Sarah Homer
Biography
Sarah was appointed as Director General, Corporate Transformation in February 2026. In June 2026, Sarah took on the additional responsibility of Director General, People and Capability.
Prior to this role, Sarah had been in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) for 7 years, most recently as Director General for Delivery and Group Chief Operating Officer.
Before joining Defra, Sarah spent over 25 years in local government and private sector, blue chip multinationals in large-scale transformation, sales, HR and chief operating officer roles.
Director General, Corporate Transformation
The Director General, Corporate Transformation sets and leads the department’s workplace transformation and estates strategy, aligning this to business strategy and the wider Civil Service workforce plan.
They also support the Permanent Secretary in their capacity as lead Accounting Officer on Synergy, the Shared Services Transformation Programme for DWP, Ministry of Justice, Home Office and Defra: a substantial change programme, hosted and sponsored in DWP on behalf of the 4 departments.
The role is accountable for:
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Synergy Cluster – supporting delivery of this programme as DG sponsor
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Estates strategy
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Workplace Transformation Programme strategy and programme sponsor
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Government reform in DWP
Director General, People and Capability
The Director General, People and Capability sets and leads the department’s people strategy, aligning this to business strategy and the wider Civil Service workforce plan.
The role is accountable for:
- the full HR operating model and function
- health and safety
- learning and development
- strategic workforce planning
- creating a flexible, inclusive and continuously learning workforce
Previous roles in government
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Director General for Delivery and Group Chief Operating Officer
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Director General for Portfolio Delivery
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Director General for Strategy and Water
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Group Chief Operating Officer