The role
About Southwark:
We are the largest local authority social landlord in London, managing 55,000 homes lived in by 40% of Southwark’s residents. We are home to over 18,300 businesses including iconic London venues and social enterprises and we have a young, diverse and growing population.
At Southwark we are committed to making our borough just and fair and are taking positive action to tackle inequalities. Our residents and communities are our greatest asset and the passion we have for Southwark is shared by millions of Londoners who enjoy our outstanding cultural offer, use our hospitals and attend our universities. Our refreshed borough plan and focus on Southwark Stands Together, (which is our work with Southwark’s communities and the council’s staff to tackle racism, injustice and inequality) underpins all that we do.
About the Role
Join us at Southwark Council as the Web and Digital Programme Lead, and play a pivotal role in our digital transformation journey. This is an exciting time to lead our Digital team, where you will oversee a comprehensive technology transformation over the next few years. As the Programme Lead, you will be instrumental in enhancing the online experience for our residents by overseeing the redesign and migration of our website to the LocalGov Drupal platform, which is set to launch imminently.
In this dynamic role, you will:
- Lead the definition and ongoing delivery of web and digital change projects, ensuring they align with the council's strategic objectives.
- Champion digital service design, embedding user-centred design principles across the council's services.
- Manage a diverse portfolio of projects, from proposal through to initiation, delivery, and transition to business as usual.
- Collaborate with senior managers and stakeholders to prioritise and deliver projects on time and within budget.
- Play a key role in the LocalGov Drupal community, fostering innovation and best practices in web publishing.
- Develop and support the content design discipline within the team, ensuring high-quality, user-focused content.
- Line manage, coach, and mentor a team of digital professionals, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
- Oversee the team budget and support the Technology and Digital Services Leadership team in managing demand and resources.
About You:
We are looking for an experienced and proactive Web and Digital Programme Lead with a strong background in local authority settings. The ideal candidate will bring:
- Significant experience in commissioning, managing, and delivering large portfolios of web and digital projects.
- Expertise in product management, particularly with website content management systems and customer portals. Experience with the LocalGov Drupal platform is highly desirable.
- Strong leadership skills, with direct line and matrix management experience, capable of building and motivating successful project teams.
- A deep understanding of service design and Government Digital Service (GDS) principles, ensuring our digital services are user-focused and accessible.
- Excellent communication abilities, able to engage clearly and confidently with stakeholders at all levels and across various formats.
- A proactive and innovative approach, with a knack for finding creative solutions and achieving strategic goals.
- Relevant qualifications in project and programme management, coupled with a thorough knowledge of IT governance frameworks within local authorities.
Additional details
Due to an expected high volume of applications, we reserve the right to close this advert prior to the advertised closing date.
If you are passionate about digital transformation and are eager to make a tangible impact on the services we provide to our residents, we would love to hear from you.
Benefits and more information:
In your role, we want you to feel supported, challenged and rewarded. You will benefit from our family-friendly policies including flexible working, home working, and a local government pension scheme, plus many other staff benefits. You will join a motivated, driven and supportive team that strives for excellence and values its members. You will also be part of a successful and high-achieving development team that is making a real difference to the lives of residents in the borough. For more information about the wide variety of benefits you can take advantage of please visit our Staff Benefits page.
Recruitment timetable
Advert close: 12th July
Shortlisting: 19th July
Interviews: 31st July
Guaranteed Interview Scheme:
As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role, and identify with one of the below criteria:
• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care, or have previously been in care
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition
We are an organisation who is passionate about our people and understands that richness of diversity is a requirement to provide the best possible services to our communities. This is demonstrated through our council-wide ambitious commitment to tackle racial inequality in our communities and workforce through our Southwark Stands Together programme. We particularly welcome applications from members of the Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management level in the Council.
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