Chief Digital Officer (CDO)

The CDO provides leadership across strategy development, innovation, operating model design, business architecture, transformation planning and stakeholder engagement, ensuring that people, process, data and technology change are aligned to the Council’s priorities and long-term objectives.

A key responsibility of the role is to lead the Partner Advisory Group (PAG), bringing together expertise from Version 1, strategic partners and the wider market to provide thought leadership, innovation and external perspectives that help the Council address current challenges and prepare for future opportunities.

The CDO also plays a significant role in helping the Council establish the strategic, organisational, digital and operational foundations required to support future authority structures and transition plans.

The Council retains ownership of its strategic direction, priorities, investment decisions and organisational outcomes. The CDO provides strategic advice, challenge, insight and orchestration to help the Council make informed decisions and translate its priorities into coherent transformation activity.

Key Responsibilities

Strategy Development & Alignment

• Support the council in developing and refining it’s digital, data and transformation strategies.
• Translate strategic objectives into prioritised transformation plans, roadmaps and operating models.
• Align business, organisational, economic, digital, data and technology priorities to support current objectives and future Local Government Reorganisation (LGR).
• Support the development of strategic account plans.

Strategic Advisory

• Act as a trusted advisor to the Corporate Leadership Team, Directors and senior officers.
• Provide strategic advice and challenge across transformation, operating models, digital capability, data, AI, automation and organisational change.
• Bring external insight and best practice from local government, the wider public sector and industry to inform investment and strategic decision-making.

Innovation, Thought Leadership & Partner Advisory Group Leadership

• Lead the Partner Advisory Group (PAG), bringing together Version 1, partners and subject matter experts to support Council priorities.
• Drive innovation, thought leadership and horizon scanning to identify emerging opportunities, risks and market developments.
• Facilitate workshops, executive briefings and innovation activities that support service improvement, productivity and organisational outcomes.
• Promote a culture of innovation, continuous improvement and evidence-based transformation.
• Plan and lead, with the PAG, at least three innovation days annually, focused on agreed Council challenges and opportunities, with documented outputs, recommendations and proposed next steps.

• Support the progression of appropriate innovation outputs into proofs of value, service improvements, business cases or prioritised transformation proposals, subject to Council approval and agreed commercial arrangements.

Business Development & Opportunity Shaping

• Build strong relationships across Council services to understand priorities, challenges and opportunities.
• Identify, shape and mature transformation opportunities into investable initiatives and programmes.
• Lead the development of strategic recommendations and investment propositions, coordinating appropriate subject-matter expertise to develop detailed business cases and options where agreed.
• Maintain a sustainable pipeline of transformation opportunities aligned to Council objectives.
• Support the development of other Local Government Accounts.
• The CDO is accountable for strategic identification, shaping, orchestration and executive engagement. Detailed discovery, design, business-case production, implementation and delivery will be commissioned and resourced through the relevant contractual, Statement of Work or Change Control mechanism where not included within the baseline service.

Transformation Pipeline & Roadmap Development

• Help develop and maintain a prioritised portfolio of transformation initiatives.
• Create roadmaps that link strategy, investment, delivery and benefits realisation.
• Support business case development, benefits modelling and investment planning.
• Ensure transformation plans support long-term organisational goals and LGR readiness.

Strategic & Architectural Oversight

• Provide strategic oversight across business, data, application and technology domains.
• Ensure transformation initiatives align with architectural principles, operating models and governance standards.
• Provide strategic leadership and coordination of the Enterprise Architecture capability supporting the client, ensuring that business, data, application and technology analysis, target-state roadmaps and recommendations are aligned to Council priorities.
• Ensure that Enterprise Architecture activity supports strategic decision-making and provides a coherent connection between Council outcomes, transformation priorities, architectural direction and delivery
• Promote joined-up thinking across people, process, data and technology change.

Governance and Assurance

• Represent Version 1 as a standing supplier member of the client’s Digital Design Authority.
• Provide strategic input and challenge to decisions affecting digital transformation, architecture, data, technology and future service design.
• Ensure that strategic recommendations and transformation roadmaps are aligned with the Council’s agreed governance, architecture and assurance arrangements.
• Escalate material strategic dependencies, risks, constraints and decisions through the appropriate account and contractual governance routes.
• Maintain clear records of strategic recommendations, decisions and agreed actions arising from CDO-led governance and advisory activity.

Stakeholder Management & Engagement

• Build and maintain trusted relationships with senior Council stakeholders and partners.
• Act as Version 1’s senior strategic liaison for digital transformation, innovation, digital strategy and future service design, working in conjunction with the Account Director, Client Partner and other account leadership roles
• .
• Facilitate alignment across leadership teams, programmes and delivery functions.
• Lead strategic governance discussions and communicate complex concepts in clear business language.

Local Government Delivery

• Support the Council's priorities for service delivery.
• Ensure transformation priorities, operating models and investments contribute to future organisational readiness.
• Identify opportunities to simplify, standardise and modernise services ahead of transition.
• Support future service, governance, digital, data and organisational planning activities.

Account Leadership Team Responsibilities

As a member of the Local Government Account Leadership Team, the Chief Digital Officer will:

• Contribute to the strategic direction, growth and success of the account.
• Support the development of a long-term partnership between Version 1 and Strategic Local Government Accounts
• Champion innovation, transformation and business value across the account.
• Collaborate with consulting, delivery, operational and commercial leaders to provide a joined-up customer experience.
• Leverage Version 1 capabilities, partner ecosystems and market insight to maximise value delivered to the Council.
• Promote Version 1 values, leadership behaviours and ways of working across the account.

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

Essential

• Significant experience leading digital transformation, strategy or organisational change programmes.
• Strong strategic thinking and planning capabilities.
• Experience developing operating models, transformation roadmaps and change portfolios.
• Executive-level stakeholder management and advisory experience.
• Strong workshop facilitation and engagement skills.
• Experience developing business cases, investment proposals and benefits frameworks.
• Ability to translate complex business and technical challenges into practical recommendations.
• Excellent communication, influencing and leadership skills.
• Experience working across business, technology, data and organisational change disciplines.

Desirable

• Experience working within Local Government or the wider public sector.
• Understanding of Local Government Reorganisation and associated organisational challenges.
• Enterprise Architecture, Business Architecture or Transformation Management experience.
• Knowledge of Microsoft technologies, AI, automation, data platforms and digital transformation approaches.
• Experience leading innovation or thought leadership programmes.
• Experience in support Local Authorities with their economic development agenda.
• Knowledge of SAFe, Lean Portfolio Management or strategic portfolio governance practices.

Key Success Measures

Success in the role will be demonstrated through:

• Trusted advisor relationships with senior Council stakeholders.
• Development of clear and actionable strategic priorities.
• A mature and prioritised transformation pipeline.
• Lead and coordinate the Partner Advisory Group, ensuring that council benefits from expertise drawn from Version 1, strategic partners, technology partners and relevant local government or domain specialists.

• Agree priorities with the Council and ensure advisory activity is directed towards material strategic questions, decisions and opportunities.
• Coordinate quarterly insight, horizon-scanning and innovation reporting, including recommendations relevant to Council’s strategic priorities.
• Maintain an auditable record of days utilised, expertise provided, recommendations made, decisions supported and resulting actions.
• Ensure that insight is translated, where appropriate, into strategic recommendations, roadmap changes, proofs of value or proposed service improvements.

• Delivery of high-quality strategic advice, business cases and roadmaps.
• Strong alignment between organisational priorities and digital investment.
• Successful identification and development of innovation opportunities.
• Increased organisational readiness for Local Government Reorganisation.
• Positive contribution to the strategic success of the local government partnership.

Reporting Context

The Chief Digital Officer is a senior strategic role within the Local Government Account Leadership Team and works collaboratively across Version 1 consulting, delivery, architecture, product, partner and managed service functions to ensure the Council receives maximum strategic value from the partnership.

Version 1 Leadership Behaviours

The Chief Digital Officer is expected to consistently demonstrate Version 1 values and leadership behaviours through:

• Excellence
• Collaboration
• Innovation
• Customer First
• Accountability
• Continuous Improvement

Why Version 1?

At Version 1, we believe in providing our employees with a comprehensive benefits package that prioritises their wellbeing, professional growth, and financial stability.

• Share in our success with our Quarterly Performance-Related Profit Share Scheme, where employees collectively benefit from a share of our company's profits
• Strong Career Progression & mentorship coaching through our Strength in Balance & Leadership schemes with a dedicated quarterly Pathways Career Development programme
• Flexible/remote working, Version 1 is tremendously understanding of life events and people’s individual circumstances and offer flexibility to help achieve a healthy work life balance
• Financial Wellbeing initiatives including; Pension, Private Healthcare Cover, Life Assurance, Financial advice and an Employee Discount scheme
• Employee Wellbeing schemes including Gym Discounts, Bike to Work, Fitness classes, Mindfulness Workshops, Employee Assistance Programme and much more. Generous holiday allowance, enhanced maternity/paternity leave, marriage/civil partnership leave and special leave policies
• Educational assistance, incentivised certifications, and accreditations, including AWS, Microsoft, Oracle, and Red Hat
• Reward schemes including Version 1’s Annual Excellence Awards & ‘Call-Out’ platform.
• Environment, Social and Community First initiatives allow you to get involved in local fundraising and development opportunities as part of fostering our diversity, inclusion and belonging schemes.

And many more exciting benefits… drop us a note to find out more.

Video links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_d3ELTH5zo