Victoria’s utility sector watchdog is looking to fill a newly created role to lead its technology operations which have doubled in expenditure over one year.
The CTO will lead “operational and strategic IT teams” and “contribute as an active member of the leadership team within shared services,” according to the Victorian Essential Services Commission’s job posting.
The agency told iTnews that, in the past few years, both the agency and the sectors it regulates - water, gas and electricity - had ramped up their use of technology, necessitating the creation of the CTO role.
The agency would not say who currently heads its IT operations. IT was once part of a broader corporate services domain, but is understood to have been split out into its own function four years ago.
iTnews was unable to verify who has had domain responsibility for IT at the agency since.
The new CTO is expected to "build organisational technology capabilities" and "proactively identify opportunities to enhance service delivery," according to the job posting.
Doubling IT spending
Reflecting the increased investment in technology among utilities that it oversees, the commission itself has spent more on ICT, with expenditure up 56.7 percent year-on-year according to its last two annual reports.
The commission reported $3.2 million in ICT expenditure in its 2020–21 report [pdf] and $5.1 million [pdf] in its 2021-22 report.
It invested in technology to assist functions like monitoring energy companies’ compliance with efficiency targets and administering the Victorian Energy Upgrades for Households scheme.
The commission issues and suspends certificates to energy companies based on their compliance with the Victorian Energy Efficiency Target Act 2007.
According to its 2021-22 report, the commission invested in “IT system changes to support the creation and registration of certificates reflecting legislative changes.”
During the 2020-21 financial year, the commission “determined to discontinue” $2.4 million worth of “in progress” upgrades for the registry system it uses for its program for providing consumers discount energy-saving products.
It “de-recognised” the software developments made to support the Victorian Energy Upgrades for Households as “intangible assets” during the 2020-21 financial year.
The commission added in its report for the 2021-22 financial year that the “in-development version of the IT system was assessed as not being compatible with the program’s evolving current and future requirements.”
It had decided “to explore alternative pathways for the development of a Victorian Energy Upgrades registry system,” the 2021-22 report stated.
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