head of data interoperability

The Government Digital Service is the digital centre of government, responsible for setting, leading, and delivering the vision for a modern digital government. Its Government Data Team is building shared standards, secure access models, interoperable data infrastructure, and capabilities to support AI and data-driven public services across government and the wider public sector.

• Lead the development and adoption of patterns and technical approaches that enable organisations to share and use data consistently
• Drive adoption of APIs, interoperable data exchange standards, and federated data-sharing approaches across government
• Build consensus and influence senior stakeholders to adopt common approaches to data sharing and interoperability
• Work with architects, engineers, and policy teams to deliver foundations for modern public services and AI-enabled government
• Play a leading role in delivering the UK Public Data Infrastructure vision and enabling trusted data sharing at scale

• Turn data standards, API specifications, and interoperability frameworks into practical approaches that delivery teams can adopt at scale
• Establish data integration standards, design patterns, or API architectures that enable secure and interoperable data sharing across organisational boundaries
• Build consensus and drive adoption of standards, mandates, or common technical approaches across organisations and stakeholder groups
• Provide strategic leadership on complex interoperability challenges, identify and describe problems, navigate trade-offs, and provide technical assurance on complex integration and data-sharing designs
• Anticipate developments in data interoperability, APIs, and data-sharing technologies, and advise on adopting new approaches to realise better value from data
• Meet the nationality requirements for a non-reserved post

• Permanent position
• Working pattern options include job share, flexible working, part-time, and condensed hours
• Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 28.5%
• 25 Days of annual leave, increasing by one day each year up to 30 days, plus an extra day off for The King’s birthday
• In-year bonus scheme, training budget, paid volunteering leave, and 10 learning days per year
• Employee assistance programme, death in service benefits, cycle to work scheme, employee discounts, and advances on pay for travel season tickets
• Candidates moving from another employer will no longer be eligible for childcare vouchers and may be eligible for Tax Free Childcare
• Hybrid working includes office or other non-home-based attendance in the UK for 40–60% of the accounting period; full home working is not normally offered
• No visa sponsorship is available through this campaign
• Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check and baseline personnel security standard checks; SC clearance is required
• SC clearance normally requires five years’ UK residency in the past five years; supplementary checks may be needed, which could delay or prevent appointment
• Selection includes application screening, a 20-minute technical phone screen, and a 45-minute video interview with a presentation
• A reserve list will be held for 12 months; candidates who do not pass the interview but meet an acceptable standard may be considered for similar roles at a lower grade