Deputy Director Digital Finance Transformation, Defence Digital

Location Corsham, London About the job Job summary

With Defence Digital's spending exceeding £2.6 billion and total Defence digital expenditure surpassing £4.6 billion, Finance has a substantial task ahead to ensure maximum value for money. The Deputy Director for Digital Finance Transformation will spearhead the overhaul of our digital spending management across the entire department, working closely with other leaders. This role involves transforming the Digital Finance directorate to align with the standards of the wider Government Finance Function. The Deputy Director will drive the enhancement of governance, controls, and Management Information (MI) within Defence Digital, collaborating with leaders from Project Delivery, Commercial, and HR functions to expedite critical initiatives.

The Digital function within Defence is evolving, with closer collaboration across the Ministry to provide more cohesive, strategically aligned, and cost-effective solutions to Defence capability requirements. The Deputy Director for Digital Finance Transformation will play a key role in assisting the Finance Director in implementing a significant shift towards a fully integrated Defence approach. This involves supporting investment decision-making in cases where Defence Digital is not directly delivering capabilities but is establishing standards, ensuring alignment, coherence, and driving efficiency across the digital portfolio spanning Defence (approximately £4.4 billion). Achieving this goal will necessitate the establishment of robust and efficient processes to maintain continuous visibility and reporting, enabling more timely input into strategic decision-making at the highest levels.

Marie Reynolds will be offering an online Q&A session on Tuesday 3 rd June at 13:00-13:45 to provide an overview of the role and welcome any questions you may have. Candidates can access the meeting by clicking here . Please note this is not part of the formal assessment process.

Job description

Key Responsibilities

The current responsibilities of the role include:

Delivering change and continuous improvement

• Taking the lead in transforming how digital operations are conducted across Defence organisations, ensuring better coordination of the approximately £4.6 billion spent on Ministry of Defence as a whole digital activities.
• Driving continuous improvement of financial processes, including opportunities to build greater resilience and efficiency and embedding visibility and transparency to support all users of financial data.
• Overseeing the strategic planning, monitoring, and consolidation of pan-Defence Digital Efficiencies to ensure the MOD remains on course to achieve its targeted savings from the Digital Function over the 10-year period following the last Spending Review.
• Enhancing transparency and coherence in Defence Digital Spending by overseeing the establishment of systems to collect data and enhance decision-making regarding digital investments.
• Leading the transformation of DD's finance function, preparing the Directorate for the Journey to Cloud (J2C) by ensuring systems and operational practices align with J2C plans.

Driving performance

• Assisting the Finance Director in advancing the pace of digital financial approvals, building on past achievements to integrate new agile delivery methods. Collaborating with the Cabinet Office and other external stakeholders to ensure Defence Digital's assurance processes and approvals are efficient and proportionate.
• Fostering a performance-driven environment within finance and the broader business sector by establishing ambitious team targets and implementing effective measures that align with objectives.
• Delivering high-quality, timely, accurate, and clearly communicated financial and performance analysis to the Senior Leadership Team, offering valuable insights and advice to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
• Supervising Finance Business Partnering for the transformational aspects of Defence Digital's portfolio, including the Foundry, Data Programme, and Digital Skills for Defence. Supporting a Grade 6-led team to deliver top-tier assistance to project delivery, robust multi-year planning and investment approvals, precise financial forecasting, and agile in-year control operations.

Leading your team

• Encourage a diverse and inclusive workplace culture that fosters a unified ONEDEFENCE mindset and upholds Defence values within Defence Digital Finance. Provide leadership and line management guidance to two Grade 6 Finance Deputy Heads, one Grade 7 Transformation Assistant Head, and lead the broader Transformation team comprising approximately 20 staff members, including apprentices.
• Encouraging a culture of openness to challenges and new ideas, fostering a supportive team dynamic, and leading by example in prioritising personal development.
• Actively participating in the Defence Digital Finance Senior Leadership Team, contributing to internal communications, resource planning, and broader corporate initiatives. As a member of the Finance Leadership Team, supporting the Finance Director in shaping and executing financial strategies and objectives aligned with the wider Finance Function.
• Playing an integral role in the broader Defence Digital Senior Leadership Group, fostering robust, collaborative, and influential relationships with Budget Holders and senior stakeholders across the organisation.

Person specification

• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to collaborate with and influence at senior levels despite not having direct levers of control.
• Strong financial strategy, transformation expertise, and commercial acumen, with a proven track record of leading change and delivering significant productivity gains or efficiency savings in complex environments.
• A financial qualification: CCAB/CIMA/IACEW Qualified or equivalent experience.
• Flexibility to adapt to change and act at pace to support other colleagues and devise solutions to complex problems to keep delivery moving forward and meet MOD outcome goals.
• Excellent leadership, management and coaching skills, with the ability to model and promote a diverse and engaged working culture and build individual/ team capability

Desirable criteria may be used in the event of a strong field of candidates when there is a need to distinguish between candidates. This will be as a second sift, after the essential criteria has been considered:

• Familiarity with Digital Systems.

Benefits Alongside your salary of £90,000, Ministry of Defence contributes £26,073 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Apply before 11:55 pm on Sunday 15th June 2025

For further information, and to apply, please visit our website via the “Apply” button below.