Ref: 23965 Interim Head of Role for Delivery Managers

Tender description

Summary of the work Matrix management of delivery managers and being a point of escalation of blockers that prohibit people being successful in the delivery manager role. Be an advocate for delivery management and agile and lean delivery techniques. Extensive experience of delivering digital services that meet user needs and be a role model. Specialist role Agile coach Expected Contract Length 12 Months Latest start date 01/05/2017 Maximum Day Rate £800pd exc VAT. The role is considered outside of the IR35 intermediaries legislation. Early Market Engagement Failed to find a suitable candidate on previous DOS exercise Who Speclialist Work With They will be ensuring all people performing the role of delivery manager across the Defra Group have the appropriate skills, as well as access to the right support, learning and development to perform the role of delivery management within agile teams delivering user focused services. They will be responsible for ensuring that the delivery manager community is active and brings measurable value to community members and the Defra Group. What Specialists Work On The Interim Head of role for Delivery Managers is focused on people development and growing the capability of delivery management across the Defra group. It is intended for someone who is a recognised expert in agile and lean practices, can nurture others to grow into great delivery managers and advocate for the role of delivery manager within a complex government organisation. Skills & Experience • A recognised expert in the field of agile delivery management and have experience of a wide range of agile and lean approaches and techniques (11%) • Have experience of supporting, leading and growing teams of delivery managers in an agile environment, including building a community of practice (11%) • Have great interpersonal skills and be able to build credibility and influence across a range of stakeholders or a range of seniority (8%) • Be confidently able to communicate the value of the delivery management role to digital and nondigital stakeholders (8%) • Be a skilled team leader and demonstrate servant leader qualities (8%) • Be familiar with digital within the UK government and the GDS service standard (8%) • Have demonstrable experience of performance and people management (6%) Work Location Flexible ideally based in London, South West, North West with around 45% travel to other offices. Teams will be required to work across Defra's offices/ program areas, including Defra's arms-length bodies. Offices are geographically spread but work will be focused on support to London, Warrington, Bristol, Reading, Weybridge, Worcester and York. Working Arrangments 5 days FTE. Defra’s delivery is spread across the country, the successful candidate will need to travel to connect with those people that they support. Any business travel needed (i.e. visiting other locations) will be a claimable expense in accordance with the current Defra T&S policy Security Clearance BPSS/ Disclosure Scotland No. of Specialists to Evaluate 10 Cultural Fit Criteria • Transparent and collaborative when making decisions (5%) • Supports a no-blame culture and encourages people to learn from their mistakes (5%) • Takes responsibility for work and is confident working independently as well as within a team environment (5%) • Shares knowledge and experience with other team members and actively challenges the status quo (5%) Evaluation Weighting Technical competence 60% Cultural fit 20% Price 20% Questions from Suppliers 1. Can any other security clearance such as CTC, SC or DV be considered for this role. This role requires BPSS/ Disclosure Scotland, a higher clearance is acceptable. 2. It is stated any business travel to other offices (around 45%) will be a claimable expense. We therefore assume travel to/from the base location will not be a claimable expense. Is that correct? If so, what offices would be acceptable as the base location? It is stated "Flexible ideally London, South West, North West" but not sure how "flexible" DEFRA are in this regard, please can you clarify. Normally, whichever office is closest to the successful candidate becomes their base location, with no claims permitted from home to base location. However, if travelling to another office, then claims are permitted. We would agree which is to be designated as the base location with the successful candidate. 3. Do you require evidence, i.e. CVs now or after shortlisting? What is the lead time and process for this application? In accordance with the DOS Framework further evidence should only be submitted if requested and will follow the Assessment Methods published in the Digital Marketplace. For example if CV’s are required they would be specifically requested in one of the following: Work history, Reference, Interview and/or Presentation. 4. Can more than one candidate per supplier be submitted? Under the rules of the DOS Framework more than one candidate cannot be submitted by a supplier. 5. Could you please confirm if this role is deemed ‘Inside’ or ‘Outside’ of IR35. Outside of IR35 6. Can you please clarify whether you are looking for an Interim Head of Role for Delivery Managers or an Agile Coach? This is for an Interim Head of Role for Delivery Managers 7. Hi Would you be able to give a little more detail on the role of the Delivery Managers and what skill set they have. e.g. are they software delivery/digital managers in an agile/lean environment? Delivery managers follow the same definition as most government department, which are digital service delivery in an agile / lean environment 8. Will this role span multiple locations? Is the London base fixed to do you envisage travel. Travel is essential for the role. Flexible ideally based in London, South West or North West with around 45% travel to other offices. 9. Do you have a view on the experience levels of your in-post Delivery Managers. Such as internal capability up skilled. There is a range of experience of the in-post Delivery Managers 10. How many delivery managers will this role support? The current delivery manager community is around 20 people with most spread between Bristol, Warrington, Reading, Weybridge and Worcester 11. From 6th April, responsibility for determining if an assignment is within IR35 will shift to the Public Sector organisation. Comparex need to understand the client’s decision on the status of each contract assignment (including extensions) under IR35 and whether a new contractor assignment is deemed ‘Inside’ or ‘Outside’ of IR35 at the beginning of the recruitment process for hiring a contractor. There is an HMRC status portal available to help determine the status but we do require you to post a response as to whether the role is ‘inside’ or ‘outside’. It is deemed outside of IR35 12. Is the Delivery manager role leaning more towards a Scrum Master role or a Product Manager role in Defra? Delivery managers is the standard accepted term in government (more similar to a scrum master) and work alongside Product Owners or Product managers 13. What is the general team structure i.e. the roles in the delivery teams – Service Manager, Product Owner, Business Analyst, Developers, Testers, User Researcher, Content Designer, UX Designer. The teams’ make up is dependant on the service being delivered, although standard roles include delivery manager, product owner, business analyst, developers, testers, user research, content design and UX design. 14. What is the most prominent Agile methodology used by the teams in Defra? Is it SCRUM, Kanban, or Lean etc.? It is a mix of agile or lean approaches dependant on the situation. Defra follow the GDS agile approach to delivery as outlined in the Government Digital Service standard. 15. What is the lead time for feedback once the application is submitted? We expect feedback in 2-3 weeks