The appeal of a career in public sector IT

Steel: The variety of public sector IT work is incredibly appealing. Pic credit: Loopzilla

I came to the public sector after working in the City for 16 years. Initially, I think I harboured a few prejudices about what to expect: stereotypical workshy luddites, ready to walk out on strike at the drop of the hat. Over the years I have met the odd workshy luddite and there has been the occasional strike. But what continues to impress me is the number of hugely talented and committed people with whom I work.

I am based in Newham, which is pretty close to the City of London and there have been a couple of people who have left for jobs in the City ­ – and been able to double their salary ­ – only to return.

The variety of the work we do is incredibly appealing, and some people feel that makes it a more exciting and dynamic work environment.

IT’s role at Newham is to provide services to a hugely varied organisation ­ – across housing, taxation, leisure, environmental monitoring ­ – and provide mechanisms to engage with the community.

Such variety also affects the type of person and skills that we look for in the public sector. It is not possible to be too prescriptive about the technical skills it would be valuable for prospective candidates to have ­ – we work in such a rapidly changing environment that the skills we need are always changing. Consequently, one necessary characteristic for prospective employees is that they are adaptable.

But more than that, the people who will thrive in the public sector are the ones able to engage with the business; who can take their technical know-how and explain how that can be used to improve public services.

For example, I would expect any security professional to be able to give me chapter and verse on identity management or authentication. But we are really looking for people who can then relate that to how we engage with other organisations and our communities, and how it might relate to programmes such as Government Connect.

It is not easy to prove that you have the necessary skills, so IT pro fessionals considering a job in the public sector need to think about the experience they have and then have the ability to talk about that experience in a way that is relevant.

The sheer variety of qualifications available makes it difficult to assess potential candidates. However, I believe as a profession we are improving here, so I would encourage anyone researching qualifications to look for ones that are allied to the Skills Framework for the Information Age, commonly referred to as SFIA.

The other type of qualification that can be useful is an MBA. I studied for my MBA after I joined Newham, and I found it incredibly useful in helping me to challenge my thinking about how technology relates to the organisation. Those sorts of skills will always be useful.

Perhaps something that separates the public sector from the private is that the public sector places greater emphasis on having an organisation that reflects the community it serves.

I do not think that IT has enough women entering the profession. Part of the reason for that is an image problem. IT is perceived as a profession for technical anoraks, but it need not be. We have had a few extremely talented female members of staff during my time at Newham. As a profession it would be good to attract more.

Anyone working for the public sector – ­ and particularly so at the most senior levels ­ – must be aware of the political aspects of the role. Frequently you will need to explain some very technical issues to politicians, who on the whole are not technologists. And you will need to explain what you are doing, not only in a way that they understand, but in a way that will foster their support.

The other big consideration is working within the constraints of a budgeting cycle. Anyone coming to the public sector will probably find that they need a period of adjustment to come to terms with managing within an annual budget cycle.

Richard Steel is chief information officer at the London Borough of Newham and president of Socitm