Deputy Director of Digital Standards & Inclusive Design

Deputy Director of Digital Standards & Inclusive Design

Contract Length: 3 Months
IR35 Status: Inside IR35
Role: Deputy Director of Digital Standards & Inclusive Design
Sector: Public Sector Digital Transformation

Daily rate: £875 - £985

Contract Inside IR35 3 Months

We are seeking an experienced Deputy Director of Digital Standards & Inclusive Design to provide strategic leadership across a major public sector digital transformation programme.

This is an exceptional opportunity for a senior digital leader to shape the future of digital service delivery, accessibility, and inclusive design at scale, driving innovation and improving end-to-end user experiences across complex service environments.

The Role

As Deputy Director, you will lead the development of digital standards, accessibility initiatives, and service transformation programmes that improve public-facing digital services.

You will work across organisational boundaries to define strategic direction, champion inclusive and accessible design practices, and identify opportunities to modernise and transform services through innovative approaches, including the use of AI-enabled solutions.

The role requires a highly visible leader who can engage senior stakeholders, build high-performing multidisciplinary teams, and drive adoption of best practice across digital, data, accessibility, research, and service design communities.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the strategy and evolution of digital standards, accessibility frameworks, and inclusive design practices.
• Drive end-to-end service transformation, ensuring services are user-centred, accessible, and effective.
• Develop and pilot innovative approaches to improve public service delivery.
• Identify opportunities to leverage emerging technologies, including AI-enabled solutions.
• Establish methods for measuring service quality, accessibility, and digital performance.
• Oversee a portfolio of standards, accessibility, and transformation initiatives through delivery.
• Promote service and product-centred ways of working that embed continuous improvement.
• Build strong partnerships across government, industry, academia, SMEs, and innovation communities.
• Influence senior stakeholders and champion digital transformation across complex organisations.
• Drive collaboration across multiple teams to deliver joined-up user experiences that span organisational boundaries.

Essential Experience

Candidates should demonstrate:

• Significant leadership experience within digital transformation, service design, or digital government environments.
• A strong track record of developing and implementing digital standards and best practice frameworks.
• Expertise in accessibility, inclusive design, and user-centred service delivery.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams across digital, data, research, accessibility, or standards functions.
• Strong understanding of end-to-end service design and customer journey transformation.
• Experience piloting and scaling innovative ideas within large, complex organisations.
• Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills.
• Exceptional communication and collaboration abilities.
• A passion for innovation, experimentation, and continuous improvement.

What We're Looking For

The successful candidate will be:

• A visionary leader who can shape strategic digital transformation programmes.
• An advocate for accessibility and inclusive design.
• A champion of service excellence and user-centred design.
• Comfortable operating at executive level and influencing across complex stakeholder groups.
• Able to inspire teams, drive innovation, and create a culture of continuous improvement.
• Passionate about improving public services through digital, data, technology, and AI.