UK Health Security Agency rf8v4yDo
Candidates should have a strong background in IT operations and financial governance, as well as excellent communication skills to engage effectively with stakeholders across the organisation. The position offers a potential specialist pay allowance and supports a hybrid working model, allowing flexibility in work location. Successful applicants will need to pass security checks as part of the eligibility criteria.
We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Head of Operations to lead and manage our operations across several key functional areas. In this role, you will drive strategic initiatives, optimise our technology stack, and ensure seamless delivery of digital services.
We are looking for a leader passionate about technology and operational excellence with a strong background in DevOps tooling, cloud platforms, commercial and financial operations, observability, and supplier management. Your expertise will be crucial in streamlining our development and operational processes, enhancing system reliability, and managing financial efficiency.
You will lead a diverse team of professionals, fostering a collaborative environment and driving innovation across the organisation. This role is pivotal in ensuring our digital services' efficient and effective delivery, directly impacting the public by improving the quality, reliability, and accessibility of services.
There is potential for a specialist pay allowance of up to £15,000 that could be available depending on a capability assessment.
In this role, you will oversee the implementation and management of various DevOps tools such as Jira, Confluence, GitHub, GitLab, and OpenShift. You will ensure the integration and automation of workflows to support continuous delivery and continuous integration (CI/CD) practices. Collaborating closely with development and IT teams, you will streamline and optimise the software development lifecycle.
About us
You will lead the strategy, design, and management of our cloud infrastructure, with a focus on AWS and Azure platforms, ensuring robust, scalable, and secure cloud environments that meet the needs of various stakeholders. You will drive the adoption of best practices for cloud resource management, including cost optimisation and performance tuning.
Financial planning and budgeting for operational activities will fall under your purview, ensuring cost-efficiency and value for money. You will develop and implement financial operations (FinOps) strategies to optimise cloud expenditure and improve financial governance. Providing commercial oversight for procurement and contract management, you will ensure compliance with civil service regulations.
You will establish and maintain observability practices to monitor and improve service reliability, performance, and availability. Utilising monitoring tools and platforms, you will gain insights and drive continuous improvement in service delivery.
Managing relationships with key suppliers, including Microsoft and AWS, you will ensure they deliver services to agreed standards and contractual obligations. Supplier performance will be managed through regular reviews, audits, and service level agreements (SLAs).
In this role, you will develop working relationships and communicate regularly with a wide range of individuals, both clinical and non-clinical, internal and external to UKHSA.
As the Head of Operations, you will be expected to:
- Oversee the implementation and management of DevOps tools such as Jira, Confluence, GitHub, GitLab and OpenShift.
- Ensure the integration and automation of workflows to support continuous delivery and continuous integration (CI/CD) practices.
- Collaborate with development and IT teams to streamline and optimise the software development lifecycle.
- Lead the strategy, design, and management of our cloud infrastructure, focusing on AWS and Azure platforms.
- Ensure robust, scalable, and secure cloud environments that meet the needs of various stakeholders.
- Drive the adoption of best practices for cloud resource management, including cost optimisation and performance tuning.
- Manage financial planning and budgeting for operational activities, ensuring cost-efficiency and value for money.
- Develop and implement financial operations (FinOps) strategies to optimise cloud expenditure and improve financial governance.
- Provide commercial oversight for procurement and contract management, ensuring compliance with civil service regulations.
- Establish and maintain observability practices to monitor and improve service reliability, performance, and availability.
- Utilise monitoring tools and platforms to gain insights and drive continuous improvement in service delivery.
- Oversee relationships with key suppliers, including Microsoft and AWS.
- Ensure suppliers deliver services to agreed standards and contractual obligations.
- Manage supplier performance through regular reviews, audits, and service level agreements (SLAs).
Essential criteria
- A degree in a relevant subject such as computer science or equivalent work-related experience.
- Extensive experience in IT operations, DevOps, cloud platform management, and financial operations within large organisations.
- Proficiency with DevOps tools (Jira, Confluence, GitHub, GitLab, OpenShift), cloud platforms (AWS, Azure), and monitoring tools.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, with a focus on data-driven decision-making.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to convey complex technical concepts to non-technical audiences.
- Knowledge of government policies, procedures, and regulations related to software development and data management is desirable.
Selection Process Details
This vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your Behaviours and Experience.
Stage 1: Application & Sift
You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the above listed 6 essential criteria, and this will be in the form of a:
- Application form (Employer/ Activity history section on the application)
- 1000 word Statement of Suitability.
This should outline how your skills, experience, and knowledge, provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria.
The Application form and Statement of Suitability will be marked together.
If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview and assessment.
Please do not exceed 1000 words. We will not consider any words over and above this number.
Stage 2: Interview (Success Profiles)
You will be invited to a face to face interview. In exceptional circumstances, we may be able to offer a remote interview.
Behaviours, and experience will be tested at interview.
There will be a presentation as part of the process.
The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be:
- Seeing the Big Picture (Lead Behaviour)
- Making Effective Decisions
- Leadership
- Communicating and Influencing
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Feedback will not be provided at this stage.
Eligibility Criteria
Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants).
Location
This role is being offered as hybrid working based at our Canary Wharf offices. We offer great flexible working opportunities at UKHSA and operate using a hybrid working model where business needs allow. This provides us with greater flexibility about how and where we work, to get the best from our workforce. As a hybrid worker, you will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of your contractual working hours (approximately 3 days a week pro rata, (averaged over a month). Our core HQ offices are modern and newly refurbished with excellent city centre transport link and benefit from benefit from co-location with other government departments such as the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).
Security Clearance Level Requirement
Successful candidates must pass a disclosure and barring security check.
Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Basic Personnel Security Standard.
Please wait...this will take a moment...
