Dame Sarah Healey DCB CVO

Biography

Dame Sarah Healey was appointed Permanent Secretary at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in July 2026

Previously she was:

Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG)
Permanent Secretary of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)
Director General overseeing the development and implementation of economic and domestic policy at the Cabinet Office following two and a half years working on negotiations and preparations for the UK to leave the EU
Director General in DCMS, where she led on integrating all digital responsibilities into the organisation
Director of Private Pensions at DWP
Director of Education Funding and of Strategy at the Department for Education

Sarah joined the civil service in 2001 to work in the Prime Minister鈥檚 Strategy Unit. She has degrees from Magdalen College, Oxford, and the LSE.

The Permanent Secretary is:

Head of the Department, responsible for its overall leadership and effective day-to-day running
Chief Policy Adviser to the Secretary of State and the ministerial team, supporting them to develop and achieve their priorities
Principal Accounting Officer, responsible and accountable to Parliament for the stewardship of the department鈥檚 budget and for ensuring value for money

The Permanent Secretary is a member of the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government鈥檚 Board, which advises and supervises on strategic clarity, commercial sense, talented people, management information and delivering results.

The Permanent Secretary is the head of the department, responsible for the effectiveness and efficiency of the department鈥檚 work and its spending.

They are also responsible for the leadership, management and staffing of the department.