VicRoads on the road to its second CIO in two years

Victorian state roads agency VicRoads is searching for a new chief information officer just months after the cancellation of its multi-million dollar registration and licensing (RandL) project.

The incoming CIO will be the second for the statutory corporation in the two years since the departure of Susan Sly in December 2013, who left just months after a restructure slashed the agency’s technology headcount.

The new CIO will be a part of VicRoads’ corporate services leadership team, which consults with DEDJTR (Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources) and will also sit information access and technology governance committee.

They will also answer to VicRoads executive director of corporate services Judith Pettitt and be responsible for leading a management team of five as well as the broader information management and technology (IM&T) team of over 120 staff.

The IM&T team is responsible for operating VicRoads’ networks and applications, as well as its technology architecture, business analysis, contract management and procurement.

Most recent former CIO, Simon Broun, now lists his occupation on LinkedIn as a management consultant, specifically as a program director for both VicRoads and Emergency Management Victoria.

Broun had been an implementation manager for the Transport Ticketing Authority in the years before he took on the CIO role at VicRoads, where he worked on the troubled myki ticketing system.

The current vacancy has opened up following the cancellation of VicRoads’ RandL project in May, after a review found it was significantly over budget and running 18 months late.

The project started in 2008 as a solution for dealing with the legacy systems VicRoads uses to issue drivers licences and vehicle registration. It was first suspended in 2011 to make way for a project review, and then restarted in early 2012 following design revisions.

Auditor-General John Doyle has cited the cancelled project as an example of how state government agencies are avoiding scrutiny of IT spending. Doyle estimated the cost for completing the project at $293 million, significantly over its original budget of $158.5 million.

At the time the project was cancelled, a spokesperson for VicRoads said the agency would shift focus to its digital customer service strategy, including a new website, new computerised license testing for learner drivers and an update of its call centre technology platform.

VicRoads declined to comment, citing a policy of not commenting on recruitment processes.

The position is primarily based out of VicRoads’ head office in Kew, with applications closing December 20.