The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is seeking a leader to spearhead a transformation programme designed to help realise the potential of HR data.

The organisation’s human resources operation includes an HR Data Transformation unit that “acts as a centre of excellence, delivering key data-management services for Defra group”.

The work of the transformation team aims to improve the ways in which the department gathers and analyses workforce and recruitment data. The ultimate goal is to better use information in making HR-related decisions.

“We are evolving our approach to collection, management and exploitation of HR data across a disparate group of organisations that use different technologies, processes and suppliers,” Defra said. “Workforce data is critical to decisions within HR, business areas and other functions like finance and estates.”

The HR data transformation lead, who will earn between £47,549 and £60,188, will oversee this work – which, in addition to improving technology infrastructure, also aims to improve skills.

“We are building the capability needed to get maximum value from Defra’s many data assets, enabling advanced analytics on a range of workforce challenges and opportunities,” the department said. “We are exploring technical solutions for unlocking the plethora of data sources and exploiting the data in them to inform better policies and drive strategic outcomes for Defra. At this exciting time, we are looking to recruit an enthusiastic and talented data expert to realise the data ambition.”

The main responsibilities of the position will include delivering a “consolidated, reliable and accurate source of HR data” that brings together information from the central department and its largest executive agencies and arm’s-length bodies, such as the Animal and Plant Health Agency and the Rural Payments Agency.