Credible Candidate Headlines for Recruitment - CTO
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Ownership of Mission IT Systems, Desktop,
Infrastructure, Connectivity, Back Office
Share services. Support and infrastructure
provision of other CDO and business areas
for delivery of Digital Public Services (see
https://gds.blog.gov.uk/2013/05/21/rebalanci
ng-tech-across-gov/)
•
Operational CTO, CTO as Development
Leader and Customer-facing CTO (see
http://www.informationweek.com/itleadership/amazon-cto-vogels-the-4-typesof-ctos/d/d-id/1083140?)
•
Strong people management and people
energy to move a team from legacy system
skill structures to new pools around
Financial Services banking standards,
Digital Public Services and KPI driven IT
services. Delivery of a liked IT service at the
optimum cost per transaction
•
Evidence that can lead SLC into a viable
Systems Integrator model capability –
Financial Services & Digital
•
Delivery of a technologically secure
business protecting a £multi-billion public
asset (>£60bn and rising) to the high
watermark of CESG, GDS, FCA, PRA and
others
•
Delivery of operational IT service for multisite, multi-channel, digital by default, 2500
seat business which sits in an ecosystem
mix of centralised and devolved public
administrations, and additionally where this
role directly impacts the data quality and
security (therefore the valuation) of the loan
book assets
•
Commercial nous and robust commercial
management of technology suppliers for
security of the banking assets in particular
•
Capability to enable Agile / Digital innovation
in some areas yet protect the financial
assets from change risk
•
Obsessive about data quality as the
foundation for debt quality and automation
Digital Directorate
Senior Management Team
ICT Chief Technology Officer
August 2014
The Student Loans Company - 2014
Our Vision
To be valued as a digital, customer-focused, centre of excellence
Our Mission
We enable our customers to invest in their futures by delivering
secure, accurate and efficient assessment, payment and
repayment services
SLC needs to focus on essential organisational change to deliver an effective and efficient student finance service to its customers. This is a
transformation during which it is vital that SLC remains stable and sustainable whilst we become a Digital, Customer Focused, Centre of
Excellence.
Alongside exemplary customer service and agile delivery, there is a longer-term strategy to deliver efficiencies and productivity gains
throughout the organisation with a view to realising these benefits as soon as possible.
To ensure that SLC can achieve its objectives in a more cohesive, customer-focused way we need to work more collaboratively by taking
accountability and, where appropriate, sharing responsibilities, in order to make effective decisions that focus on our Vision, deliver our
Mission and reflect our Values.
To achieve this we need to work in less complicated structures with clearly understood boundaries.
In order to fulfil the Mission, we are strengthening accountability and providing clarity for all roles and responsibilities, but especially those
of leadership and management.
We expect everyone working at SLC to be in a position to establish collaborative working throughout the Company ensuring a focus on
quality and value in service delivery.
To achieve our Vision we are designing new structures with the aim of increasing our customer focus with the right balance between frontline and back-office processes but also the flexibility to continuously improve and to innovate.
As a Senior Management Team Member
You will deliver value by:
•
•
•
•
Deliver the Business Plan to achieve corporate goals and objectives;
Sponsoring Business Transformation;
Working collaboratively across SLC portfolios;
Demonstrating “Leading the Way” behaviours and values.
Company Leadership
SMT Membership
As a recognised leader in the Company you are anticipated to
devote circa 30% of your time to the following activities:
The SMT will propose potential courses of action to the ELT for
delivering the Mission and, once decisions are made, SMT members
will co-ordinate the execution of plans where:
• Recommendations and decisions are made with cross-portfolio
dependencies in mind, ensuring impacts, risks and conflicts are
proactively addressed and resolved;
• Actively promote and support transformation to achieve the
Vision;
• Show ownership of the Mission by guiding improvements to
current operations and processes;
• Put the customer at the heart of decision-making, resource
allocation and delivery;
• Take ownership of and deliver to the Company’s Medium
Term Financial plans and drive efficiencies and cost savings
underpinning the Transformation Programme
• Empower, guide and enable staff to deliver the Mission;
• Recognise and celebrate individual and team achievements;
• Promote SLC values through your own actions; and
• Exercise your accountability to shareholders and fulfil your
responsibilities to relevant stakeholders, including colleagues
and staff.
• Authority for acting on decisions is part of your individual job role,
however you will be jointly accountable with your SMT colleagues
for achieving corporate objectives since these span SLC portfolios;
In order for everyone at SLC to understand what is required of them,
you and your SMT colleagues will hold joint responsibility for
communicating the steps that are being taken to execute Company
strategies; and
You will also be responsible for reporting to the rest of SLC how well
the company-wide processes are performing against agreed
company-wide measures and what actions are being taken to keep
SLC on track to deliver its Mission and achieve its Vision.
Chief Technology Officer
Responsible To:
Chief Digital Officer
Purpose of the role:
Core mission systems delivery and the lynchpin of SLC as a
Systems Integrator.
Management
Staff
ICT Operations, Systems
Integration, Service
Delivery, Infrastructure,
Misson / Core Banking
Development
350
Budgetary Authority: Circa £30 million
Salary range:
£85K - £105K
Providing strong leadership and senior level advocacy for the
delivery of technology operations that support SLC s current and
future business transformation programme.
Ensure that the delivery of SLCs strategic direction and business
priorities are fully supported by the right architectures,
infrastructure, security and systems.
Achieve value for money and quality results from suppliers
within the context of long term service protection.
Effective day to day management of the operational
departments, maintaining systems , infrastructure, systems
applications and developments along with the full suite of
support services. Deliver IT services that meet the needs of
SLC’s digital service users and operational staff
Championing the strategic importance of people, talent
management and development issues, building a strong culture
of continuous learning and knowledge sharing, between
specialists and generalists.
Build a culture of data driven technology within the IT
department, leading, engaging and supporting IT staff through
the SLC change agenda
Chief Technology Officer
Key Responsibilities:
•Set clear delineation and priorities, making sure that there is a strategic coherence between technology on cross-cutting issues such as user needs
and security
•Bring a deep knowledge of the technology landscape and market place to the department, and ensure it makes effective use of modern standards
and solutions
•Work with the Cabinet Office, BIS and other departments to exchange best practice
•Enable and deliver change, oversee change and risk management and the interaction between product development, implementation and support
service.
•Build a culture of data driven delivery within SLC and ensuring the delivery and iteration of technology services is supported by effective analysis of
the financial benefits of taking an open, user drive approach.
•Baseline, develop and monitor IT’s technology-related budgets, costs , forecasts and related performance information.
•Actively participating in cross-departmental process improvements, ensuring technology is strategically designed and implemented on a user
focused basis.
•Advocate and champion the need for technology and business transformation across SLC
•Work with the CDO to develop, and then implement the Company’s ICT Strategy, for approval by the CEO/Board;
•Develop and maintain a framework for effective supplier-partner management, to ensure target deliverables and cost parameters are met;
•Provide advice and guidance to the Chief Digital Officer and Executive Team on the delivery of agreed development programmes and ICT systems
and on up to date technologies;
•Ensure that ICT services are delivered cost effectively and efficiently, both ethically and in accordance with compliance required and best practice
standards, and that a disaster recovery approach is in place.
•Recruit, develop, motivate and retain a competent and professional team in line with the Company’s HR procedures and commitment to Investors
in People;
•Delegate authority when appropriate to senior management, monitor and evaluate implementation of policies, strategies and business plans;
•Review and maintain the ICT Strategy and, in conjunction with the direction of the Chief Digital Officer, amend the Strategy as appropriate;
•Ensure that communications both to and from the Directorates and external suppliers are effective;
•Promote and protect the reputation of SLC and its stakeholders by ensuring that IT services are provided to a high standard;
•Review and evaluate present and future opportunities, threats and risks in the external environment and current and future strengths, weaknesses
and risks relating to SLC;
•Ensure that support arrangements are in place to protect the delivery of IT services in line with agreed statements on availability and performance
of IT services
•Manage a product development function supporting the annual programme of policy change and the Transformation Programme.
Chief Technology Officer
Key Outcomes:
•Contribute effectively to the Company’s Executive Board team in
respect of all management issues in the running of the business and to
accept collective responsibility for such decisions;
•Achievement of agreed corporate (Ministerial) targets;
•Implementation of improved people performance
•Implementation of IT service frameworks
•Delivery of a secure infrastructure
•Lead cost-effective and professional ICT teams delivering products
supported by the Company; embedding a culture of value for money
ensuring a maximisation of strategic outcomes within the resources
available
•Develop an ICT Strategy, which supports business needs, for
CEO/Board approval;
•Ensure that there is an effective organisation structure in place which
enables delivery of Directorate objectives and champions the strategic
importance of people, talent management and development issues,
building a strong culture of continuous learning and knowledge sharing
between specialists and generalists;
•Prepare the SLC and the IT organisation for the target operation state
delivered by the Transformation Programme;
•Work closely with GDS to align SLC’s IT Strategy with Government’s
digital agenda;
•Work collaboratively with other Government exemplar organisations
to identify shared expertise, that can assist with adoption of new
technologies;
•Working closely with BIS, CDO and partner organisations to identify
opportunities for sharing investment and expertise;
•Develop and maintain excellent relationships with all partners,
contractors , key stakeholders and customers; and
•Ensure that ICT strategy is aligned to the Company strategy and the
Government ICT and digital strategy;
Skills, Knowledge and Experience:
•Credible Financial Services experience appropriate to the provision of banking
solutions and protection of a growing loan book (>£60bn)
•Credible Contact Centre, Document Processing track record in multi-site
operations and 2500 FTE
•Demonstrable and practical experience at a senior level, in public or private
sector, of working with senior colleagues to deliver IT services and changes to
business processes and systems, to deliver cost savings and service
improvements for customers
•Graduate in an IT-related discipline with MBA an advantage;
•A seasoned ICT professional with a proven track record of continuing
professional development with experience of leading a professional team
defining and delivering a programme of improvements to internal processes,
structures and capability
•Proven track record of managing ICT services and the delivery of major complex
development projects, with high technical specifications, within tight budgetary
and timescale constraints;
•Effective communication skills with an ability to inspire and encourage debate
on strategic issues with all stakeholders;
•Ability to demonstrate both a detailed knowledge of new technologies and an
ongoing familiarity with the integration and implementation of existing systems
with new technologies; Detailed knowledge of Financial Services industry security
•The ability to also manage partner/provider relationships under PSI or PPP.
•Digitally literate and capable of effectively engaging with technical staff,
suppliers in order to define the optimum approach to service design
•Understanding and experience of using agile project management techniques
and working practices, open source, cloud platforms and digital services.
•Strong influencing skills with both internal staff and external stakeholders with
the ability to provide clear and non-technical advice/interpretation of complex
information
•Demonstrable experience of working with modern network management
solutions (MPLS or similar) utility or commoditised hosting environments
•Awareness and understanding of both Data Protection laws and regulations,
plus Business Continuity principles BS25999
Chief Technology Officer – GDS Service Manual
PURPOSE
Deliver technologies and systems that meet the needs of the
department’s digital service users and staff
Provide strong leadership and senior-level advocacy for the
delivery of technology solutions - both IT and digital - that support
department’s current and future business transformation programmes.
Define the strategic direction and business priorities for the
development of the department’s technology, ensuring that digitally
driven solutions and services are fully supported by the right
architectures and systems, and that dependence on existing legacy
systems and contracts is dramatically reduced.
Give effective management to technology leads, setting clear
delineation and priorities, and making sure that there is strategic
coherence between technology and digital on cross-cutting issues such as
user needs and security.
Embed the delivery of a sustainable, high quality technology
capability across the department, and a complementary commercial
strategy to deliver business transformation.
Bring a deep knowledge of the technology landscape and marketplace
to the department, and ensure that it makes effective use of modern
standards and solutions
Work with the Cabinet Office, HM Treasury and other departments
as the Department’s Technology Leader to exchange best practice, develop
cross-government strategic direction and deploy commodity shared
services within the department.
RESPONSIBILITIES
Delivering projects or programmes with a strong understanding of
agile project management methodologies, change and risk management and
the interaction between product development, implementation and support
service
Defining the problem, vision and solution for the business and
cultural change required to drive technology transformation, and
introducing new processes and procedures to ensure business and service
improvements are achieved
Prioritising and driving the successful delivery of programmes
and projects within relevant time and costs constraints and to the
appropriate level of quality
Working with the Cabinet Office to shape the government’s strategic
approach to mission IT, including security, procurement, governance, and
capability building
Assuring digital services comply with the ‘Digital by Default Service
Standard’ ahead of being launched on?GOV.UK, and that IT projects are
delivered in line with a?technology code of practice
Building a culture of data-driven delivery within the department,
and ensuring the delivery and iteration of technology services is
support by effective analysis of the financial benefits of taking an
agile, open, user-driven approach
Baseline, develop and monitor department technology-related
budgets, costs, forecasts and related performance information
Actively participating in cross-departmental process improvements,
ensuring technology is strategically designed and implemented on a
departmental, user-focused basis rather than projecting an
organisation's internal structures
Driving forward changes to the provision of internal IT services
across the department, including oversight of existing internal teams
that manage these services on a day to day basis, and liaison with the
centre on the implementation of shared commodity services
Advocating and explaining the need for technology transformation to
board-level senior officials, Ministers and external stakeholders
OUTCOMES
Be highly articulate and credible at the most senior level across
and outside the civil service, consistently delivering inspiring,
engaging and meaningful messages about the future direction;
Champion the strategic importance of people, talent management
and development issues, building a strong culture of continuous learning
and knowledge sharing between specialists and generalists;
Take a strategic perspective to identify the capability needs of
the Department and identifying and nurturing future leaders through well
defined succession planning;
Embed a culture of value for money, working collaboratively
across boundaries to ensure that the Department maximizes its strategic
outcomes within the resourcing available;
Build a performance culture that is orientated to tangible
delivery outcomes and rewards those appropriately;
Create a directorate that is viewed as an exemplar of high
quality technology transformation across the civil service and beyond,
making it an enviable environment to work in
Shape, promote and exemplify desired departmental and civil
service values and culture
SKILLS
Demonstrable and practical experience at a senior level, in
public or private sector, of working with senior colleagues to deliver
transformational change to business processes and systems, to deliver
cost savings and service improvements for customers
Experience of leading transformation programs inside/outside
government
Digitally literate and capable of effectively engaging with
technical staff, suppliers and stakeholders to define the best approach
to service design to achieve business/user objectives
Experience of innovative approaches to sourcing services, and of
managing relationships with large suppliers
Experience of developing technology strategies and managing the
delivery of associated technical services, solutions and architectures
and technologies
Understanding and experience of using of agile project management
techniques and working practices, open source, cloud platforms and
digital services
Managing senior stakeholders, both internally and externally, and
confidence in dealing with, and influencing, senior officials, and
producing clear and non-technical advice on complex issues
Experience of leading a review of an existing IT function and then
defining and delivering a programme of improvements to its internal
processes, structures and capability.
Awareness and understanding of industry standard security issues and
processes, including understanding of HMG’s security policy framework.
Experience of defining system architectures for large,
technology-driven organisations
Awareness and understanding of Data Protection law and
regulations.
Awareness and Understanding of Business Continuity principles and
BS25999
Strong estimation and budget scoping skills
Demonstrable experience (past or present) in coding languages,
including at least one of Ruby, Java, C++, C# or .Net
Demonstrable experience of working with modern network management
solutions (MPLS or similar); utility or commoditised hosting
environments; cloud-based procurement
Managing tight resource constraints, conflicting priorities and a
dynamic programme would be highly beneficial
Ability to work under pressure and to respond quickly to changing
circumstances and to tight timetables