The government’s digital centre denies there is a problem with more managers leaving the civil service than joining, and that ‘we actively plan for movement and develop robust succession plans’

The digital and IT leaders of central government departments have been calculated to spend an average of more than three and a half years in post – compared with just two-and-a-half-year average terms across the wider senior civil service.

As part of its ongoing inquiry into the costs of government services, parliament’s Public Accounts Committee recently asked senior officials at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology whether more chief digital and information officers are currently departing government than joining.

In response, Bonnie Wang, DSIT’s director for digital strategy and assurance, said: “Our analysis has shown that it is not the case that more senior CDIOs are currently being lost than recruited across government.   While there has been some movement among CDIOs, this reflects normal career progression and planned succession, rather than instability.”

In a letter sent to the committee earlier this month, Wang cited data from a recent report from government’ Senior Salaries Review Body which found that “the median tenure of a senior civil servant in a role is around 2.5 years, [while] the median tenure of a central department CDIO is around 3.6 years” – equating to three years and seven months.

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There are currently 24 roles as CDIO of a major department and 15 of these are currently filled by a postholder of more than two years standing, according to the DSIT strategy chief. Another five posts are occupied by leaders that have been in post for less than two years – and three of these moved to their current position from a role at another government department.

The other four jobs relate to “two CDIOs [who] have retired this year and… two further impending retirements”. In each of these cases, “recruitment processes [are] planned or underway”, Wang wrote.

“Through our quarterly talent process, we actively plan for movement and are developing robust succession plans for CDIO and other critical digital and data SCS roles in partnership with departments,” she added.

Wang also told MPs that the appointment of the most senior tech leaders is part of a broader commitment “to elevating and strengthening digital and data capability across government”.

She wrote: “We are working closely with departments to deliver the prime minister’s plans to have one in ten civil servants working in tech and digital roles by 2030, and to ensure public sector organisations have a digital leader on their executive committees.”