Clarence City Council looks for new CIO

Tasmania’s Clarence City Council is searching for a new chief information officer as  incumbent Vivien Patterson prepares to leave in March.

The state's second-biggest local government behind Launceston is hoping a new CIO will fill the spot in time for Patterson’s departure.

Clarence City Council CEO Ian Nelson told iTnews the new CIO will provide “strategic advice” to both himself and the executive leadership team “on the direction and delivery of council’s digital strategy”.

“[The new CIO provides] vision, leadership and governance of council's ICT, data and digital strategies to support council’s delivery of its strategic plan [and is] responsible for resourcing and delivering council’s cyber security program to protect councils’ assets," Nelson said.

Patterson’s replacement will also lead “business innovation in ICT solutions to meet current and emerging customer needs”, and report to Nelson.

The council has been undertaking a significant digital transformation of its ICT operating systems and infrastructure over the past seven years, including implementing a whole of enterprise, single enterprise resource planning (ERP) system.

It’s now developing customer-facing digital services, with the new CIO expected to continue with this digital programme of work.

Patterson held the CIO from 2019 after first joining the council back in 2018 as its acting business transformation manager.

She then shifted into a manager information services role a few months later, where she helped the council best use its new ERP system implementation.