IT and Digital Business Partner

Bristol City Council is recognised as a leading and progressive adopter of digital services. Our Digital Strategy focuses on delivering better, cheaper, and faster services that improve digital equity and are built from a user-centred perspective. We are focused on improving services for our residents and making Bristol truly digital.

We have exciting and challenging work ahead. We are completing an £18m multi-year Digital Transformation Programme in 2024, securing a firm technological foundation on which to develop improved digital services. We have major ambitions to help transform services across the council and to participate in large regional partnerships across sectors. We are recruiting people-focused digital, data, design, and technology professionals to join our team.

The IT and Digital Business Partner is a senior subject-matter expert and trusted advisor on all elements of IT & Digital. They will manage the interface and relationships between the council’s technical teams and its many service departments, working at a strategic level to collaborate, plan and deliver outcomes which meet business needs.

Holding direct relationships with other departments and allocated Department Heads, Directors and Executive Directors, the IT and Digital Business Partner will be a key senior point of contact, advising on technology, working practices, governance and solutions to the senior officer and Member leadership of the Council. This role sits at the heart of our digital transformation function and reports to our Head of Digital Strategy and Transformation. 

You will

• Be the key connection between council services and IT & Digital, providing advice, experience, and oversight
• Be an advocate for customers, users and citizens
• Promote an enthusiastic, ethical, pragmatic, accessible and flexible user-centred approach to IT and Digital solutions
• Support delivery of the Digital Strategy and inform future strategic direction
• Help ensure that all Digital, Data and Technology teams maximise the value they add to the organisation

We want to hear from people with skills in: 

• Building and managing constructive, value-adding relationships with a diverse group of stakeholders.
• Evaluating, advising upon, and managing IT & Digital solution requests.
• Championing modern IT and digital solutions that meet defined user and business needs, and which offer value for money.
• Horizon scanning technology trends and recommending how they can be applied to improve business operations.
• Collaborating and negotiating with colleagues and stakeholder across a variety of teams and sectors.
• Budget and spend controls, risk management, maintaining good governance, and providing evidenced outcomes.
• Supporting and encouraging the professional development of team members, and contributing to continuous service improvement.

You Should Be

• Naturally curious – you keep on top of your own learning and development and are up to date with the latest techniques and trends in your field.  
• An advocate for user-centred practices, ideally embedded within Agile delivery.   
• Able to explain complex technical concepts in plain language.
• Committed to improving citizen’s lives and opportunities.
• Respectful, fair and inclusive in your relationships with others.
• Willing to take ownership of issues and originate ideas and solutions.
• Adept at working together across traditional departmental structures and siloes.
• These values are fundamental to us, as is building an environment that promotes knowledge, empathy, equity, and skill sharing.

Why Bristol City Council?

At Bristol City Council, we go that extra mile for our people; we offer a work environment which is fast moving and supportive, giving you the chance to use your skills and develop new ones within a high-profile organisation. For the majority of our roles hybrid working arrangements are available, giving teams the opportunity to work in a way that suits them, balancing service need and individual choice - mixing both home and office working.

Join us and you’ll receive an excellent rewards package including flexible working and flexitime, membership of the Local Government Pension scheme, and a generous annual leave allowance. In addition, you’ll be working in a supportive environment where you’ll have the chance to make Bristol a better place and contribute to its future.

How do I apply?

If you share our values and are ready to be part of our exciting journey please select the apply button below.

To be shortlisted for interview you’ll need to demonstrate how you meet each of the essential criteria in the Person Specification within the Further Information section of your application. On occasion we will receive high numbers of applications, we may then shortlist against the desirable criteria along with the essential criteria, so if you can, please demonstrate how you meet this in your application.