UK.gov's DCMS to new CDIO: Migrate from Google to Microsoft, overhaul ERP, build a team

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 …

[Anonymous Coward]

But why?

Given the state of MS and the migration of some EU partners away from MS, this seems like a really strange move.

[Carl W]

Re: But why?

I guess the requirements were written about 5 years ago before cloud sovereignty became an issue. And being central government I should imagine they will push on down that path regardless of any changes in the real world.

[Doctor Syntax]

Re: But why?

It's certainly in that sort of time scale. The report linked in TFA mentions the PAC in Jan 23 so it would likely have been under way some time before that. I wonder how many more Trump brainfarts there'll need to be before there's an emergency scramble to find a platform he can't stop them using.

[Like a badger]

Re: But why?

I wonder how many more Trump brainfarts there'll need to be before there's an emergency scramble to find a platform he can't stop them using.

Will never happen. The UK is a vassal state to the US, our politicians are happy with that. There is not to slightest interest (or indeed understanding) of digital sovereignty in the executive branch of government, and as all can see the only priority of senior politicians over the past decade has been squabbling over who gets to call themselves prime minister. Global crises, existential threats, a flat-lining economy, our servitude to the US? No, these don't matter in the slightest to our political classes, whose priorities are only the political machinations between Starmer, Rayner, Streeting, Burnham (and before them the rotating door of Tory no-hopers). Look at how King Charly has been sent off to pander to Kind Donald as another example of British appeasement.

So it really won't matter what Trump does or threatens, the parasites of Westminster will happily roll over and take it.

[Blackjack]

Re: But why?

Maybe Microsoft offered some money a few years ago?

[hoola]

Re: But why?

I cannot see Hoogle being any better.

[elsergiovolador]

Cloud Act

It's a shame that there is no British company that could deliver such software.

For some reason we seem to be incapable to produce any code worthy of the government.

Or maybe when we get to book wine and steak dinner, the place is already fully booked?

A mystery.

[R Soul]

Re: Cloud Act

"It's a shame that there is no British company that could deliver such software."

Crapita! BT! Fujshitsu! Pissy World! Come on down! Your country needs you!

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Cloud Act

We did used have a national Sovereign Hosting, Services, Process, Telecom’s, Consultancy and technology champion … well Until the (John Major) Tories shut it down, aided by NuLabour after.

The last still kicking remnants of it came up with UK.GOV and endless rounds of crown Purchasing/G-cloud nonsense out of the Cabinet Office.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Computer_and_Telecommunications_Agency

[Anonymous Coward]

125k a year?

Considering 100-125k will be effectively taxed at 60% it's not much more than I get for fixing some bugs

Needs a zero stuck on the end

[Steve Foster]

Except that most private sector jobs [paying £125k] won't come with an employer pension contribution of £36k. That's tax and NI free.

[Giles C]

True but have got to stick around long enough for it to make a difference.

Trying to do all of that lot in the description, and I think it would be hard…

[Like a badger]

Needs a zero stuck on the end

Not really. DCMS has about 1,600 staff, and at least half their work is simply doling out grants to the Arts'n'Farts sector. Headcount puts it at the same sort of scale as say AJBell, Shawbrook Bank, Clarkson, Luceco so somewhere around FTSE 150-200 companies. CTO packages in that bracket are £250-550k. However, I'd reckon DCMS organisational complexity probably somewhat less than a financial services business, and unlike those listed companies, DCMS CDIO has no commercial risks to worry about, and a lot of their decisions and options are pre-packaged by Cabinet Office, GDS, and the pre-planned shared services move. So on that basis I'd assert that the DCMS offer including pension is probably around 50% of those companies' CTO salary, more likely 70% on a "responsibility adjusted" basis. As CDIO the post holder won't be on the minister or the perm sec's speed dial, so short of a data breach their weekends will be free, and weekdays will be straight office hours - which I'll suggest wouldn't apply to FTSE 250 CTO pulling £350k?

So all in all it isn't such a bad gig, although the new bod will need to adapt for the slower and more constrained nature of government, and the fact that their ultimate "CEO" is a politician with no relevant experience or knowledge. DCMS in particular has been a dumping ground for hopeless politicians, with ministerial alumni including Jeremy *unt, Matt Hancock, Nadine Dorries, Olliver Dowden with an average tenure of 1.2 years in the past two decades, a pattern likely to continue given the current paralysis of government. That means each minister gets to circle the bowl twice and then passes through the u-bend before they even have the chance to learn anything about their portfolio.

[Anonymous Coward]

>” Not really.”

£119k was my salary in 2009 when I was merely the lead technical architect, deploying ERP in the mid-sized business sector. In today’s money that’s £195k…

Whilst we can expect government to not pay top end salaries, the offered salary does seem to be on the low side, particularly as it is likely to be central London based.

[Will Godfrey]

Frying pan to fire?

See title.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Frying pan to fire?

Unsure why this cluster of Departments are moving towards Workday, whereas others are doing Oracle Fusion consolidations.

[druck]

Not so much of a job ad...

...as a suicide note.

[Brewster's Angle Grinder]

Wanted. Someone willing to sacrifice their CV to carry the can for nailed on catastrophes. Requirements: a golden parachute is an absolute MUST for any candidate to be considered.

[LateAgain]

Yep. All the decisions have already been made.

(And I couldn't possibly suggest that all the backhanders have already been collected.)

[Bebu sa Ware]

An Enforced Evening of …

Vogon Poetry Reading seems positively desirable in comparison.

I honestly don't think the fabric of reality could take the strain of so great a suspension of disbelief required to accept the program is even remotely credible.

Hell! Just throw in lashings of AI and it will all just happen in a flash of pyrotechnic powdered unicorn poo^†.

_{† Not to be conflated with Crapita… crap which only includes the lashings.}

[nijam]

> Migrate from Google to Microsoft

Out of the frying pan...