Hampshire and the Solent Combined County Authority - Director - Digital and Systems

Welcome

Dear Candidate,

Thank you for your interest in joining the Hampshire and Solent Combined County Authority (HSCCA) as our new Director of Digital and Systems.

This is an exceptional opportunity to help shape a brand-new public organisation at a pivotal moment in its development. As a newly established Combined County Authority, we are creating the foundations that will enable us to deliver meaningful outcomes for the communities, businesses and partners we serve across Hampshire and the Solent for years to come.

Digital, data and technology will play a critical role in achieving our ambitions. Rather than inheriting an established technology landscape, we have a unique opportunity to build one that is modern, integrated, secure and designed around the needs of our organisation and stakeholders from the outset.

We are therefore seeking an outstanding digital leader who is excited by the prospect of creating something new. The Director of Digital and Systems will provide strategic leadership across our digital, systems and data agenda, establishing the architecture, platforms, governance and capabilities that will underpin the Authority’s future success.

Beyond technical expertise, we are looking for someone who can build strong relationships, inspire teams, work collaboratively with partners and provide trusted advice to senior leaders. This role offers a rare chance to influence the direction of a new organisation and leave a lasting legacy across the region.

At HSCCA, our values of integrity, collaboration, innovation and inclusion guide everything we do. We are committed to building a diverse leadership team that reflects the communities we serve and welcomes different perspectives and experiences.

Thank you for considering this opportunity. We hope the information within this candidate pack provides a clear insight into our vision, our ambitions, and the impact this role can have. We look forward to learning more about you and your potential contribution to the future of HSCCA.

Dr Ruth Adams
Chief Executive Officer

About Hampshire and Solent Combined County Authority

The Hampshire and the Solent Combined County Authority (HSCCA) is a new strategic authority established to bring together Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton to deliver long-term economic growth, opportunity and prosperity across the region. Created through the Government’s Devolution Priority Programme, the Authority provides strong regional leadership and brings decisions, investment and partnership working closer to local communities, helping to address shared priorities including transport, skills, housing, economic growth and public services.

Our Purpose

The HSCCA is built on a simple principle: that the region is stronger when it works together. Collaboration and collective ambition driving what is required to unlock investment, improve opportunities, strengthen public services and create a region where people can thrive. Together, the Board, working with partners, is helping to shape a prosperous, inclusive and sustainable future for Hampshire and the Solent to:

Drive sustainable economic growth and investment
Improve skills, employment and opportunities for residents
Enhance transport connectivity and infrastructure
Support housing delivery and regeneration
Champion business innovation and productivity
Strengthen collaboration between local authorities and key partners
Ensure public funding is invested effectively, transparently and delivers value for money
Engage communities in shaping the future of the region

Learn about the Board here.

Our culture and how we work

We are building HSCCA on the basis that how we work is as important as what we deliver. We want people who bring energy, drive, and authenticity – who are proactive, open to challenge, and motivated by progress rather than process. We value collaborative leadership: the ability to bring people together across organisational boundaries, respect the expertise of others, and create shared direction without needing to own everything.

We act in line with the Nolan Principles. We use public money responsibly, make evidence-based decisions, and hold ourselves to high standards of integrity, inclusion, and accessibility. We expect feedback to be given and received constructively, challenge to be welcomed, and relationships to be built on openness, trust, and mutual respect.

This is a complex, fast-moving environment. We need people who are energised by that, not unsettled by it.

What is devolution

In 2024, the upper tier councils across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight asked central government for more local decision-making powers. In February 2025, the area was accepted into the Devolution Priority Programme (DPP). This means that some powers and funding will move from central government to the new Hampshire and Solent Combined County Authority (HSCCA), which will cover the whole of the county of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

Devolution is the process of giving more powers to regions across England. The government is also aiming to make the powers devolved to Combined Authorities consistent. In practice, this means more decisions made and spending determined locally rather than by central government. For our region, this will mean decisions being made closer to home, by people who know and understand local needs. It will give communities a stronger voice and more influence over how money is spent and how services are run.

Role of the Hampshire and the Solent Combined County Authority

In December 2025, the government announced that they were deferring Mayoral elections from May 2026 to May 2028 so that when new mayors take office, they come into local government able to work with the new unitary councils that will have been created through Local Government Reorganisation.

The role of HSCCA is to give the region greater control over how it is governed. More decisions will be made locally by people who know and understand the region.

HSCCA’s main goal is to tackle regional challenges, generate and make the most of opportunities across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight — boosting economic growth and investment, creating jobs and homes, and reducing inequalities between communities. It will also be responsible for public safety.

HSCCA will have a regional focus, delivering initiatives where the benefits can be greatest when looked at on a bigger scale.

Collaborative working

HSCCA will work closely with partner organisations to focus on the big issues that affect the whole region. Decisions will be joined up and designed to reflect the needs of local communities.

The Mayor will have convening powers, which means they can bring public sector organisations together to discuss and work on shared issues, and those organisations have a duty to cooperate. The Mayor also has a responsibility to work with other Mayors in neighbouring regions, where shared interests cross regional borders and it benefits our region to collaborate more widely.

The HSCCA has nine areas of responsibility which it will focus on. These are:

Within these, the HSCCA must produce four major plans which relate to its responsibilities in four key areas — transport, skills and employment support, housing and strategic planning, and economic growth and regeneration.

Continuing role of local councils

Local councils in Hampshire and the Solent will carry on providing the services that people use every day — things like schools, libraries, social care, bin collections and local planning. They will remain directly accountable to their communities and will continue to listen and respond to local needs.

HSCCA will work alongside councils to make sure that local priorities and regional priorities fit together, so that communities benefit from both.

The role

Director of Digital and Systems (AQ3658)

Apply now

Job description

Job Title: Director – Digital and Systems
Directorate: Delivery and Digital
Reports to: Corporate Director Delivery and Digital
Version: 1.2
Number Direct Reports: 2
Date Created: June 2026
Budget responsibility: Yes
Grade Level: H
Politically Restricted Post: Yes
DBS needed: Yes

Why this role matters

Digital and systems capability is not a back-office function at HSCCA – it is the foundation on which everything else is built. This role will define how our organisation operates: the architecture we run on, the systems our people use every day, and the data that enables us to make good decisions. You will be shaping that foundation at the moment it matters most – before habits form, before technical debt accumulates, and before it becomes difficult to change course. The person in this role will leave a visible and lasting mark on how HSCCA works.

What you will lead

Set the digital and systems direction for HSCCA – defining the vision, roadmap, and investment priorities for digital, systems, and data, ensuring alignment to organisational outcomes and enabling the authority to operate effectively from the outset.
Create an outcome-focused, user-centred digital environment – combining architecture, service design, adoption, training and continuous improvement so that systems genuinely support the people who use them.
Design and deliver HSCCA’s digital and systems architecture – establishing the enterprise architecture, technical standards, and core platforms the organisation will run on, ensuring they operate as an integrated, resilient whole.
Drive innovation and adoption of new technologies – shaping HSCCA’s approach to emerging technologies, ensuring the organisation remains forward-looking while adopting new capabilities in a controlled, value-driven, and proportionate way.
Lead the systems elements of organisational transitions – managing the migration of multiple organisations and functions into the combined authority during its first two years, including cutover planning, service readiness, early life support, and stabilisation, where maintaining live service continuity and minimising disruption will be critical.
Own clean data migration and systems integration – taking responsibility for moving data safely from existing arrangements into stable, well-governed business-as-usual services, and establishing integration patterns and governance that will last.
Oversee large-scale rollout and implementation – leading phased delivery of systems across corporate and service functions, managing suppliers, readiness planning, and operational risk to ensure successful embedding.
Build the capability that sustains HSCCA over time – developing teams, supplier relationships, service management arrangements, and governance frameworks that can improve the organisation’s digital environment long after initial implementation.
Provide expert leadership and advice at organisational level — acting as a trusted adviser to senior leaders, shaping organisational decisions, and ensuring digital, systems, and data implications are considered in strategic planning and delivery.
Commercial mindset – astute in the management of suppliers across all commercial dimensions, including procurement, contract performance, and value realisation, and develop others to apply the same disciplined approach.
Set and uphold standards – establishing consistent digital ways of working, ensuring compliance with local government and public sector requirements, and championing secure, accessible, and well-governed use of technology across the organisation.

Person specification

Essential

A strong track record of building or reshaping digital and systems capability in a new, growing, or significantly transforming organisation – with the proven ability to move confidently between strategy and hands-on delivery.
Experience designing, architecting, and implementing system stacks across areas such as ERP, finance, HR, CRM, M365, collaboration tools, data platforms, and integration layers – with a clear understanding of how those components need to work together.
Demonstrated experience leading clean data migration, systems integration, and transition from legacy or interim arrangements into stable, well-governed services – including managing live service transition safely without disrupting critical operations.
The ability to lead large-scale rollout and implementation programmes, including supplier management, readiness planning, risk management, and the practical realities of embedding new systems successfully at pace.
Knowledge of local government and wider public sector standards – including information governance, cyber requirements, accessibility, compliance, assurance, and secure-by-design practice.
Strong leadership, communication, and influencing skills – with the credibility to work across technical and non-technical audiences, set standards, and bring people with you through significant change.

Desirable

An ITIL qualification or equivalent service management qualification, or demonstrable equivalent experience.
Experience of bringing multiple services or organisations into a single operating environment.

We do not expect you to meet every one of these criteria. If you are genuinely excited by this role and bring most of what we are looking for, we want to hear from you.

Apply now

Terms of appointment

What we offer you

This is not a role that maintains an existing environment – it is a role that creates one. You will have the genuine freedom and organisational mandate to make architectural decisions that matter, lead a team through complex and meaningful work, and contribute to building a public service organisation that does things differently.

Alongside that opportunity, we offer:

A flexible working environment, with hybrid working arrangements as standard (min. 2 days per week in our office)
A competitive salary and benefits package
Investment in your professional development and leadership growth
The chance to work alongside a leadership team that is committed to building an organisation where people thrive
Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme. Learn more about the benefit scheme here
30 days holiday rising to 32 days after 5 years’ service plus 8 notified UK public bank holidays for grades A-E; Grade F and above 32 days rising to 34 days after 5 years’ service plus 8 notified UK public bank holidays.
We are a new organisation and currently developing our wider benefits range that will be launched soon. It will include: a wide range of discounts, home & electronics benefits, EAP (24/7), online GP appointments (7 days per week), and Wellbeing hub resources and more.

Our commitment to inclusion

HSCCA is committed to building a diverse team that reflects the communities we serve. We actively welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences. If you require any adjustments to the recruitment process, please let us know and we will do everything we can to support you. We are particularly keen to hear from candidates who may not feel they meet every requirement – potential and perspective matter as much as a perfect CV or application form.

How to apply

Anderson Quigley is acting as an advisor to the Hampshire and the Solent Combined County Authority. An executive search process is being carried out by Anderson Quigley in addition to the public advertisement.

The closing date for applications is 12 October 2026.

Applications should consist of:

A full CV.
A covering letter (2 pages of A4) outlining your motivation and details of how you meet the qualification, skills and experience criteria of the person specification.
Please include details of two referees in your CV, though please note that we will not approach your referees without your prior consent and only should you be shortlisted.

Should you wish to discuss further details about the role in strict confidence, please get in touch with Grace Tattersall at grace.tattersall@andersonquigley.com or +44 (0)7510 384 761.

Appointment of the Director - Digital and Systems