Overview

Digital and Transformation Chief Operating Officer

This range is provided by Free-Work UK. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.

Base pay range

Digital Chief Operating Officer
Circa £140,000 + employer pension contributions of 28.97%
Location: Your choice of Birmingham, Blackpool, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, or Sheffield
Shape the future of digital public services. Lead transformation at scale.

We’re hiring a new Digital & Transformation Chief Operating Officer to help lead one of the UK’s most ambitious digital transformations. DWP Digital is a £1 billion organisation with over 4,500 digital experts. Together, we design, build and run the technology that powers services for 23 million citizens and supports 90,000 colleagues across the Department for Work and Pensions.

We’re a community driven by purpose and powered by capability. Our mission is to deliver better, more efficient, and more resilient public services, and we need your leadership to take us further.

Your role and impact

As our Digital & Transformation COO, you’ll be at the heart of our transformation. You’ll bring clarity, pace and precision to how we operate—ensuring our plans are well-governed, our investments deliver value, and our people have the capability and culture to thrive. You’ll work closely with the Chief Digital Information Officer, CTO, and other senior leaders to shape and deliver our strategic vision. You’ll be a key voice for DWP Digital—internally, across government, and with partners like GDS and HM Treasury. This is a role of real legacy. You’ll help build the digital capability of the future, influencing across government and investing in the people and platforms that will serve the UK for decades to come.

You Will Lead And Deliver

• Performance and Planning: Own the operating model and complete view of Digital Group, ensuring governance, planning and ROI.
• Lead workforce planning for 4,500+ FTE and oversee multi-year investment and delivery plans.
• Define and track performance through OKRs and KPIs aligned to departmental strategy.

Governance and Risk

• Lead organisational governance and risk management, identifying and resolving blockers early.
• Represent Digital Group at departmental committees and manage relationships with GIAA.

Finance

• Oversee a £1bn budget and headcount, ensuring financial maturity and value for money.
• Advise the CDIO on strategic, policy and budgetary matters.

Capability and Capacity

• Partner with People & Capability to build a diverse, skilled and empowered workforce.
• Lead talent strategy, professionalisation, and capability development across the group.

Communications and Engagement

• Bring our strategy to life through compelling communications and engagement.
• Foster a culture where people feel informed, inspired and able to do their best work.

The skills, experience and knowledge you’ll need

• Proven senior leadership in digital and change within a mission-critical environment.
• Experience influencing and managing complex senior stakeholder relationships in complex, multi-site organisations.
• A track record of building capability and high-performing teams and cultures through recruitment, coaching, empowerment and development.
• Demonstrable success in delivering business value, innovation and efficiency with significant budget accountability.
• Experience setting strategy and tracking progress against deliverables, with experience using OKRs or KPIs to drive outcomes.

Why join us?

We offer a broad benefits package designed around your wellbeing and work-life balance, including:

• Flexible working patterns, hybrid working and job share options.
• Civil Service Pension with employer contributions of 28.97%.
• Generous annual leave (25–30 days) plus public and privilege days.
• Support for financial wellbeing, travel and lifestyle benefits.
• Health and wellbeing support, including counselling and HASSRA membership.
• Enhanced family leave policies.
• Funded learning and development, including coaching, mentoring and industry-recognised qualifications.
• An inclusive culture with active networks for women, race, disability and more.

Help us build the future of digital public services. Click apply for more information and to start your application.