Defence Business Services seeks tech professional to create and implement digital strategy

The Ministry of Defence’s shared services centre for its back-office functions is looking to recruit a new chief information officer.

Defence Business Services – an in-house unit which provides various functions for MoD civilian staff including HR, finance, and vetting services – will offer the chosen applicant an annual salary of £80,000. More money could be offered if an “exceptional candidate” is identified.

The CIO will head up a team of about 350 people, and oversee an annual budget of £39m. The post is based in Bristol.

The role comes with a remit to “lead the implementation of digital and information strategy”, the MoD said.  This strategy will be “transformative in its ambition and facilitate a ‘digital-first’ approach to systems and services”. 

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The CIO will also be expected to oversee a “rationalisation of ICT and applications to increase responsiveness to change, reduce costs and increase customer satisfaction”.

Another key responsibility of the role will be to work with policymakers to try and ensure they incorporate a focus on the use of digital services in their work.

In her introduction to the candidate pack, DBS chief executive Kathy Barnes said: “This is a tremendous opportunity for an experienced [information services] professional with an extensive track record of working in a high-profile environment and with senior stakeholders in a large and complex business. Not only will you get the job satisfaction which comes from knowing that you are delivering essential service support through your teams, but DBS’s wide-ranging customer base will also provide you with an insight into other areas of the MOD.”

Applications are open until 6 January, with interviews scheduled to take place in early February.

DBS was previously run via an outsourced agreement with Serco, with which the MoD had a four-year contract worth £36m. When this deal expired in 2016 the services in-house.