About the Government Legal Department

From healthcare to artificial intelligence, energy to national security, we provide legal advice to government departments on nation-changing subjects.

At Government Legal Department we have a vital, single-minded purpose: to help the Government govern well within the rule of law. This is complemented by our  exciting vision to be an outstanding legal organisation, committed to the highest standards of service and professionalism and a brilliant place to work where we can all thrive and fulfill our potential.

Our work touches almost every aspect of public life. We are the largest provider of legal services across government, working on high profile matters.

Our respected professionals are involved in everything from regulation and litigation to advice on drafting legislation. They provide expertise to the full range of government departments. We are at the heart of delivering the government’s priorities and our success depends on our people.

GLD is a non-ministerial government department headed by the Treasury Solicitor, our Permanent Secretary, and employs nearly 3000 people, including over  2600 legal professionals. We have offices nationwide, in Bristol, Leeds, inner and outer London and Manchester. Our lawyers can also be located within other departments and overseas.

GLD also depends on a range of cross-government professionals to provide our corporate services. These play an essential part in helping GLD to achieve its purpose and truly deliver much more than law.

This is an exciting time to join GLD, with cutting edge legal work on global issues and a transformation agenda which is ensuring the Department exemplifies the Modern Civil Service.

To find out more about what we do you can view our introductory film here and visit the GLD’s microsite. You can also read more about the future vision for GLD in our GLD Strategy 2024 – 2027.

Location

Bristol, Croydon, Leeds, London, Manchester

Job description

The Digital, Data and Cyber Team is transforming the way GLD works through modern technology, data and digital services.  

We are building a modern digital workplace that empowers our people, strengthens collaboration and enables the organisation to operate efficiently, securely and sustainably. 

Through agile delivery and user-centred approaches, we design and deliver products and services in partnership with the people who use them, ensuring solutions meet real needs and deliver lasting value. 

As part of the wider Government Digital and Data profession, we play a key role in transforming how government operates, enabling better outcomes for colleagues, stakeholders and the public we serve. 

The Role

This role sits in Digital and Data’s Digital Delivery team, which is responsible for the maintenance and continuous improvement of GLD’s existing digital services, and the development of new digital services to support GLD staff working across government. Learn more about what delivery managers do in government. 

Your main day to day responsibilities will include:

• Managing the delivery, support and continuous improvement of larger, more complex products and services at various stages of the product life cycle, ensuring they are being delivered to government standards.
• Line managing and supporting more junior delivery managers. 
• Building an internal delivery manager community to standardise ways of working, ensure best practise, learn, share and apply skills and knowledge to improve. 
• Leading and motivating multidisciplinary teams, facilitating an inclusive team environment where innovation and challenge are welcomed, and identifying and resolving any issues with team dynamics and collaboration. 
• Leading agile meetings including sprint planning, daily stand-ups, show and tells, retrospectives and facilitating related activity. 
• Helping teams to focus on delivering to agreed goals, identifying and communicating risks, issues, dependencies and removing blockers where necessary.
• Coaching and mentoring both team members and other stakeholders in agile tools and techniques and advocating for agile and lean approaches.
• Engaging with stakeholders at all levels to ensure good relations and effective communication, taking into accountdifferent needs and priorities, and dealing constructively with conflicting views .
• Overseeing projects run by external suppliers, ensuring that they are providing value for money, and delivering outcomes on time, to budget and in line with the Service Standard.
• Supporting the Head of Digital Delivery with overall project and resource planning, including demand management and transition into live service.

Person specification

Behaviours

Below are details of the Success Profiles that make up this role. Demonstrating all the behaviours listed below is essential at either application or interview. You can read more about Success Profile here.

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing (Lead Behaviour)
• Changing and Improving
• Working Together

Key Skills and Experience

 Essential – must be demonstrated at application and interview

• Successful in delivering a range if medium to large scale software development programmes in an agile environment covering the full product lifecycle
• Experience of delivering digital products and services in line with recognised delivery standards, government frameworks or industry best proactive, with the ability to apply Government Digital Service (GDS) Standard
• Line managing, coaching and supporting new delivery managers
• Building, leading and motivating multidisciplinary, agile teams, ensuring they collaborate and focus on delivering agreed outcomes, and identifying and resolving any issues
• Introducing agile to stakeholders and teams who use waterfall approach, and the advocating the benefits
• Internal and external stakeholder management and using communication skills to strengthen relationships, manage expectations and moderate difficult discussions in a clear and open manner.​
• Managing external suppliers ensuring they are delivering according to government standards and adhering to conditions in call-off contracts ​​
• Proactively managing risks, issues and dependencies across multiple projects and workstreams
• Providing insightful management information to help inform planning and delivery

Technical  Professional Skills 

We’ll be assessing your experience and specialist technical skills against the following skills defined in the Government Digital and Data Capability Framework for the Senior Delivery Manager role:

Essential – must be demonstrated at application and interview

• Agile and Lean practices
• Commercial management
• Communicating between the technical and non-technical
• Maintaining delivery momentum
• Making a process work
• Planning
• Team dynamics and collaboration

Security Clearance Level

All GLD employees must pass BPSS. If successful for this post you must hold or be willing to obtain SC level clearance for this role.  You can start this position while obtaining this clearance level, however continued appointment will be conditional upon obtaining the required security clearance. More information can be found about the vetting and clearance levels before completing your application.

Sponsorship and Visas

There is the possibility that GLD can provide sponsorship for skilled workers, as long as they meet the full eligibility criteria set down under current immigration legislation. GLD does not guarantee sponsorship will be provided or that an applicant will be successful in gaining a skilled worker visa.

Candidates with Limited Leave to Remain can apply but must have at least 12 months remaining on an existing visa which allows them to work for GLD when employment commences. Please allow three months for the onboarding process from the point of offer.

It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that they meet the criteria for sponsorship. They also have the responsibility to notify the Resourcing Team that they require Sponsorship at the start of the onboarding process into GLD. This applies to existing civil servants as well as external candidates.

Please note for the purposes of sponsorship GLD will use your non-consolidated starting salary. This salary does not include any allowances the role will attract.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Communicating and Influencing
• Changing and Improving
• Working Together

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Agile and Lean practices Commercial management Communicating between the technical and non-technical Maintaining delivery momentum Making a process work Planning Team dynamics and collaboration

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £58,212, Government Legal Department contributes £16,864 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

The above is the consolidated salary for this role, including the non-pensionable digital capability allowance. We operate London and National pay scales.
DDAT Allowance. This role is part of the Government Digital and Data profession, and the role attracts a Digital and Data allowance, subject to an assessment of your skills and experience during the interview process. Based on your capability assessment at interview, your consolidated starting salary will be between £58,212 and £71,148.  This includes a non-consolidated Digital and Data allowance. Those transferring from other government departments will receive the capability pay in addition to their agreed starting salary.

Existing Civil Servants will be appointed in line with the Civil Service pay rules in place on the date of their appointment. Staff applying on promotion will be appointed to the salary band minimum or with an increase of 10% of their existing salary, whichever is greater. Individuals appointed on level transfer will retain their existing salary. Any other allowances will not be retained on promotion or transfer.

A Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Benefits of working for the Civil Service

Whatever your role, we take your career and development seriously, and want to enable you to build a really successful career with the Department and wider Civil Service. It is crucial that our employees have the right skills to develop their careers and meet the challenges ahead, and you’ll benefit from regular performance and development reviews to ensure this development is ongoing. As a Civil Service employee, you’ll be entitled to a large range of benefits.

Learning and Development at GLD

GLD has a comprehensive learning and development  offer for all employees. 

We offer a programme of in-person/hybrid and virtual sessions providing learning on profession-specific, soft skills, technical skills, and different topics.  We also support colleagues through a range of different professional qualifications.

Cross-Functional Professionals

Alongside this we support all Professions with building their careers and capability aligning with the wider Civil Service offerings for each Profession.

There are also talent and development opportunities offered throughout the year these include:

Senior Leaders and Future Leaders Schemes – cross Civil Service accelerated development schemes.

Beyond Boundaries – cross government development programme designed to help participants develop the knowledge, skills and networks required to build a satisfying and effective career in the Civil Service.

Mentoring and Coaching – we encourage all colleagues to share their knowledge, capability, and experience.

Apprenticeships - We have a range of apprenticeships on offer across all professions with the opportunity for all employees to explore a profession specific apprenticeship to support their development in role.

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

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

Application

To apply for this post you will need to complete the online application on Civil Service Jobs, searching the reference below. The deadline for this application is Tuesday, 1st September 2026 at 12:00 Midday.

In your application you will be assessed on the following:

• A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements. Your CV will be scored based on evidence of the key skills and experience listed in the person specification.
• A personal statement of no more than 1,000 words, including practical examples, demonstrating how your technical professional skills meet the requirements of the role.

Selection Process

After the closing date, the appointing panel shall assess candidates’ suitability for the role based on evidence provided in their application against the behaviours and key skills and experience and technical professional skills outlined in the person specification.

Please note, if there are a large number of applications the panel will conduct a staged sift. The initial sift will be on the CV alone. If you meet the minimum criteria for the CV, you will then go to the full sift on the personal statement.

In the eventuality that there are a high number of applicants successful at sift, GLD may operate a longlist, whereby applicants who have been shortlisted and met the minimum pass mark but are not selected for interview will have their application placed on hold. After the initial interview round candidates on the longlist may be offered an interview, should there still be posts available.

Application Errors

Please take extra care to tick the correct boxes in the eligibility sections of your application form. We understand mistakes sometimes happen but if you contact us later than two working days (Monday-Friday) before the vacancy closes, we will not be able to reopen your application for you. If you do make a mistake with your eligibility form, please contact us via: activecampaigns@governmentlegal.gov.uk .

Use the subject line to insert appropriate wording for example – ‘Please re-open my application 472964 & vacancy closing date Tuesday, 1st September 2026’.

Interview

If you are invited to interview, you will be assessed on your performance in the criteria listed in the Person Specification, alongside a presentation. These criteria are:

• Behaviour: Communicating and Influencing (Lead Behaviour) 
• Behaviour: Changing and Improving
• Behaviour: Working Together
• Key skills & experience
• Technical professional skills

You will also be asked to prepare a 5-minute presentation, which will have follow-up questions. The title of the presentation will be provided at least one week prior to interview. This will be assessing technical professional skills.

Your interview will take place online.

The timeline later in this pack indicates the date by which decisions are expected to be made, and all shortlisted candidates will be advised of the outcome as soon as possible thereafter. 

Offer

All candidates will be notified of the outcome as soon as possible after the interview. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview.

We appoint in strict order of merit. If you meet the minimum criteria for this position but are not successful for a post, you will be placed on the reserve list.  We may contact you to see if you are interested in a post at the same, or a lower grade, in GLD should one arise.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) criminal record check.

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

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)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

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 (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

Name :Vita ShaplandHowes

Email :vita.shaplandhowes@governmentlegal.gov.uk

Recruitment team

Email :activecampaigns@governmentlegal.gov.uk

Further information

You have the right to complain if you feel there has been a breach of the Recruitment Principles. If you feel that your application hasn’t been treated in accordance with these Principles and wish to make a complaint, please contact recruitment_feedback@governmentlegal.gov.uk in the first instance. Please title your email as follows: Job Reference Number – Job Title – Recruitment Complaint. Complaints must be submitted in writing within 30 days of the incident or the decision which has caused the complaint. To fully engage with the issues raised GLD require that you submit evidence of your complaint.
 

Attachments

472964 - Senior Delivery Manager (pdf, 692kB)

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