West Midlands on the hunt for a chief digital officer

Former John Lewis CEO Andy Street is now mayor of the region and is putting together a digital strategy

The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) is on the hunt for a chief digital officer (CDO) for the region.

The new role has been created as part of West Midlands' new mayor Andy Street's digital strategy. The purpose of the strategy is to deliver prosperity across the region by driving and supporting digital innovation and deployment that will impact all sectors and institutions across the region's 18 local authorities and four local enterprise partnerships.

According to Ernst & Young, the West Midlands has developed a reputation as a centre of technology excellence, accounting for more than 70,000 jobs and securing 111 foreign direct investment projects in 2016. The successful applicant will be responsible for building on this and delivering in several key areas.

The role includes working with Street and the WMCA digital board to create and deliver the digital strategy for the region, as well as acting as a senior digital advisor to the mayor. The successful candidate will also have to drive and enable innovation and digital delivery through leveraging data, innovation challenges and collaboration.

They will have to increase coverage, performance and innovation to build what WMCA refers to as a "super connected region" and they will be tasked with securing significant investment from both the public and private sector, including devolved government funds for the region to enable the digital strategy.

"We're looking for someone who is as passionate about the success of the region and digital as we are. Someone who is driven by the opportunity to bring about real change and positively impact the lives of millions of people," said Street, who was the former CEO of retailer John Lewis.

"We believe digital is vital to the success of our economy. It is the golden thread across all industries, from construction and manufacturing to life science and professional services, which will provide jobs in the 21st century. If you share this view and have the skills to get the job done, then we want to hear from you," he added.

The post holder will have to be able to demonstrate an ability to develop influential relationships, collaborative partnerships and lead projects to successful completion.

Harvey Nash, the recruitment company helping WMCA to find suitable candidates said that the applicant would ideally bring experience gained within the private and public sector, whether working directly with a company in a forward thinking industry, or a consulting role interfacing with that industry.

Salary and application details can be found by contacting Harvey Nash.