DHS CIO appeals to tech grads with a social conscience

Department of Human Services CIO Gary Sterrenberg is attempting to lure 150 of the country’s best tech graduates into a career in the public service.

DHS CIO Gary Sterrenberg

As part of a new pilot grad program, the CIO group is taking applications from grads until October 23, for positions within the DHS' Adelaide, Brisbane and Canberra ICT hubs.

Sterrenberg today called on in-demand science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) grads to consider the national importance of the DHS when weighing up their career options.

“Not many people realise how big the department’s ICT operations are – our in-house technology workforce plays a crucial part in delivering over $100 billion in welfare payments to 7.3 million Australians each year,” he said.

“The public sector is not always front of mind for graduates considering their future careers, but it should be. The scale and innovative use of technology at the department makes us a truly unique employer in the industry."

The DHS CIO group is one of the biggest IT shops in the country, with around 3000 staff and a budget of roughly $962 million per annum.

The 150 grad jobs span SAP development, enterprise architecture, testing, security, and data analytics, among others.

Nearly one year into his graduate role, face of the employment scheme and former Griffith Uni student Ben Hall said the job “actually makes a difference to the lives of everyday Australians”.

The DHS is currently in the early stages of one of the biggest IT infrastructure projects underway in Australia, the replacement of its 30 year-old Centrelink payments system.

A new division of the DHS, working alongside Sterrenberg’s CIO group, has been established to oversee the billion-dollar program.