Chief Data Officer
| Posting date: | 20 March 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £69,501 per year |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 06 April 2026 |
| Location: | Swansea |
| Company: | Government Recruitment Service |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 452024/1 |
Summary
Have you led on complex data transformation issues aligning strategy, governance and technology to deliver measurable impact?
Are you passionate about championing data as a strategic asset, promoting innovation, ethical use and a culture of evidence-based decision-making at the highest levels?
If so, we’d love to hear from you!
As Chief Data Officer, you will lead the strategic direction of data across the organisation, ensuring alignment with the wider government data strategy and priorities. Working at executive level, you will shape and deliver a coherent data vision that embeds strong governance, high-quality standards and responsible use, while unlocking the full value of data to inform policy, improve services and drive innovation.
You will lead a multidisciplinary data community, building capability and fostering a culture where data is trusted, shared appropriately and used confidently to support transparent, insight-driven decision-making across the organisation.
Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:
- Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
- 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays a privilege day for the King’s birthday
- Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.
Read more in the Benefits section below!
Find out more about what it's like working at: Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency - Department for Transport Careers
Provide strategic leadership for DVLA’s data agenda, aligning organisational strategy with government priorities to drive efficiency, innovation and public service delivery. Champion data literacy and a culture that treats data as a strategic asset. Lead robust data governance, ensuring compliance, effective risk management, and high standards of security, quality and assurance. Collaborate across government, oversee secure data sharing and customer controls, and advise senior leaders on data risks, breaches and third-party access decisions.
Your responsibilities will include, but aren’t limited to:
- Strategic Leadership
- Data Governance and Assurance
- Cross-Government Collaboration
- Innovation and Data Sharing
- Operational Oversight
For further information on the role, please read the role profile attached. Please note that the role profile is for information purposes only - whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.
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