The Ministry of Justice is advertising for a new chief information officer (CIO) to lead its 1,100 strong IT department.

The department is one of the largest in government and has a number of functions, including offender management and the court systems supported by a wide array of dispersed IT systems.

The new CIO will be required to take the department towards shared services integration and system simplification and will be rewarded with a salary of £160,000 plus benefits.

"This is a challenging stakeholder management role where leadership, personal stature, credibility and energy will be tested to cement the benefits of change, " says the advert.

Outgoing CIO Andrew Gay, who has been in the role for less than a year, said:

"I was always interim and it has gone on longer that I thought. I will no doubt go back to my other companies and roles as well as a bit of retirement practice and a lot of public speaking."

The closing date for applications is Tuesday 26 May 2009.