Brisbane council seeks CIO to lead troubled LGS

Australia's largest local government, the Brisbane City Council, is recruiting for a new chief information officer to take over management of its controversial local government systems (LGS) project.

The council is looking for a "influential and dynamic leader" to manage the information services branch, which supports more than 8000 employes.

The new CIO will replace Sarma Rajaraman, who left suddenly alongside his immediate superior, Greg Evans, as a result of the LGS difficulties earlier this month.

The project's $60 million budget overrun has resulted in a public spat with the council's supplier TechnologyOne.

TechOne was admonished by Brisbane's lord mayor over the late-running and expensive project, but the software firm claims the council's indecision and scope creep are to blame.

Candidates for the CIO role must have a successful track record in delivering "large, multi-faceted ICT programs, preferably within a complex or diverse environment," the council said in its job ad.

BCC said it has moved from an internally-contracted delivery model to a vendor-provided service model., but the next CIO will be asked to continually evaluate if the council's new model meets existing and future business needs, and provide alternatives if they do not.

The council also expects the new CIO to update the organisation's ICT strategy wtih developing market opportunities and changing needs, and to deliver cost-effective, highly available and high quality services.