JOB DESCRIPTION

Help shape the future of UK national security through digital innovation.
National Security presents unique digital challenges, requiring specialised solutions and close collaboration. In January 2025, the Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology (DSIT) published ‘A Blueprint for Modern Digital Government.’ This document outlines the Government Digital Service’s (GDS) plans to improve digital services across the public sector and establish GDS as the central digital authority. To support this initiative, GDS is forming a team focused on the National Security Digital and Data community.
The mission of the GDS National Security Digital Centre is to accelerate delivery of shared digital and data outcomes by bringing the National Security data and technology community together and connecting it to the centre of the Public Sector - with a focus on the unique problems and challenges for national security.

The National Security Digital Centre is responsible for:

• Ensuring that the work of GDS can also be applied across the National Security community.
• Providing support for departments whose primary responsibility is not National Security but need to share data with the National Security functions.
• Providing tailored support to tackle challenges, particularly in the area of digital skills, where there are specific needs within the National Security community and data sharing within the digital National Security sector.

We are seeking a Principal Technologist to lead the technical vision and strategy for this transformative initiative. You will play a pivotal role in accelerating the delivery of those outcomes. You will do this by setting strategies, principles, standards and identifying best practice, as well as supporting the adoption and embedding of these into the public sector, you’ll help your 100,000+ digital and data colleagues in these organisations deliver transformational change.

As a Principal Technologist you’ll:

• build and maintain teams, ensuring they are motivated, collaborating and working well
• identify obstacles and help the team to overcome them
• focus the team on what is most important to the delivery of products and services
• encourage and facilitate continuous improvement of the delivery team
• coach and mentor both team members and others to apply the most appropriate Agile and Lean tools and techniques

The complexity or breadth of products or teams will vary in this role, depending on the context.

You will be working to:

• set a 5-year intent and strategy for the National Security Digital Centre you are aligned to, and gain endorsement for this
• shape the architecture of technology at SECRET and TOP SECRET
• identify and develop existing principles, standards and best practice and promote them, or form and lead a group of technologists from across UK Public Sector to create these in order to support better data sharing across the National Security community
• build a network of peers across the National Security Community and UK Public Sector to regularly engage with
• help upskill others across GDS and the National Security Community in your specialist area

The above list of job duties is not exclusive or exhaustive and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.

NATIONALITY REQUIREMENTS - FURTHER INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES

1. This post is classed as ‘Reserved’ as per Civil Service Nationality RulesSection 3. In accordance with these rules, ‘only UK nationals may be employed in reserved posts in the Civil Service’1 (Paragraph. 3.1).

NATIONALITY REQUIREMENTS

Open to UK nationals only.

THIS ROLE IS AVAILABLE ON A PERMANENT BASIS OR ON A 2 YEAR SECONDMENT/LOAN, IF YOU HAVE A PREFERENCE PLEASE LET US KNOW ON YOUR APPLICATION.

The Government Digital Service (GDS) is the digital centre of government. We are responsible for setting, leading and delivering the vision for a modern digital government.

Our priorities are to drive a modern digital government, by:

• joining up public sector services
• harnessing the power of AI for the public good
• strengthening and extending our digital and data public infrastructure
• elevating leadership and investing in talent
• funding for outcomes and procuring for growth and innovation
• committing to transparency and driving accountability

We are home to the Incubator for Artificial Intelligence (I.AI), the world-leading GOV.UK and at the forefront of coordinating the UK’s geospatial strategy and activity. We lead the Government Digital and Data function and champion the work of digital teams across government.
We’re part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and employ more than 1,000 people all over the UK, with hubs in Manchester, London and Bristol.
The Government Digital Service is where talent translates into impact. From your first day, you’ll be working with some of the world’s most highly-skilled digital professionals, all contributing their knowledge to make change on a national scale.
Join us for rewarding work that makes a difference across the UK. You’ll solve some of the nation’s highest-priority digital challenges, helping millions of people access services they need

The National Security Digital Centre is responsible for:

• Ensuring that the work of GDS can also be applied across the National Security community.
• Providing support for departments whose primary responsibility is not National Security but need to share data with the National Security functions.
• Providing tailored support to tackle challenges, particularly in the area of digital skills, where there are specific needs within the National Security community and data sharing within the digital National Security sector

The standard selection process for roles at GDS consists of:

• a simple application screening process - We only ask for a CV and cover letter of up to 500 words and for you to answer 1 application question. Important tip - please ensure that your cover letter includes how you meet the skills and experience listed in the “person specification” section above
• a 60 minute video interview. As part of the interview process there will be a short presentation task, details around the presentation task, details of the presentation exercise will be provided to those invited to interview

For this role we’ll be assessing you against the following Civil Service Behaviours:

• seeing the big picture
• communicating and influencing
• making effective decisions
• working togethe

We’ll also be assessing your experience and specialist technical skills against the following skills defined in the Government Digital and Data Capability Framework for the Principal Technical Architect role:

• architect for the whole context
• architecture communication
• making architectural decisions
• strategy desig