Role was previously open for applications in August

Credit: athree23/Pixabay

The Department for Work and Pensions has launched a second attempt to recruit a new leader for the organisation’s IT and digital services.

Applications for the post as chief digital and information officer were previously open during the second half of August. The role is due to be vacated in March 2023 when incumbent Simon McKinnon steps down after more than four years in the hotseat.

The relaunched job advert appears near-identical to the previously posted opportunity, describing the same duties and offering the same annual salary of between £180,000 and £200,000 – plus a potential “non-consolidated performance related bonus of up to £14,000”.

If an existing civil servant is given the role, they can expect to “be appointed to the salary minimum or within 10% of existing salary”.

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Once in post, the CDIO will be responsible for managing “one of Europe’s largest IT estates”, which encompasses 90,000 desktops across 850 buildings. The role also comes with a remit to oversee digital transactions worth an annual total of £170bn.

The tech chief – who will report to departmental permanent secretary Peter Schofield – will line-manage 10 people, and sit at the head of a digital workforce of 4,500 people.

“This role is critical to our transformation as a department servicing some 22 million citizens each year,” the job advert said. “The role aims to drive transformation by leading the digitalisation of the business by using the potential of modern online technologies and data.”

As with the previous publication of the advert, the recruitment process will be managed by specialist firm Russell Reynolds.

Applications are open until 11.55pm on 20 November, and candidates are asked to submit a CV and personal statement of up to 1,250 words.

At time of going to press, PublicTechnology had contacted the DWP offering the opportunity to comment on the relaunched opportunity.