Get paid like a prime minister to tame Home Office IT chaos

"This includes the border control and immigration project dogged by delays and uncertainty; the Emergency Service Network, which had cost taxpayers £2 billion as of almost April 2023 with nothing to show for it, and is scheduled to go live by around 2029, 12 years later than planned; and the 25-year-old management database for asylum claims, which the Home Office has struggled to decommission."

"The director general CDIO will, we're told, 'set the strategic direction for digital, data, science and technology across one of government's most complex and high-profile departments.' With responsibility for a team of 4,000 and oversight of a budget around £1.8 billion ($2.4 billion), the chosen candidate will take charge of delivering 'mission-critical live services, modernizing national-scale programs such as biometrics and digital identity, and driving innovation to strengthen both operational delivery and citizen outcomes.'"

"Other responsibilities include 'delivering mission-critical live services at scale, integration of cutting-edge technologies,' and providing 'strategic direction and governance for major programs such as Home Office Biometrics and Digital First.' The latter includes moving to cloud services and the department came under some criticism for awarding a £450 million three-year contract in December 2023, replacing one signed in 2020 for £120 million, more than three times cheaper."

The UK Home Office is recruiting a director general chief digital and innovation officer (CDIO) with an advertised annual salary of £160,000. The CDIO will set strategic direction for digital, data, science and technology across the department and oversee around 4,000 staff and a £1.8 billion budget. Key programs include border control and immigration, the Emergency Service Network—which has cost about £2 billion and is now targeted for around 2029—and a 25-year-old asylum claims database which has been hard to decommission. Responsibilities include delivering mission-critical live services, modernizing biometrics and digital identity, and integrating cloud services. The department faced criticism for awarding a £450 million contract in 2023 that replaced a cheaper 2020 deal.

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