Senior digital portfolio manager

Band 8a · Digital portfolio manager · 547 job evaluation points

UK GDaD PCF level: Senior digital portfolio manager

Most often performed at Civil Service grade G7.

A senior digital portfolio manager is responsible for co-ordinating and managing a portfolio of digital projects.
At this role level, you will:
track, analyse and help deliver outcomes in your portfolio
give guidance and deal with issues to help teams to deliver faster
manage governance and assurance processes, and ensure standards are met
provide information to stakeholders on work performance and related risks

Contains public sector information from the UK Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework (https://understand-digital-data-roles-skills.service.gov.uk/), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright.

Responsibilities

Manage the organisation's digital portfolio, or a large part of it, and its governance and assurance processes.
Track and analyse outcomes and benefits across the portfolio, and act on issues to help teams deliver.
Make sure the portfolio meets standards, including clinical safety, information governance, and cyber security assurance.
Advise senior leaders on prioritisation, investment, and trade-offs, using clear evidence.
Manage portfolio reporting to funders and external bodies.
Line manage portfolio analysts and managers.

Skills

Skill	Expected level	What this level means
Agile workingUK GDaD PCF	Awareness (1)	You can: show an awareness of Agile methodology and the ways to apply the principles in practice take an open-minded approach explain why iteration is important iterate quickly
Communicating analysis and insightUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: turn complex data into compelling, clear and actionable stories share data communication skills with the team and across government present analysis and visualisations in clear ways to communicate complex messages communicate negative and positive information to stakeholders give tactical and strategic recommendations
Governance and assuranceUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: develop appropriate governance and assurance processes identify and recommend improvements to governance and assurance processes support others in following or applying governance and assurance processes
PlanningUK GDaD PCF	Practitioner (3)	You can: understand the environment and prioritise the most important or high value tasks use data to inform planning manage complex internal and external dependencies provide delivery confidence remove blockers or impediments that affect plans and can develop a plan for difficult situations ensure that teams plan appropriately for their capacity
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
Strategic thinkingUK GDaD PCF	Working (2)	You can: work within a strategic context and communicate how activities meet strategic goals contribute to the development of strategy and policies
Understanding health and care servicesThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: analyse how a service fits into care pathways across organisations work with clinicians, care staff, and patients to shape digital services explain the effect of digital decisions on care, safety, and staff workload
Clinical risk managementThis reference	Working (2)	You can: take part in hazard workshops and contribute to a hazard log follow the clinical risk management process for your work provide evidence for a clinical safety case, such as test results
Information governance and data protectionThis reference	Working (2)	You can: apply data protection principles to your work contribute to data protection impact assessments handle information requests and records correctly
Project managementThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: manage projects from start to close, controlling scope, time, cost, and quality manage risks, issues, dependencies, and change control report to project boards and manage suppliers
Organisational risk managementThis reference	Practitioner (3)	You can: run the risk process for a directorate or programme assess risks against the risk appetite and escalate them report on risks to committees
Corporate governance and complianceThis reference	Working (2)	You can: support committee meetings, papers, and minutes keep governance registers up to date
People managementThis reference	Working (2)	You can: supervise day-to-day work and give feedback take part in recruitment and induction hold regular one-to-one conversations

Typical qualifications and experience

Extensive experience of portfolio or programme management, at a level equivalent to a master's degree.

Band 8a outline

Knowledge: Expert knowledge of a discipline and its management.
Autonomy: Interprets organisational policy for a service; sets the team's direction.
Scope: A service area or a discipline across the organisation.
Leadership: Manages a team, or leads a discipline without line management.
Accountability: A service area, its staff, and its budget.

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	7	Highly developed specialist knowledge across the range of the specialism (master's level or equivalent).	196
Analytical and judgemental skills	5	Judgements on highly complex facts or situations needing analysis, interpretation, and comparison of options.	60
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	3	Manages a group of staff day to day, teaches core or specialist training, or gives core HR advice.	21
Responsibility for information resources	5	Designs and develops major information systems, or runs information systems for several services as the main duty.	34
Responsibility for research and development	1	Carries out surveys or audits for own work; occasionally takes part in research or testing.	5
Freedom to act	5	Works within general policies, and in most cases decides how to interpret them.	45
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 8a: 540 to 584)			547

There is no Band 7 level because the UK GDaD PCF moves from digital portfolio manager (HEO/SEO) to senior digital portfolio manager (G7).