Digital skills lead

Band 7 · Learning and development specialist · 476 job evaluation points

Leads the organisation's programme to grow digital, data, and technology skills, for specialist professions and for the whole workforce, using skills frameworks to plan careers and close gaps.

Responsibilities

Lead the digital skills programme, including digital literacy for all staff and development for digital, data, and technology professions.
Run skills gap analysis across digital teams using the role profiles and skills in this reference, and report the results.
Design career pathways from apprenticeships to senior roles, linked to bands and job evaluation.
Build partnerships with universities, colleges, and training providers, and make full use of apprenticeship funding.
Manage the digital skills budget and evaluate return on investment.
Lead a small team of learning and development staff.

Skills

Skill	Expected level	What this level means
Skills frameworks and career pathwaysThis reference	Expert (4)	You can: set how the organisation uses skills frameworks across professions use skills data to inform workforce, learning, and reward strategy contribute to the development of shared frameworks with other organisations
Capability building for digital, data and technologyUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	Senior leadership skill: the UK GDaD PCF defines it with one statement, not by level. You can: Examples of leadership using this skill: guide the organisation to ensure it has the specialist digital, data and technology skills it needs develop organisational processes and ways of working so that digital and data roles you support can thrive continuously improve and optimise the organisational environment prioritising capability needs that will have the most impact negotiating for longer-term investment in people by articulating the risks and benefits of different staffing strategies advocating for good practice in ways of working and supporting people to adopt this practice growing digital and data communities
Learning design and deliveryThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: analyse learning needs and design blended programmes to meet them set learning outcomes and evaluate impact, not only satisfaction make learning accessible and inclusive for all staff
Workforce planningThis reference	Working (2)	You can: collect and check workforce plan data from managers model simple scenarios, such as turnover and vacancy trends
Talent attraction and sourcingThis reference	Working (2)	You can: write adverts that appeal to specialist candidates and use plain language search job boards, professional networks, and talent pools for candidates support events, such as careers fairs and open days
Stakeholder relationship managementUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: work with the team to develop and maintain an understanding of stakeholders work with the team to develop and implement stakeholder communications strategies identify and resolve issues, influence stakeholders and manage relationships effectively build long-term strategic relationships and communicate clearly and regularly with stakeholders
People managementThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: line manage a team, setting objectives and running appraisals support wellbeing and manage attendance, performance, and conduct plan the team's development and succession
Budget managementThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: hold and manage a budget, forecasting and explaining variances build a business case with costs and benefits
Understanding health and care servicesThis reference	Working (2)	You can: explain the clinical and care workflows your work supports use common health care terms correctly with clinical and care colleagues recognise when a change could affect patient care and raise it

Typical qualifications and experience

A recognised learning and development qualification at advanced level, or equivalent experience.
Substantial experience of building skills programmes, ideally in digital, data, or technology.

Band 7 outline

Knowledge: Highly developed specialist knowledge, typically to master's level or equivalent experience.
Autonomy: Works to organisational policy; decides how results are achieved; is the expert others consult.
Scope: Several products or services, or a specialist function.
Leadership: Leads a team or a professional practice area.
Accountability: Delivery of a service or specialist function, and its budget if held.

Job evaluation (illustrative)

Factor	Level	Level summary	Points
Communication and relationship skills	5	Gives highly complex or contentious information needing developed persuasion and negotiation, presents to large groups, or communicates where there are significant barriers to acceptance.	45
Knowledge, training, and experience	6	Specialist knowledge across the range of the specialism (postgraduate diploma level or equivalent).	156
Analytical and judgemental skills	4	Judgements on complex facts or situations needing analysis, interpretation, and comparison of options.	42
Planning and organisational skills	4	Plans a broad range of complex activities or strategies, adjusting them as needed.	42
Physical skills	2	Skills gained through practice, such as standard keyboard use or driving.	15
Responsibility for patient and client care	1	Helps patients, clients, or relatives during incidental contact.	4
Responsibility for policy and service development	4	Implements policy and develops policy or services for a service or several areas.	32
Responsibility for financial and physical resources	3	Authorises payments, buys some assets or supplies, monitors or holds a delegated budget, or maintains assets.	21
Responsibility for people	4	Line manages a function or department, designs training programmes as a main duty, or delivers a full range of HR services.	32
Responsibility for information resources	3	Takes formal minutes, regularly writes reports or queries, or maintains information systems as a significant duty.	16
Responsibility for research and development	2	Regularly does research, development, trials, or equipment and system testing as part of the job.	12
Freedom to act	4	Results are defined, but the job holder decides how to achieve them, within broad policy.	32
Physical effort	1	Sitting, standing, and walking, with little physical effort.	3
Mental effort	3	Frequent concentration on unpredictable work, or occasional prolonged concentration.	12
Emotional effort	1	Rare exposure, or occasional indirect exposure, to distressing circumstances.	5
Working conditions	2	Occasional unpleasant conditions, frequent travel or outdoor work, or near-continuous screen use on most days.	7
Total (Band 7: 466 to 539)			476