HM Courts and Tribunals Service seeks £90k digital programme director

Director will be instrumental in £1bn HMCTS Reform programme

HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is seeking a digital programme director and is willing to pay up to £90k for the right candidate.

The new director will presumably take over the role currently occupied by former Channel 4 chief information officer (CIO) Kevin Gallagher. Computing has asked HMCTS whether this is the case and will update the story accordingly.

The job holder will be part of a huge change programme dubbed HMCTS Reform, which is costing taxpayers £1bn and is spread over six years.

The ultimate aim of the initiative is to introduce easy-to-use digital services that make courts and tribunals more accessible, while the job advert states that "new types of virtual hearing will allow [the organisation] to make better use of better-maintained buildings in which our smaller staff will be doing very different jobs".

The project, which aims to save over £250m a year, is being delivered through a portfolio of different projects. A ‘technology workstream' has been established in order to deliver consistency of all of these projects.

The digital programme director will be tasked with leading multi-disciplinary teams, delivering the programme to time, cost and quality parameters, developing relationships at a senior level, and developing new solutions to complex issues.

They will also have to drive cultural and behavioural change outside their "direct sphere of influence", provide coaching, mentoring and development support to the wider team and maintain strong working relationships with the likes of the Ministry of Justice, Cabinet Office and Major Projects Authority.

HMCTS said that it would prefer hiring a candidate that is London based but it would be open to recruiting from elsewhere in England and Wales, as long as the applicant can commit to working at least three days a week in London.

Those interested have until 28 January to apply.