Queensland govt hunts for first ever digital chief

The Queensland government has kicked off its search for the state’s first chief customer and digital officer to oversee the development of customer-focused online government services.

The Department of Public Works put out the call for the CCDO late last week, making good on the state’s pledge to the newly re-badged Australian Data and Digital Council earlier this month.

The position, which Queensland IT minister Mick de Brenni says is a first for any Australian government, will be tasked with ensuring the state’s online government services are world leading.

“This new role will focus on driving customer and digital transformation across Government and will provide assurance at every level of our digital systems,” the job description reads.

Sitting within the government’s chief information officer alongside government CIO Andrew Mills, the SES4 band executive will be primarily focused on ensuring successful service delivery.

One of core responsibilities is driving the “delivery of key whole-of-government customer, digital and ICT components” through the government’s newly formed customer and digital group.

This will involve ensuring effective “strategy, policy and standards and service delivery design, development and operations”.

In addition to ensuring services are more customer-centric, the CCDO will also oversee and strengthen the “government's approach to ICT investment, governance and assurance”.

This will see the CCDO ensure “a while-of-government view of current and future ICT and digital investment and report on opportunities and risks”.

The executive will also be expected to provide advice on government IT policy and “opportunities, risks and issues to be actioned to improve digital services and ICT investment and delivery” to the department’s director-general, as well as chief executives and ministers as required.

A three-year contract worth up to $320,047 annually is being offered to the successful applicant by the government.