About the role

Why this role matters

The Home Office is seeking an exceptional and forward-looking leader to serve as Chief Digital and Information Officer (CDIO)– National Policing. This is a pivotal executive role at the heart of policing reform, with responsibility for shaping the digital, data, information and technology capabilities that will underpin modern law enforcement and enable better outcomes for the public.

The role holder will provide executive accountability for digital and technology across all national-level products, platforms and services, ensuring local requirements are reflected in strategic direction and delivery across all 43 police forces. The CDIO will oversee or have the ability to influence a budget between £850m – £1bn. The portfolio includes approximately £200m per annum investment in programmes, a further c.£200m per annum for the support and operation of live policing services, three designated components of critical national infrastructure and influence of local police force IT spend.

During the initial two-year appointment, the role will be accountable to the Director General of the Public Safety Group, Director General of the Digital and Innovation Group and NPCC Lead for Digital Data and Technology, working closely with APCC and Police Digital Service to ensure a coherent, aligned and effective approach. At a point jointly agreed by the NPS Commissioner, and the Home Office, line management responsibility for the NPS CDIO will transfer to the NPS Commissioner.  The CDIO will be expected to lead and/or be a member of key governance for boards which will oversee service, delivery and financial control across the policing sector.

Job description

As Chief Digital and Information Officer, you will be accountable for the strategic direction, delivery and operation of national policing digital services, products, platforms and enabling capabilities. You will lead a cross-functional transformation agenda that drives coherence across national and local policing, strengthens live service performance, improves resilience and security, reduces duplication and technical debt, and secures greater efficiency, interoperability and value for money.

The National Police Service is being established as part of the government’s ambitious police reform agenda, outlined in the white paper ‘from local to national, a new model for policing’. The NPS will replace the large number of organisations at the centre of policing with a single national police force bringing together national capabilities to respond more effectively to serious, complex and cross-border crime. In this context, you will lead the digital and technology transition and organisational convergence into the new operating model, providing executive leadership for the integration of existing national IT organisations, services, systems and ways of working into a coherent, sustainable and future-ready single national policing digital capability.

The CDIO will champion technology-enabled transformation, ensuring police IT is optimised to support the outcomes of a reformed policeservice. They will own and drive the National Police IT Reform Strategy and oversee technology governance across national, regional and local policing. In the first phase, the postholder will be accountable for shaping the structure, capability and operating model for national police IT. This will include leading the approach to transitioning live services, people and delivery responsibilities into the National Policing Service in a controlled and sustainable way. 

The role will require strong system leadership across the national policing landscape, with the ability to work across the boundaries of the NPS to influence and align stakeholders across policing, local delivery organisations and wider government.

You will operate at executive level, reporting through the agreed National Policing Digital Tripartite leadership group, working closely with senior policing leaders, the Home Office and wider government partners.

Key responsibilities

• Provide visible strategic leadership for digital, data and innovation across the national police technology landscape, ensuring technology is fully integrated into service design, operational delivery and organisational reform.
• Oversee the safe, secure and effective operation of critical live services, ensuring resilience, reliability, performance and continuous improvement across the service estate.
• Sponsor and lead major transformation and modernisation activity, including product, platform and service redesign, technology renewal, and the reduction of legacy risk and technical debt.
• Set and maintain strong governance for digital investment, enterprise architecture, cyber security, data management and delivery assurance to support long-term sustainability and public trust.
• Build alignment across policing organisations, government departments and delivery partners, driving coherence, interoperability, standardisation and innovation where these improve outcomes and value for money.
• Lead and develop high-performing multidisciplinary teams and multi-organisation teams and create the conditions for innovation, accountability, inclusion and delivery at scale.
• Champion Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, ensuring inclusive leadership, culture and workforce practices are embedded across national policing digital, data and technology functions.

*For full description of the role and key accountabilities, please check the candidate pack, attached at the bottom of the advert. 

Person specification

Essential Criteria

The successful candidate will need to demonstrate:

• Mission-led digital leadership: Demonstrate a clear understanding that digital, data and technology are enablers of safer communities, effective policing and public value, not ends in themselves. Able to align policy, operational priorities, investment and service design into a coherent national direction.
• Scale and track record: Substantial experience of leading large-scale digital, data, technology or transformation functions. A demonstrable record of using technology, data and emerging tools to improve services and secure value for money.
• System leadership and influence: A proven ability to lead across organisational and institutional boundaries as a positive disruptor. Challenges established thinking constructively, influences senior stakeholders, and builds consensus and shared ownership across policing, government and delivery partners.
• Enterprise governance: Experience of using portfolio management, enterprise architecture and robust governance and risk management to guide investment, prioritise change and manage dependencies, so that national capabilities evolve as an integrated system. This includes experience in high-pressure, highly scrutinised settings.
• People and culture: Exceptional people leadership, with a proven ability to build high-performing, inclusive teams, develop future leaders and create a culture of trust and accountability. Understands how to widen diversity and opportunity across the Digital workforce.

Desirable Criteria

• An understanding of the Policing, law enforcement operations.
• Experience of leading or contributing cross-sector programmes involving complex stakeholder environments.
• A clear commitment to public service values and inclusive leadership, with experience of creating supportive, high-performing organisational cultures.