Chief technology officer

Find out what a chief technology officer in the Senior Civil Service does and the skills you need to do the role.

Published 7 October 2024

Contents

— What a chief technology officer does
— Skills for chief technology officer
— Roles that share chief technology officer skills
— Roles that could lead to chief technology officer

What a chief technology officer does

A chief technology officer is the organisation's technology strategist. They make decisions about the technical direction of the organisation and work closely with other senior leaders.

In this role, you will:

create a strategy and vision for technology that aligns with the organisation’s broader strategy and enables the organisation to achieve its objectives
lead the organisation in implementing the technology strategy
advocate for technology as a critical part of the organisation’s broader strategy
evaluate the organisation’s range of technologies and which technologies it needs
put in place a technology architecture that provides a reliable and permanent infrastructure
ensure systems and services are continuously operational and resistant to attacks and disasters
enable the organisation to be innovative and adopt new technologies that offer value
work within appropriate levels of risk
ensure people have the tools, technical skills and working environment they need
create working practices and process that support effective delivery

A specific chief technology officer job can vary depending on the context and challenges in your organisation.

This role is often performed at the Civil Service job grade of:

SCS 1 (Senior Civil Service 1)
SCS 2 (Senior Civil Service 2)

Skills for chief technology officer

The chief technology officer role will need to use digital and data skills to:

be an effective digital and data leader
operate in different contexts, depending on the context and challenges in your organisation

Skill	Description, including examples of leadership
Strategic technology planning	You can: determine the most appropriate technologies to achieve the organisation’s objectives assess the effect of changes on different parts of the organisation and its partners identify underlying causes of technology challenges faced by other leaders and make strategic recommendations to resolve them Examples of leadership using this skill: inspiring people with your vision so they support a more effective technology strategy helping other leaders prioritise a strategic technical direction over immediate tactical concerns educating colleagues about the potential benefits of chosen technologies earning the trust of stakeholders who are invested in specific technologies so that they agree to change
Technology architecture	You can: ensure technical architecture, including programme platforms and shared infrastructure, reflects the technical structures needed to achieve the organisation's objectives ensure the organisation uses and shares the appropriate technology architecture at the appropriate time make architectural decisions for the organisation taking into account costs, functionality, skills and other factors Examples of leadership using this skill: working with different areas of the organisation to ensure the architecture works for everyone and any change is accepted convincing teams to exchange some autonomy for better functioning as an organisation overseeing decisions on technical architecture to ensure the best use of technology for the organisation
Financial decision making for technology	You can: assess the full financial implication of a technology buying decision advise on the appropriate funding of shared technologies so that the cost is shared now and in future guide decision making on appropriate approaches for buying technology, services and human resources so that technology investments achieve organisational goals Examples of leadership using this skill: explaining financial implications of purchasing technology, particularly where the full lifetime cost is unpredictable prioritising spending by balancing immediate problems with future uncertainties gaining support for your recommendations by explaining your decisions to finance, risk, and commercial colleagues at board level
Technology evaluation	You can: evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of a wide range of significant previous, current and potential technologies assess if the organisation has the most appropriate technologies to achieve its goals quickly assess unfamiliar technology for potential use in your organisation Examples of leadership using this skill: building credibility with people at all levels of your organisation by demonstrating your knowledge of different technologies effectively explaining benefits and risks of unfamiliar technology so that technical and non-technical stakeholders can make informed decisions guiding decisions on technology solutions made by stakeholders with different agendas and different levels of technical understanding
Innovation in digital and data	You can: detect and analyse early trends in technology, data or cyber security that could be important for your organisation advise the organisation on the implications of new technologies and uses of data, such as ethical, security or legal implications support teams to identify opportunities for innovation introduce technologies and methods that address shared problems Examples of leadership using this skill: building trust and credibility with stakeholders by demonstrating the relevance of new technologies or methods to address organisational challenges helping people at all levels of your organisation understand the potential benefits and risks of changes persuading other leaders to support and invest in innovation
Capability building for digital and data teams	You can: guide the organisation to ensure it has the technical, security or data skills it needs develop organisational processes and ways of working so that digital and data roles you support can thrive continuously improve and optimise the organisational environment Examples of leadership using this skill: prioritising capability needs that will have the most impact negotiating for longer-term investment in people by articulating the risks and benefits of different staffing strategies advocating for good practice in ways of working and supporting people to adopt this practice growing digital and data communities

Roles that share chief technology officer skills

Role	Shared skills
Chief data officer	Innovation in digital and data Capability building for digital and data teams
Chief information security officer	Innovation in digital and data Capability building for digital and data teams

Innovation in digital and data

Capability building for digital and data teams

Innovation in digital and data

Capability building for digital and data teams