Head of Technical

What will you be doing?

We are looking for a Head of Technical to provide strategic direction and day-to-day oversight of the technical side of the Criminal Justice Hub - a free online resource helping people and communities navigate the criminal justice system in England and Wales.

The platform is built on Drupal using the LocalGov Drupal distribution, with all code stored on GitHub. We are approaching beta launch and need a strong technical leader to ensure the development work is well managed, high quality and aligned with the wider product vision.

You will report to the Product Manager and Service Owner, who hold overall responsibility for the service, and you will line manage two volunteer developers. You will also work alongside volunteers in user research, content design and product management.

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Setting the technical direction and standards for the platform
• Providing line management and support to volunteer developers, ensuring work is planned, delivered and reviewed
• Acting as the team's LocalGov Drupal lead - staying connected with the LocalGov Drupal community, learning about new features, sharing our progress and feeding back into the community
• Overseeing code quality, deployment processes and the technical health of the site
• Collaborating with the Product Manager to align technical priorities with the product roadmap
• Helping to recruit, onboard and retain technical volunteers
• Making pragmatic decisions about architecture, tooling and technical debt

This role is ideal for someone who is ambitious and wants to lead, not just contribute. We need someone who can take ownership, bring structure and set a high bar for the technical work.

We are upfront about the fact that volunteer turnover has been a challenge for us. We need someone in this role who is dependable and in it for the long term. If you want a leadership title for your CV without the substance behind it, this is not the right fit. If you genuinely want to lead a technical team that is building something meaningful, we want to hear from you.

What are we looking for?

We are looking for someone who combines technical credibility with genuine leadership ability. This role requires someone who can see the bigger picture, set direction and support others - not just write code.

Essential:

• Strong experience with Drupal (ideally Drupal 10+), including architecture and site-building
• Confidence with PHP, Twig and front-end technologies
• Experience using Git and GitHub in a team environment
• Experience managing or mentoring developers, whether professionally or in volunteer or open-source settings
• Ability to set technical standards and make pragmatic architectural decisions
• Strong communication skills - you will work closely with non-technical team members
• Self-motivated and highly reliable - this role requires consistent commitment
• Genuine passion for social justice, public services or access to justice

Desirable:

• Experience with the LocalGov Drupal distribution or involvement in the LocalGov Drupal community
• Understanding of GDS service standards or government digital best practice
• Experience with agile delivery, sprint planning or backlog management
• Knowledge of accessibility standards (WCAG) and inclusive design
• Experience recruiting or onboarding volunteers

We are looking for someone ambitious - someone who wants to build something, not just maintain it. You should be comfortable taking initiative, making decisions and holding yourself and others to a high standard. Most importantly, you need to be someone the team can count on.

What difference will you make?

The Criminal Justice Hub is entirely volunteer-run, and the Head of Technical role is critical to making the service work. Without consistent technical leadership, development stalls, volunteers lose direction, and the platform cannot progress.

By stepping into this role, you will provide the structure and oversight that enables our developers to do their best work. You will ensure that what we build is robust, accessible and sustainable. You will be the bridge between the product vision and the technical reality - making sure that the decisions made about the platform are sound and that the team has the support it needs.

As our LocalGov Drupal lead, you will also connect the Hub to a thriving open-source community. You will bring new ideas and features into the project and represent the Criminal Justice Hub externally - helping to raise our profile within the Drupal and local government digital community.

This is a genuine leadership role with real impact. The justice system affects millions of people, and many feel powerless within it. Your technical leadership will directly enable a platform that gives people knowledge, confidence and a voice.

Before you apply

Please tell us why you are interested in leading the technical side of the Criminal Justice Hub and what experience you would bring to the role. Share your GitHub profile, LinkedIn or portfolio.

We will review applications on a rolling basis. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a video call with the Product Manager and Service Owner to discuss your approach to technical leadership and how you would shape the role. We aim to respond to all applicants within two weeks.