Head of Accountability and Performance

Head of DDaT Accountability and Performance - Lewes Permanent - Dec 15, 2025

Head of Accountability and Performance

What could be more important than making a real difference to public safety? From your first day with us you will be part of a policing family making a real difference to keep Surrey and Sussex safe.

It is our mission to identify and protect vulnerable people, prevent and respond to harm and keep people safe. The guiding principle and focus of the Digital Data and Technology (DDaT) Department is to provide better services to front-line officers, staff, and support functions to enable both forces to maintain their commitment to the public. You would be joining a team that is committed to the continuous to developing our digital capabilities to enable our colleagues to provide an effective response to our communities and to deal with the complexity of modern criminality through the exploitation of innovative technologies.

As our Head of Accountability and Performance for Surrey and Sussex Police, you will play a critical role in ensuring our support services are not only efficient, customer centric and effective but deliver exceptional value for money. We are looking for a strategic leader to take ownership of this significant portfolio, driving performance to ensure our technology infrastructure supports the vital work of modern policing.

You will hold responsibility for a £32 million budget, overseeing the delivery of large-scale business services, including complex commercial aspects, SLAs, and KPIs. You will serve as a the SRO and trusted advisor to senior stakeholders and third parties, scrutinising performance data to provide clear strategic direction. By expertly navigating risks, opportunities, and interdependencies, you will guarantee the successful delivery of services that keep our forces operational.

As our Head of Accountability and Performance, you will:

• Deliver and execute the overall collaborative DDaT strategy for Surrey & Sussex Forces.
• Lead responsibility for operating a 24/7 DDaT service management interface to the organisation.
• Lead both strategically and operationally with DDaT SLT colleagues through strategic decision making either in force level boards such as Portfolio Strategy Board and Change Planning Board, through undertaking the role of SRO for specific programmes or leading IT responses to major incidents. Identifying and acting on strategic level risks and ensuring these are articulated and mitigate at the appropriate level.
• Identify new approaches to enable the DDaT department to deliver efficient services across both forces that are cost-effective and meet operational needs, regional and national standards aligned to legal requirements.
• Lead and manage a senior hierarchy that supports the role, provide clear and motivational leadership to staff, creating a strong performance culture and ensuring the delivery of efficient and effective services.
• Be responsible for mechanisms to be in place within DDaT for the implementation of strategic change initiatives. Using strong negotiation and influencing skills to ensure governance processes are followed as appropriate and articulating these necessary approaches to senior stakeholders using highly effective communication skills, tact and diplomacy.
• Identify, develop and oversee the implementation of innovative approaches so that all new services are successfully integrated and implemented in a seamless, secure way, and support the achievement of organisational efficiency. Responsible for ensuring new services are highly effective at go-live by strong governance and ensuring service transition is at the forefront throughout the project life cycle.
• Leading the identification and mitigation of commercial related risk associated with DDaT services. Ownership on behalf of DDaT of all technology related contract management and commercial processes including regular reviews of suppliers' performance against contract accountabilities and value for money assessments. In addition overseeing, with Procurement, the timely review of contracts prior to their conclusion, the renegotiation of current or tender for next contracts and services.

Diversity Statement

We are only as good as our people. It's important that our officers and staff can be themselves in the workplace and we know that as an organisation we'll grow from the variety of thinking, approach, and the skills that diversity brings; all of which help us to deliver a better policing service. We strive to ensure how we deliver our services, provide information and how we recruit is open and accessible to all.

We have multiple staff support groups who help to improve our understanding of minority issues and ensure they are reflected in our work. We are proud members of Disability Confident, hold Race Equality Matters Trailblazer status, a signatory of the Race at Work Charter and are aligned with the Armed Forces Covenant and the HeForShe movement.

We are committed to being an anti-racist police service. We promise to challenge injustice, ensure fairness and to uphold anti-racist principles in both our organisation and our communities.

We value the differences that people bring from all backgrounds and communities. Regardless of age, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, disability, social status, or religious belief, we would love to hear from you.