The COO of the Civil Service has kicked off a recruitment campaign for a government chief digital officer (GCDO).
Announcing the plans in a blog for the Government Digital Service (GDS) Alex Chisholm noted that the Civil Service has failed to fill a similar post for a government chief digital and information officer (CDIO) last autumn.
He said he has since reviewed the role and person specification, “to reflect the government’s high ambitions for transforming digital services and use of data, and the key part this role will play in realising that ambition.”
He added: “We have also clarified the levers and support that the GCDO will be able to draw on to make a full success of it.”
The GCDO will be the professional head of HMG’s 18,000 strong Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) function, oversee GDS and lead the DDaT function.
Chisholm said the DDaT will be integral to the Government’s ambitions to make UK Government digital services “the best in the world, exceeding the benchmark set globally by the best public or private sector standards.”
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“They will be responsible for shaping and delivering HMG’s innovation and transformation strategies to overhaul government’s legacy IT systems, strengthen cybersecurity, improve capability, and ensure government can better leverage data and emerging technologies to design and deliver citizen-centric services that enhance HMG’s reputation as the world’s most digitally-advanced government.”
More management changes
Chisholm also revealed that the interim director general at GDS, Alison Pritchard, has secured a new job as deputy national statistician and director general for data capability at the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Pritchard will be responsible for leadership of all aspects of data capability at ONS. This will include “the delivery of digital services including utilising data from across government and the private sector to enable the production of better statistics, the delivery of technical platforms which are efficient and resilient to support digital services and the transformation of business processes.”
“It has been a challenging 12 months during which GDS has performed a vital role at the centre of the Government’s preparations for EU Exit and the ongoing response to COVID-19 – under considerable scrutiny,” said Chisholm.
“Alison was an integral part of the team to secure investment in data programmes as part of the 2019 Budget, including the new Data Standards Authority, and we can look forward to collaborating with her further on this critical agenda.”
Current GDS COO Fiona Deans will take on the role of interim director general of GDS.
