For the first time, we are expanding the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework to include Senior Civil Service (SCS) roles. This expansion increases visibility of executive leadership and establishes clearer career pathways to a senior role in government.
Developing the first SCS roles on the framework
Through an intensive research and design process, we have created role and skill profiles for three SCS roles:
- chief data officer
- chief information security officer
- chief technology officer
These roles reflect the priorities of departments across government and will be followed by more SCS roles after research, design and development with the relevant subject matter experts.
To ensure we accurately reflect the requirements of these roles, as well as those of a digital and data leader, we thoroughly explored:
- common challenges faced by these roles
- core responsibilities and capabilities required by each role
- complex contexts across government departments
- the differences between these roles in government and in the private sector
These insights led our decision-making, ensuring we were designing the roles and skills to meet user needs.
Designing for our users
The framework has a very varied audience, our user groups include those already in the role, those who might want to do the role in the future and those who are unfamiliar with both the role and the profession. It was our challenge to ensure that SCS role holders felt their roles were accurately reflected, that career progression had more visibility and that people unfamiliar with digital and data roles could understand what they do and the value they bring.
“Other than looking at job descriptions that come up on civil service jobs, it’s completely invisible to folks what these roles look like.”
– User research participant, April 2024
Developing a complementary skills structure
User research findings led us to design a complementary skills structure that better reflects the scope of skills needed for senior leadership roles. This structure includes:
- capturing the specialist nature of the digital and data skills at leadership level
- acknowledging the specific context digital and data leaders work in
- providing examples of leadership related to each skill
These leadership skills are specifically designed for SCS roles but sit within the existing Digital and Data Capability Framework. This means users can view and compare skills at all levels, providing clearer visibility of career pathways and progression opportunities.
Continuing to grow
With our continuous improvement approach, we are consistently making the framework better. This includes engaging subject matter experts across government to proactively improve roles and skills, as well as making iterative improvements through content design reviews.
As a ‘living product’, we encourage colleagues to propose a change to the framework and provide feedback on using the framework to help us evolve.
If you have any questions about this work or the Capability Framework, please contact digitaldatacapabilityframework@digital.cabinet-office.gov.uk.
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