Director – Digital Inclusion and Skills

Location:

This role may be based in one of the following locations: London or Manchester.

Working Pattern:

Full time, Flexible Working, Job Share

Job Summary:

As Director (SCS2) for Digital Inclusion and Skills, your key responsibilities will include:

• Set the strategic direction for digital inclusion, building on the 2025 Digital Inclusion Action Plan and the evidence from its first year. Drive a long-term, place-based approach that improves access to devices and connectivity, skills, confidence and trust, and the accessibility and usability of digital services.
• Deliver the Digital Communities Fund working with Mayors, local leaders and delivery partners to fill gaps in support and scale approaches that work, while ensuring robust evidence, value for money and measurable impact.
• Drive Digital Inclusion work across Whitehall, joining up with other departments, notably CO, HMT, DHSC, DWP and DfE, to ensure that the most vulnerable in society are supported to maximise benefits of the digital transformation.
• Deliver the Women in Tech agenda, working with the Women in Tech Taskforce and its Chair to improve workplace culture, support women to start and scale technology businesses, and partner with the right group of organisations to lead wider change.
• Coordinate and deliver skills and talent work across DCMS, developing a shared departmental approach to issues including migration and talent, building on existing sector and tech-specific work.
• Deliver the £250m TechFirst programme, building a stronger domestic technology talent pipeline, supporting regional growth and widening access for young people and women to high-value careers in frontier technology sectors. Maintain strong partnerships with employers, schools and regional organisations and ensure effective programme delivery.
• Lead a high-performing directorate, bringing teams and portfolios together around a clear purpose, developing capability and an inclusive culture, and maintaining momentum across a broad, high-profile ministerial agenda.

Job Description:

Key Challenges for the Role

• Delivering through complex stakeholder environments, including across a wide range of government departments and local government, civil society, and industry, including supporting the work of the Women in Tech Taskforce.
• Translating high ministerial ambition into a coherent, prioritised and deliverable strategy across digital inclusion, technology skills and diversity in tech, while maintaining a clear focus on outcomes for people and communities.
• Design and deliver a series of interventions to have a material difference to the digital inclusion of the most vulnerable in society.
• Ensuring the successful delivery of high-impact programmes. Expand and deliver the TechFirst Skills Programme, which aims to reach 1 million students by 2030, and builds on the success of CyberFirst. Coordinate with others across DCMS to provide oversight and coordination for the full range of talent and skills activities taking place.
• Playing a full role as part of the Digital Foundation Group’s SLT and the wider DCMS senior leadership group, including leading teams through the machinery of government changes.

Essential criteria

• Proven leadership experience, with a track record of leading high-performing, diverse teams in high pressure environments. A proven ability to set a clear and compelling vision, lead confidently through uncertainty, and create an inclusive environment for teams.
• Excellent relationship-building skills, and able to quickly build credibility at senior levels across a range of stakeholders, including central government, local government, industry, and the wider public sector.
• Highly developed communication skills, able to brief on complex and sensitive issues clearly and concisely. Outstanding interpersonal, negotiation and influencing skills, combined with the resilience to operate effectively at the most senior levels of government.
• Sound judgement and strong political acumen, with the ability to read a shifting context, manage risk, and make well‑reasoned decisions on complex strategic and reputational issues.
• Experience in formulating and delivering complex strategies, policies, and programmes under pressure and where you don’t own all the necessary levers.

Desirable criteria

• Demonstrable experience in digital inclusion and/or skills development.