Delivery manager
Find out what a delivery manager in government does and the skills you need to do the role at each level.
Last updated 30 August 2022 — See all updates
Contents
- — What a delivery manager does
- — Delivery manager role levels
- — 1. Associate delivery manager
- — 2. Delivery manager
- — 3. Senior delivery manager
- — 4. Head of (Agile) delivery management
- — Roles that share delivery manager skills
What a delivery manager does
A delivery manager is accountable for the delivery of products and services.
Delivery manager role levels
There are 4 delivery manager role levels, from associate delivery manager to head of (agile) delivery management.
The typical responsibilities and skills for each role level are described in the sections below. You can use this to identify the skills you need to progress in your career, or simply to learn more about each role in the Government Digital and Data profession.
1. Associate delivery manager
At this role level, you will:
- work on a small or mature Agile team
- learn on the job
- potentially work alongside a delivery manager on a larger team, shadowing and providing support, or working to deliver an element under guidance and mentorship
This role level is often performed at the Civil Service job grade of:
- EO (Executive Officer)
- HEO (Higher Executive Officer)
Skill | Description |
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Level: working Working is the second of 4 ascending skill levels |
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Level: working Working is the second of 4 ascending skill levels |
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Communicating between the technical and non-technical Level: working Working is the second of 4 ascending skill levels |
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Level: awareness Awareness is the first of 4 ascending skill levels |
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Level: awareness Awareness is the first of 4 ascending skill levels |
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Level: working Working is the second of 4 ascending skill levels |
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Level: working Working is the second of 4 ascending skill levels |
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Level: awareness Awareness is the first of 4 ascending skill levels |
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Team dynamics and collaboration Level: awareness Awareness is the first of 4 ascending skill levels |
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2. Delivery manager
A delivery manager is accountable for the performance of the team.
At this role level, you will:
- build and maintain teams, ensuring they are motivated, collaborating and working well
- identify obstacles and help the team to overcome them
- focus the team on what is most important to the delivery of products and services
- encourage and facilitate continuous improvement of the delivery team
- coach and mentor both team members and others to apply the most appropriate Agile and Lean tools and techniques
The complexity or breadth of products or teams will vary in this role, depending on the context.
This role level is often performed at the Civil Service job grade of:
- HEO (Higher Executive Officer)
- SEO (Senior Executive Officer)
Skill | Description |
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Level: practitioner Practitioner is the third of 4 ascending skill levels |
You can:
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Level: working Working is the second of 4 ascending skill levels |
You can:
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Communicating between the technical and non-technical Level: practitioner Practitioner is the third of 4 ascending skill levels |
You can:
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Level: working Working is the second of 4 ascending skill levels |
You can:
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Level: working Working is the second of 4 ascending skill levels |
You can:
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Level: practitioner Practitioner is the third of 4 ascending skill levels |
You can:
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Level: expert Expert is the fourth of 4 ascending skill levels |
You can:
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Level: practitioner Practitioner is the third of 4 ascending skill levels |
You can:
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Team dynamics and collaboration Level: working Working is the second of 4 ascending skill levels |
You can:
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3. Senior delivery manager
A senior delivery manager is accountable for the effective delivery of complex, high risk products and services. The role is similar to a delivery manager role, but senior delivery managers have more experience across a range of products and services, throughout the entire product life cycle, and have greater responsibility and accountability as the main point of escalation.
At this role level, you will:
- have strong communication skills and engage senior stakeholders
- coach and mentor delivery managers
This role level is often performed at the Civil Service job grade of:
- SEO (Senior Executive Officer)
- G7 (Grade 7)
Skill | Description |
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Level: expert Expert is the fourth of 4 ascending skill levels |
You can:
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Level: practitioner Practitioner is the third of 4 ascending skill levels |
You can:
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Communicating between the technical and non-technical Level: expert Expert is the fourth of 4 ascending skill levels |
You can:
|
Level: practitioner Practitioner is the third of 4 ascending skill levels |
You can:
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Level: practitioner Practitioner is the third of 4 ascending skill levels |
You can:
|
Level: expert Expert is the fourth of 4 ascending skill levels |
You can:
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Level: expert Expert is the fourth of 4 ascending skill levels |
You can:
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Level: expert Expert is the fourth of 4 ascending skill levels |
You can:
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Team dynamics and collaboration Level: practitioner Practitioner is the third of 4 ascending skill levels |
You can:
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4. Head of (Agile) delivery management
A head of (Agile) delivery management is an experienced practitioner who exemplifies what good looks like across the delivery roles.
At this role level, you will:
- represent and champion the role within your department, across government and in industry
- lead the community of practice for this role and build capability and excellence (in an Agile, Lean practice)
- be responsible for the recruitment of the right people to the right teams
- support professional development and continuous improvement of your community
- work with other heads of roles to promote effective cross-functional delivery
- be a skilled team leader who can confidently communicate the value of the role to digital and non-digital stakeholders
- be credible and influential across departments
This role level is often performed at the Civil Service job grade of:
- G6 (Grade 6)
Skill | Description |
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Level: expert Expert is the fourth of 4 ascending skill levels |
You can:
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Level: expert Expert is the fourth of 4 ascending skill levels |
You can:
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Communicating between the technical and non-technical Level: expert Expert is the fourth of 4 ascending skill levels |
You can:
|
Level: practitioner Practitioner is the third of 4 ascending skill levels |
You can:
|
Level: expert Expert is the fourth of 4 ascending skill levels |
You can:
|
Level: expert Expert is the fourth of 4 ascending skill levels |
You can:
|
Level: expert Expert is the fourth of 4 ascending skill levels |
You can:
|
Level: expert Expert is the fourth of 4 ascending skill levels |
You can:
|
Team dynamics and collaboration Level: expert Expert is the fourth of 4 ascending skill levels |
You can:
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Roles that share delivery manager skills
Role | Shared skills |
---|---|
Programme delivery manager | |
Analytics engineer | |
Data analyst | |
Data architect | |
Data engineer |
Updates
Published 7 January 2020
Last updated 30 August 2022
30 August 2022
- The ‘communication skills’ skill has been renamed ‘communicating between the technical and non-technical’ to ensure consistency across the DDaT Profession Capability Framework.
7 January 2020
- First published.