Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT)

Donna works in the Technical Support team. She told us more about her role and why she loves it.

Donna said: “Working within Northamptonshire Police has opened many doors for my career. The choices I’ve made and the amazing colleagues who have encouraged me, while being here, has steered me towards Digital, Data and Technology.

“My initial role within Triage, pretty much from a standing start, quickly progressed to IT Analyst after six months. I am extremely lucky to work in such a welcoming and diverse team.

“Every day is a learning day, inclusive and fun. The Force embraces diversity and the people I’ve worked with during my four years have broadened my aspirations both inside and outside of the working environment.

“There is never a dull day. I meet so many police officers and staff, and fire personnel within my face-to-face role. I relish helping people get back to their working day, by resolving technical hardware and software incidents across various systems, including laptops, mobile phones and hundreds of IT systems.

“I can honestly say Northamptonshire Police has helped me move forward into a challenging, analytical role with a fantastic team of colleagues. As someone who enjoys puzzles, problem solving and cryptic crosswords, but gets bored easily, I am kept engaged within a role that teaches me new technical skills each day.

“While I’ve worked in other areas of the organisation, the technical side has always appealed to be as I’m very interested in all things STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics). However, I didn’t have enough technical experience to move into an IT role that would match my current salary. 

“Fortunately, a role was advertised that spiked my interest, and with my customer service and some technical skills gained within a financial services organisation, I decided to give it a try and so I applied.

“I was delighted to be offered the role and I was quickly able to transfer my knowledge into the Triage role which gave me the grounding to moving into my current IT Analyst role.  I enjoy learning and tend to pick things up quickly, so this role is ideal as it is different each day with many interesting challenges.

"I joined Northamptonshire Police four years ago and was keen to do so because my late uncle had worked in CID and Fraud for many years. I have friends who have always spoken positively about their career within the Force, and the flexibility of hours was also a huge pull for me, especially with school-run commitments. Ultimately, my overall interest in policing and learning new skills drove me to apply.

“I was asked what I was most proud of about my work. I think it’s that, from a standing start and no knowledge of hardware or software, I quickly learned the Triage role through open questions and a supportive team.

“Progressing to IT Analyst within six months was overwhelming if I am honest, and I still pinch myself at the fantastic opportunity I have been given. My colleague Charlotte has been an exceptional driver in my IT journey and recognised the qualities and experience I could bring to the team. It has honestly changed my life for the better working in DDaT.

“I honestly relish working in the office with my colleagues. We have a huge range of personalities and culture which is a breath of fresh air. I learn daily about IT and the role is rewarding when we resolve incidents, enabling our colleagues to get back to business as usual.

Lauren is a Digital Project Manager in the DDaT Portfolio Team, which leads on managing change projects. Lauren explained what her role entails and why she enjoys it and being part of the DDaT team.

“Within my role I manage a range of projects for various departments across Northamptonshire Police, Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service and the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, from organisational change to system replacements and upgrades. I also support national and regional projects, working closely with colleagues from other forces.

“A typical day for me is leading the project team to meet key milestones, completing project documentation, liaising with stakeholders, translating technical language, and anything else required to ensure the success of the project – every day is different! I also support the DDaT ‘front door’ process and provide advice to colleagues about change requests. I have also recently completed a project management qualification, supported by Northamptonshire Police.

“I joined in March 2023 as a Digital Project Officer and have recently been promoted to Digital Project Manager. I have always worked in the public sector and before joining Northamptonshire Police my role was coordinating domestic homicide reviews outside the Northamptonshire area. While different from my current role, I had transferrable skills and also a passion to continue to help and support others, including the public – this is the most rewarding aspect of my role.

“Over the past two years I have learnt a lot and adapted quickly to the fast-paced environment. However, I am still learning everyday - whether that be in relation to wider processes and the hurdles we face or how other departments and systems operate.

“I feel incredibly supported by my manager, team and wider department – while we’re all busy (isn’t everyone!) there is always opportunity to ask questions and share experiences with each other. I have built up some great relationships inside and outside the department during my short time, which also includes the friends I met whilst completing my Springboard Women’s Development Course late last year.

“It’s always nice to reflect on my achievements and I’d say a key one would be providing project management support to a recent change project in the Professional Standards Department. 

I am grateful to be part of such impactful projects, and thoroughly enjoy seeing the direct impact I can provide to streamlining processes, enabling the workforce and supporting victims of crime. I was also proud to receive an Enabling Services Award for Significant Contribution for a New Starter, in recognition of my work within my first year with the organisation.

“I’m excited to continue my journey at Northamptonshire Police, to learn and grow my knowledge and experience, as well as continuing to meet and build great relationships along the way.”

Jackie has been part of the policing family for four years and began her police staff career within the Corporate Development department. Following a reorganisation a couple of years ago, she moved into DDaT, taking on the role of Risk and Business Continuity Coordinator.

Jackie told us: “The biggest challenge I faced when I moved into DDaT was not fully knowing what the role entailed. While I had a number of transferable skills and a broad knowledge of the organisation, I hadn't had any direct experience dealing with risk and continuity.  But it was a challenge, and exciting to have the opportunity to learn new skills.

“One of my first projects was to set up a process to monitor all the DDaT risk and audit actions. The aim was to make sure all actions are followed up by the relevant heads of department at the correct time. It was a bit daunting to begin with as there were so many, but I gradually got the hang of it with a lot of help from my line manager!

“My role also requires me to administer various board meetings, not just in my team but other teams within DDaT. I enjoy this as I get to find out how the other teams work and what they do every day.

“Working in the Strategy, Performance and Governance team is lovely as it is quite a small and really friendly team. But I get the best of both worlds by also being part of the wider DDaT team, which is the biggest team I have ever been a part of.

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