FOI reference: FOI-2025-2719
You asked
Following up FOI-2025-2532:
1. Who made the decision to create a new Director of Operations post?
2. Was this decision approved by your Director of Finance or Head of HR?
3. Did you seek an exemption from the Cabinet Office to not have to advertise this new post via external recruitment?
4. Did you inform the Civil Service Commission of this new post?
5. Can you please provide the role profile or job description for this post?
We said
Thank you for your request.
The Permanent Secretary created the Director for Operations post, which was filled through the lateral deployment of existing resource. It therefore did not require any further approvals or exemptions from Cabinet Office. The Civil Service Commission was not involved as it was not subject to an external recruitment campaign.
The role profile for the post:
Role: Director for Operations (SCS2)
Role Description:
As Director for Operations, the incumbent provides strategic oversight and leadership for Operations group covering People and Business Services (PBS), Surveys, Communications and Digital Publishing (CDP) and Security and Information Management (SAIM)
Our statistics play a vital role in informing the UK, improving lives and helping to build for the future.This is dependent on the collective work of teams across Operations Group who support our people and culture, and enable our data and analysis to be collated, secured and disseminated to provide valuable insight.\ Social Surveys Directorate (SSD)\ With 1321 colleagues (excluding agency workers), SSD is comprised of the Social Surveys Divisions (collection, delivery and transformation), responsible for collecting data from households and individuals across the country.
The primary purpose of the business area is to provide high quality data that underpins core National Statistics and the wider UK statistical system. The data generated supports research, policy development and decision making across the wider public and private sectors, academia, and the public. It is our data that paints the picture of life in the UK.
Business Surveys Directorate (BSD)
With 489 colleagues, BSD includes the following Divisions, Business Data Operations Division (BDOD), Business Statistics and Registers Transformation Division (BSRTD) and the Central Support hub (providing strategy, business support and portfolio management functions) and is responsible for collecting data from businesses across the country.
Business Surveys Directorate currently operates 77 business surveys (including 10 that are collected on behalf of other Government departments) from 380,000 businesses (~7% of the UK business population) equating to a total of 2.6 million questionnaires.
Communications and Digital Publishing (CDP)
With 176 colleagues, CDP are responsible for influencing the ONS strategy through developing and delivering a high impact communications and engagement approach, publishing and promoting all statistics and analysis in the most engaging way, increasing public data literacy via the accurate and timely publication of statistics and making economic and social data accessible for all UK Citizens.
Communication Division supports ONS to achieve its goals through effective communications. The strategic communications plan plays a crucial role in delivering the corporate strategy, Statistics for the Public Good, by promoting the vital work the department are doing and communicating this both internally and externally.
Digital Publishing deliver a publishing service, providing content and digital leadership, innovative data and insight tools and products which are among the finest examples globally, meeting the needs of government, the public and wider civil society.
Security and Information Management (SaIM)
With 88 colleagues, SaIM interacts directly with all business areas to provide advice and guidance on, Knowledge and Information Management (KIM), Cyber Security, Security Advisory, Security Compliance and Audit (SCA) and Physical Security & Business Continuity. SaIM also assists the organisation with relevant governance arrangements.
People and Business Services (PBS)
With 164 colleagues, PBS is responsible for HR, estates, facilities management, health and safety and business services. PBS also encompasses HR support for the Government Analysis Function (AF), and the Government Statistical Service (GSS). PBS seeks to optimise the performance of ONS and the capability of the wider AF, and GSS.