The Department for Communities and Local Government is looking to recruit a senior official to overhaul its approach to technology as it moves ahead with its push for savings after last year’s Spending Review.

DCLG has moved into Marsham Street in a bid to cut spending – Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

The department is already half the size it was in 2010, and has been asked to make further resource savings of 29% on 2015 levels over the course of the current parliament.

To try and meet that target, DCLG – which moved into the Home Office’s Marsham Street headquarters during the last parliament – is looking to further shrink its office space, and renegotiate key contracts.

In addition, it plans to bring together the delivery of IT services across the central department and its partner agencies.

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The group chief technology officer, who will earn up to £118,000, will be responsible for designing and leading on that tech shake-up.

According to the job specification, the group CTO will oversee a review of the department’s current tech infrastructure, including a move to providing “unparalleled IT service” through centralised shared systems for DCLG and its organisations.

They will oversee a team of six direct reports, and answer to the department’s finance director Jacinda Humphry.

Humphry said the new CTO would be responsible for “resetting” the department’s approach to technology in line with other parts of government.

“In the past, senior technology leaders in the public sector have become too focused on the maintenance of large-scale, long-term outsourcing contracts,” Humphry said.

“Systems and services have suffered from inflexibility, complexity and inefficiency. This is an opportunity to lead a programme of change that will further improve how DCLG works and how we interact with citizens, local authorities and other public bodies.”

She said that the department wanted candidates who can apply “on the ground experience of driving the transformation of organisations, not those who will maintain the status quo”.

Humphry said that the role would be guided by a set of fundamental tech and service design principles, such as putting user need first, focusing on delivery and outocmes over processes and making the most of emerging common technology services, cloud technology and open standard solutions.

The salary is advertised at Pay Band 1, between £63,000 and £117,800, and the successful candidate will be expected to be able to influence “at all levels, including ministerial, with both IT and non-IT colleagues”.

As well as leading on the DCLG’s technology strategy, the new group CTO will also be responsible for the department’s performance on freedom of information and departmental record-keeping.

According to the job specification, applicants will be expected to demonstrate experience “of working with senior colleagues to deliver transformational change to business processes and systems” in the public or private sectors.

The closing date for applications is September 19 and the role is open to both existing civil servants and outsiders.