Home Office seeks three CTOs to keep borders, passports, and core IT ticking

The Home Office's digital division is recruiting three chief technology officers (CTOs) for migration and borders and enterprise services, each paid £81,000 to £105,000 a year. It is looking for two CTOs for Migration and Borders Digital, which runs passport control eGates and electronic travel authorizations, which people notice when they go down or start working differently. The unit's other high-profile systems include those supporting passenger data services, digital identity, visas, asylum applications, and immigration status. "Applying for a passport is now a seamless, self-service experience where renewals are printed and dispatched in just 48 hours," writes Mike McCarthy, the department's director general for digital and innovation, in material published with the job ad. "Our airport eGates support 76 million UK border crossings each year, with digitally assisted electronic travel authorisation decisions made in just 45 seconds." "These aren't just technical achievements. They are real, measurable changes to improve millions of people's lives, and we're extremely proud of the difference we've made so far," he adds of Home Office Digital, the name the department has adopted for its IT function. McCarthy is himself a recent recruit, having joined the Home Office in January after working for consultancy McKinsey and spending eight years in the British Army’s Corps of Royal Engineers. According to the job ad from last September, he is paid £160,000 and oversees 4,000 people with a budget of £1.8 billion. Home Office Digital is also looking for a CTO for its enterprise services unit, which designs, builds, and operates core services including networks, end user services, and operational support for more than 35,000 users. McCarthy writes that the department has "moved most of our technology services into the cloud, saving money while boosting efficiency." The department expects successful applicants to agree to serve for at least three years, although this is not a contractual requirement, and undertake the Security Check level of national security clearance. They can be based in Cardiff, Croydon, Glasgow, Manchester, or Sheffield. Applications close at 11:55pm BST on Sunday, May 24, with interviews expected to take place in early July. ®