CREST (Compliance & Risk Engineering Solutions Team) sits within RIS Analysis in the Customer Compliance Group (CCG). CREST is responsible for the management and development of the Connect, Data Delivery Service (DDS) & IDRS services. Connect and DDS are run by the Connect, Data & Services (CDS) Team, which is going through a significant period of change to maximise service offerings. Whilst also mitigating technical debt and handling a post EU-Exit and COVID Pandemic shift in the taxation landscape. Connect is a key element of HMRC’s ongoing enforcement & compliance activity and remains the Department’s primary strategic risking, profiling and analytical solution, whilst Strategic Risking is developed over the coming 3-5 years. These capabilities form the foundation stone of future compliance activity, where industry leading risking / data analysis tools and techniques are used. These provide business insight into HMRC’s customer populations for sponsors and customer groups across HMRC. HMRC is dependent upon the development and exploitation of Connect to deliver the stretching Departmental targets over the next five-seven years. CREST CDS also provides a flexible, multi-functional, multi-skilled data analytics function and is part of HMRC’s professional Risk & Intelligence capability. Given the complexity of DDS & Connects architecture and their high-profile role in driving Departmental performance, we are seeking a Head of Service Delivery, Ideally with experience of running complex systems & service offerings; liaising with a wide customer group of users and technology specialists and building structures to support the ongoing operational delivery of the system. Experience working with and around Connect is crucial to this role. There is a requirement for occasional travel to other HMRC offices/venues and supplier offices around the UK (including occasional overnight stays) up to once per month. The successful candidate will be responsible for leading a team of delivery agents, project managers and analysts, providing direction, support and technical input. The candidate will also work closely with the CDS Head of Product & Change Delivery and Programme Manager, to strategically deliver against product and change pipelines & roadmaps, whilst ensuring service offerings continue to meet business demands. In addition, experience of Connects architecture, data security policy and issues, Network build theory and implementation, Detica NetReveal, SAS EG7/8 and cloud-based migrations are desirable but not essential. Training, both formal and informal, can be made available to the successful candidate. See what it’s like to work at HMRC: find out more about us or ask our colleagues a question. Questions relating to an individual application must be emailed as detailed later in this advert. Who are we looking for? As the Head of Service Delivery, you will be: Delivery and data focused in a fast-paced environment, driving ambitious and emerging improvement programmes related to information security, data protection compliance, incident and business continuity in operation – establishing effective reporting and encouraging innovation. Delivering improvements iteratively and running operational services; building effective partner relationships to unblock barriers and make progress; and maintaining a quality service that will log, monitor, and manage risks, assumptions, issues, and dependencies (RAID). Leading implementation of Key Performance Indicators (KPI) to drive improvement and create efficiencies; ensuring quality reporting on operational services to team members at all levels, (e.g., boards, forums and working groups); using: - Analytics/tools (e.g., Power BI, tableau, etc) and innovative ways to demonstrate dynamic reporting. Able to instill a user-centric focus across all service delivery functions, ensuring the user is at the centre of everything we deliver. As the Head of Service Delivery, you will be expected to: Identify and deliver service improvements to the system by working with key collaborators & stakeholders (analysts, delivery partners and senior leaders), to understand the user and departmental needs and ensure they are met in a proactive way. Adept at balancing competing demands of both the users and the wider business to ensure that Connect is delivering value for money and users’ needs are being met. Maintain and develop a Service Model for Connect: Tasked with developing a continuous improvement approach to service delivery and organisational change for customers, understanding their requirements and acting as the main point of escalation for any issue resolution with Connect. This will include leading CREST Business Support Team (service desk) to ensure service offerings are delivered against agreed SLA’s, by driving a user-centric approach to service delivery. You will communicate openly and regularly with users and colleagues HMRC’s IT function CDIO to ensure issues are resolved. Deliver against the Communications Strategy: Communicate widely and effectively. Alongside the Head of Product & Change Delivery you will be jointly responsible for delivering the team's communication strategy, ensuring that all necessary information is shared in a timely and clear format to users, as well as ensuring that necessary knowledge sources are kept up to date. You will be the point of contact with CDIO to ensure that Live Service changes operate smoothly, reacting quickly and efficiently when issues arise. You will maintain working practices with users and technical colleagues to ensure issues are captured, addressed, updated, resolved and learnt from. Work Management: Along with the Head of Product & Change Delivery, you will jointly work-manage a team from across CREST, within a matrix management structure, to provide dedicated resource to ensure Connect functions continuously improve. This will involve regular and close communication and collaboration with the dedicated G7 People Manager, providing feedback to inform PDCs and build/develop ongoing capability. You will own key problems and lead opportunities through your team to improve the Connect experience for users: proactively set the direction in user incident & problem resolution and service improvement, supporting your team in achieving these. Leadership and CREST SLT: The ideal candidate will play an active role on CDS Senior Leadership Team (SLT), supporting delivery of objectives, writing briefings for seniors, resource/financial planning and corporate/portfolio responsibilities, deputising for colleagues as required. In addition, you will bring pragmatism to your leadership and working style, using knowledge of programme, agile project management and operational delivery to create sustainable uplift in our services and creating efficiencies.