The Government Digital Service (GDS) is recruiting a head of technology and architecture to lead the development of a more personalised version of its GOV.UK website.
According to the job advertisement the new role, paying up to £85,000 a year depending on experience, will suit someone with practical experience and expertise in areas including digital identity, account infrastructure and security. GDS is accepting applications until 29 November.
GOV.UK is primarily used for a publishing standardised material at present, but GDS is trialling accounts for the site, a step towards providing a single sign-on service for central government online. This will save users from entering information repeatedly and will allow personalisation, Cabinet Office minister Julia Lopez told a techUK event in September.
The new role will focus on this work, head of technology Tim Blair writes in a blogpost. “This future, in which we aim to make a step-change in how people can interact with government digitally, presents a unique opportunity to shape the technical architecture and delivery of technology across GOV.UK,” he said.
He adds that the person hired will directly manage up to half a dozen senior staff and be head of line management for around 50 technologists working on GOV.UK, a number that will grow.
“The head of technology and architecture is not expected to know every line of code that’s written on GOV.UK, but to make effective decisions they will need to quickly develop a high-level understanding what is being built, how, and why, and will need to ensure security and privacy in mind at every phase,” Blair adds.
Document checking pilot
Six organisations are now taking part in GDS’s previously-announced pilot for its Document Checking Service, which allows users to check if a British passport is valid. They are Agenda Screening Services, Convey Law, Freja eID, Goaco, Sedicii Innovations and Yoti.
Benjamin Mortimer and Alex Wilson, both of GDS, say in a blogpost that the first live checks of passports using the system took place in October.
Image from GOV.UK, Open Government Licence v3.0
