The UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) is recruiting for three senior managers to help it complete “the next stage of its digital journey”. 

The roles include a chief technology officer position that comes with a pay packet of up to £117,000. The organisation, which is an executive agency of the Ministry of Defence, is also seeking to hire a director of operations, and a director of its customer division. The former job pays up to £80,000, while the latter could offer as much as £100,000.

All three posts will report to UKHO’s chief executive, and will form part of the organisation’s executive committee. The evolution of UKHO into a digital- and data-focused entity will be central to each role, the organisation said.

Related content

• MoD offers £170k and £2.2bn budget in search for leader to drive IT procurement ‘transformation’
• Which central government agency is spending £5m on CDs and DVDs?
• Wanted: £95k leader for mysterious pan-government IT service ‘of national importance’

“We are in a period of delivering unprecedented change as the shipping industry moves to digital technology… and we face increasing commercial challenge in this increasingly competitive digital marketplace,” UKHO said. “We have already successfully moved our products into the digital domain and developed some digital skills, but now we are embarking on the next stage of our digital journey, transforming into a data-centric information agency.” 

It added: “Therefore, we have to move to change our products and methods of distribution accordingly. This requires a transformational shift in our production processes, our culture and most importantly our leadership.”

UKHO provides geospatial information on the world’s oceans and coastlines to the Royal Navy, as well as to operators of merchant vessels. The organisation can trace its roots back to 1795 and employs about 950 people at its headquarters in Taunton. In the 2016 fiscal year the agency generated a turnover of almost £139.6m, returning a £49m dividend to the MoD.