Government Digital and Data Framework
Assess your people against the Government Digital and Data Capability Framework. Now available in VSAP.
What is the framework
The Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework sets out the roles and skills for digital and data jobs in the UK public sector. It was previously known as the DDaT framework.
The UK Government publishes it openly, and anyone can use it under the Open Government Licence v3.0. You can now use it in VSAP, alongside SFIA 9.
How VSAP supports it
VSAP supports the Government Digital and Data Capability Framework alongside SFIA 9. Assess staff against its roles and its four skill levels (Awareness, Working, Practitioner, Expert), see gaps, and plan development, all in one place.
Already using the government framework for digital and data roles? Bring it into VSAP and add manager verification, evidence and reporting on top.
Every role, every level
Covers all 53 roles in the framework’s eight role families, with each role level and the skills it needs.
Four skill levels
Assess each skill at the framework’s four levels: Awareness, Working, Practitioner and Expert.
See the gaps
Compare each person’s assessed levels with what their role needs, for a person, a team or the whole organisation.
Evidence-based assurance
Add manager verification, evidence and reporting on top of self-assessment, so results stand up to scrutiny.
The eight role families
The framework groups its 53 roles into eight role families. Each role has its own role levels, and each role level sets out the skills it needs.
VSAP uses the framework’s role and skill wording exactly as published, so your role profiles match the framework.
Architecture
Business architect, Data architect, Enterprise architect, Network architect, Security architect, Solution architect, Technical architect
Chief digital and data
Chief data officer, Chief digital and information officer, Chief information security officer, Chief technology officer
Data
Analytics engineer, Data analyst, Data and artificial intelligence (AI) ethicist, Data engineer, Data governance manager, Data scientist, Digital evaluator, Machine learning engineer, Performance analyst
IT operations
Application operations engineer, Business relationship manager, Change and release manager, Command and control centre manager, End user computing engineer, IT service manager, Incident manager, Infrastructure engineer, Infrastructure operations engineer, Problem manager, Service desk manager, Service transition manager
Product and delivery
Agile coach, Business analyst, Delivery manager, Digital portfolio manager, Product manager, Programme delivery manager, Service owner
Quality assurance testing (QAT)
Quality assurance test analyst, Test engineer, Test manager
Software development
Development operations (DevOps) engineer, Frontend developer, Software developer
User-centred design
Accessibility specialist, Content designer, Content strategist, Graphic designer, Interaction designer, Service designer, Technical writer, User researcher
Four skill levels
The framework describes its 186 skills at four levels. In VSAP, staff and their managers assess each skill against the same four levels.
- Awareness
- Working
- Practitioner
- Expert
Working with SFIA
VSAP already supports SFIA 9. You can use the Government Digital and Data framework on its own or alongside SFIA, with one record of each person’s skills, verification and reports.
Want to see it in action? Get in touch and we will show you.
Framework content from the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework (understand-digital-data-roles-skills.service.gov.uk), as published on 2 November 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. VSAP is not affiliated with or endorsed by the UK Government.