The UK Home Office – a government department with a rich track record of failing IT projects – is on the hunt for a chief digital and innovation officer (CDIO) with an advertised salary not far off from the prime minister's.
"This is one of the most significant technology and innovation leadership opportunities in the UK public sector, with a mission to transform services that touch millions of lives every single day," says the advert promoting the £160,000 (c $215k) annual salary.
This includes the border control and immigration project dogged by delays and uncertainty; the Emergency Service Network, which had cost taxpayers £2 billion as of almost April 2023 with nothing to show for it, and is scheduled to go live by around 2029, 12 years later than planned; and the 25-year-old management database for asylum claims, which the Home Office has struggled to decommission.
The director general CDIO will, we're told, "set the strategic direction for digital, data, science and technology across one of government's most complex and high-profile departments."
With responsibility for a team of 4,000 and oversight of a budget around £1.8 billion ($2.4 billion), the chosen candidate will take charge of delivering "mission-critical live services, modernizing national-scale programs such as biometrics and digital identity, and driving innovation to strengthen both operational delivery and citizen outcomes."
Other responsibilities include "delivering mission-critical live services at scale, integration of cutting-edge technologies," and providing "strategic direction and governance for major programs such as Home Office Biometrics and Digital First."
The latter includes moving to cloud services and the department came under some criticism for awarding a £450 million three-year contract in December 2023, replacing one signed in 2020 for £120 million, more than three times cheaper.
Andrew Forzani, chief commercial officer in the Cabinet Office, was quizzed by a public sector spending watchdog about the value for money. He said there were a small number of "very dominant suppliers" and there is "limited choice."
The chosen one will have experience operating at board or executive committee level in a large organization, "strong corporate and political acumen" that has advised C-suite execs or ministers, a history of using tech, data, and AI to "improve services and achieve value for money," and "outstanding communication and influencing skills," presumably to wriggle out of public scrutiny.
In addition to the £160,000-a-year salary, the Home Office will contribute £46,352 toward the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. The prime minister is paid a salary of almost £81,000 and a little more than £91,000 for being an MP.
Applications close at five minutes to midnight on September 25, so dust off those CVs. ®
Source: The register