UK.gov's DCMS to new CDIO: Migrate from Google to Microsoft, overhaul ERP, build a team
£125k and a pension await whoever can herd 6 departments onto single platform without losing will to live
Later today, prospective candidates will log onto a UK government call to convince themselves that £125k a year is worth the trouble of tackling a technological landscape swamped by colliding projects.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is hunting for a new Chief Digital and Information Officer (CDIO), and has invited interested tech pros onto a Google Meet call this afternoon to "hear more about the role, the team and wider directorate and the department".
First on the to-do list is getting rid of Google Meet, one assumes - because among the "significant technical transitions scheduled for 2026," the chosen candidate must "harness the benefits of DCMS services moving from Google to Microsoft."
Wrenching department staff away from Google Docs is only the start. The new CDIO must prepare DCMS to join the NEO platform - a new HR and finance system that is part of a Government shared services programme - in the second half of 2026, “working with four other departments and taking services from a shared service provider."
DCMS is part of the shared service cluster “Matrix”, which has opted for Workday HR and finance software and systems integrator Cognizant in a £144.3 million deal. The job ad says four other departments will join, though the National Audit Office counted six earlier this year, including project lead, the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology, where the head of digital government now sits.
DCMS is set to move from its legacy systems iTrent for HR and Integra for finance. The rest are moving from a melange of other software, which together with the joining departments’ vested interests and ingrained organizational culture, will ensure everything goes just fine.
In their spare time, the successful individual will be tasked with leading the department’s Digital, Data and Technology function, and building a team of around 60 tech professionals.
“You will be responsible for defining the digital capabilities for people, process, and technology required to unlock organisational benefits and execute a strategic roadmap that reflects the needs of the department and its public bodies,” the job ad says.
The end result is expected to be “a modern, agile, and digitally confident department”. Or perhaps total mental collapse, whichever comes first.
The six-figure salary also comes with a civil service pension contribution of 28.97 percent. ®