting role for somebody to make a substantial impact on the development and delivery of strategic change at Defra. The role provides strategic direction, specialist change delivery capability and strong leadership, to drive the successful design and implementation of Defra’s change agenda.

The role works at the centre of the Department working closely with strategy, policy and delivery colleagues to ensure that change across the Defra group is coherent and supports delivery of Defra’s outcomes. The Deputy Director leads a team of people to enable delivery of a series of organisational shifts that will put Defra in the best possible position to successfully delivery its outcomes, ensuring change is aligned to the Future Civil Service Programme. The successful candidate also leads a portfolio of change projects and programmes to deliver Defra’s efficiency targets, identifying and implementing interventions that ensure the department operates within its spending envelope.

The Deputy Director will engage senior colleagues across Defra group to ensure change is impactful and delivers its intended outcomes. They will work closely with senior colleagues responsible for delivering specific projects and programmes, and functional directors and their teams delivering organisational change. They will build excellent relationships in order to enable and facilitate the delivery of others, whilst at the same time assuring and challenging the delivery of change to ensure it is both ambitious and feasible.

Key responsibilities of the role will include:

• Translate policy intent into strategic design to deliver change that is meaningful and impactful
• Work closely with colleagues across Defra to lead the delivery of a series of organisational change initiatives designed to make Defra more modern, agile and effective, and better placed to successfully deliver its outcomes
• Oversight of the efficiencies portfolio to ensure that projects are managed effectively to deliver the required outcomes, efficiencies and organisational benefits and that Defra is on-track to deliver its efficiencies targets
• Establish and manage a wide range of relationships and key strategic alliances with stakeholders including ALBs Change and Transformation Directors, functional colleagues and delivery partners to ensure change is effectively cohered and delivered
• Develop, deliver and lead change functional governance and reporting, ensuring governance and reporting informs effective decision making
• Lead work to understand the effectiveness of change delivery at Defra, providing insights to senior colleagues and making recommendations for improvement - be bold and able to set an ambitious strategy for change at Defra with the ability to oversee its successful delivery
• Lead work to consider the role of business design in Defra and take forward the preferred approach for business design standards and guardrails to inform the development of the policies and services we deliver
• Work closely with Defra’s Executive Committee - use simple language and cut through complex responsibilities to communicate with impact

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)

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.

Application Process

As part of the application process, candidates are asked to complete a CV and Personal Statement (no more than 1000 words) on how your relevant skills and experience meet the essential criteria. Completed applications must be submitted no later than the closing date of 23:55pm, Sunday 1st November 2026.

Sift

A sift will be conducted against the essential criteria above based on your CV and supporting statement. Applications will be assessed by the selection panel and shortlisted.

Staff Engagement Exercise (SEE)

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.

Informal conversations with hiring manager

Prior to interview, shortlisted candidates will be offered an informal conversation (not assessed) via MS Teams to find out more about the role with the vacancy holder. Details of how to arrange an informal conversation with the vacacy holder will be included in the email inviting you to attend an interview.

Interviews

You will be asked to attend a panel interview, to have a more in-depth discussion of your previous experience and professional competence in relation to the essential criteria for the role. As part of the interview, we will ask you to prepare a short presentation. This will be confirmed in the interview invitation.

Interviews will be held face to face in London at 2, Marsham Street, SW1P 4DF

Can I claim back any expenses Incurred during the recruitment process?

No. Unfortunately we will not be able to reimburse you.

Other Information

Please let us know what adjustments we can put in place to help you through the recruitment process if you are disabled. To discuss your requirements in more detail, please contact: scscandidate.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk in the first instance.

Candidates who pass the interview criteria but are not offered a post may be kept on a reserve list for 12 months and may be offered similar roles across the department.

Defra Is committed to ‘name blind’ sifting. That means that identifying characteristics such as your name, gender, age, or address are removed from your application until after shortlisting for interview has taken place. On this basis, please do not include any personal data that could identify you on either your CV or Personal Statement.

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