County council advertises CTO position which comes with a transformation brief and a salary of up to £87,000

The town of Suffolk is a popular tourist destination in Suffolk  Credit: Chris Radburn/PA Archive/PA Images

Suffolk County Council is offering close to £90,000 in its search for a chief technology officer to work “at the forefront of implementing the transformation of public services” across the county.

The authority is seeking a CTO to head up it is technology strategy and investments in IT. The job and person profile published alongside the advert indicates that Suffolk wishes to recruit a candidate who can drive service transformation – and is, perhaps, not afraid to shake things up a little. 

“This post will be at the forefront of implementing the transformation of public services within Suffolk County Council and Suffolk,” the profile said. “At a time of significant change [for] the council, we need an innovative thinker who is able to challenge long-held values, customs, and practices, whilst operating with the highest levels of leadership, management and integrity, and delivering the best that technology has to offer for public services.”

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The chosen applicant will work with authority’s chief executive and other senior managers to draw up a plan for how technology can “underpin the delivery of public services to the people of Suffolk”, as well as creating and implementing policies and practices governing the council’s technology use. The CTO will also be “fully accountable for the delivery of the local and national technology agenda”, and the fulfilment of all related legal and statutory obligations, the council indicated.

The role comes with a further brief to “anticipate and plan for transformation and future service developments”, as well cultivating an IT environment that mixes outsourcing, insourcing, and “co-sourcing” models of technology provision.

The council is seeking candidates with demonstrable experience of IT leadership roles in “large-scale, complex operating environments”. Applicants must also show examples of working with external agencies and other partners, as well as bringing “significant experience of financial management”.

The role, which is based in Ipswich, comes with a salary of between £70,855 and £87,225. Applications are open until 1pm on 2 July.