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permanent executive recruitment

Hire Chief Digital Officer

Hire Chief Digital Officer: appoint a continuing executive to own digital service direction, the change portfolio and the decisions that join channels, teams and technology.

Brief us on this role →
Chief Digital Officer briefChoose a part of the brief

Part 01 / 04

Service outcome

Name the user or customer service that must work better, and how the organisation will observe it.

Hire Chief Digital Officer: what must the role own?

Name the user or customer service that must work better, and how the organisation will observe it.

Service outcomeName the user or customer service that must work better, and how the organisation will observe it.
Portfolio authorityState which digital services, channels and delivery priorities the executive can change.
Operating modelIdentify product, technology, operations and service owners who must deliver together.
Data boundaryName who owns data definitions, quality, privacy and access alongside the digital portfolio.

Role reference: UK Government Functional Standard GovS 005: Digital. The standard distinguishes accountability for a digital service and technology portfolio from accountability for data assets. Use that boundary to define this digital appointment; its government requirements are not presented as duties on every company.

What changes when the Chief Digital Officer is permanent?

A Chief Digital Officer owns the direction and delivery of a digital portfolio. A Chief Data Officer owns data quality, governance, access and responsible use. Put the boundary in the brief so a service transformation does not become an unowned data programme, or vice versa.

permanentChoose a part of the brief

Part 01 / 04

Seat

Describe the continuing role, reporting line and decisions the appointment will own.

How would this work in a real brief?

The hiring decision becomes clearer when the work and its boundary are written down together.

Illustrative brief · a service organisation with disconnected digital journeys

Customers start online but finish by phone because the journey and the back-office process do not meet. Several teams own separate parts of the experience.

The continuing Chief Digital Officer sets the service portfolio, assigns journey ownership and coordinates the delivery priorities.

The appointment owns

The continuing Chief Digital Officer sets the service portfolio, assigns journey ownership and coordinates the delivery priorities.

Another owner retains

The Chief Data Officer owns the common data definitions and governance; operations retains day-to-day service delivery.

How should you assess Chief Digital Officer candidates?

Put the same work and evidence in front of each candidate before comparing answers.

The evidenceChoose a part of the brief

Part 01 / 04

Service diagnosis

Give candidates the same broken journey and ask where they would observe users before choosing technology.

Acas recommends a consistent, fair selection process: choosing who to interview.

Does this hiring pattern fit the work?

Test the amount of the week, the expected end and the continuity needed before writing the contract.

How much of the week does the work fill?
Is this a defined assignment with an end?
For a continuing part-week role, is this an employee?

The working pattern · permanent

A permanent Chief Digital Officer

An employee holds a continuing full-time seat. Assess the long-term remit, reporting line and induction plan.

Read the permanent Chief Digital Officer hiring brief →

What must happen before the Chief Digital Officer starts?

Agree the service outcome and the portfolio the executive may reprioritise.

A clear startChoose a part of the brief

Part 01 / 04

Mandate

Agree the service outcome and the portfolio the executive may reprioritise.
  1. 1

    Mandate

    Agree the service outcome and the portfolio the executive may reprioritise.

  2. 2

    Evidence

    Provide journey research, service performance and delivery constraints.

  3. 3

    Owners

    Set the boundaries with operations, technology, product and data leaders.

  4. 4

    First review

    Review a proposed service sequence against user evidence and delivery capacity.

A useful Chief Digital Officer brief names the decision, the working pattern and the evidence before it names a candidate.

What should the brief say?

Hire Chief Digital Officer begins with service outcome, a stated working pattern and the evidence you will ask every candidate to show.

15 minutes · video or phone

Brief us on a Chief Digital Officer

Tell us what the role must own, how it will work and when it must start.

  1. 01A brief built around the decisions and working pattern.
  2. 02A shortlist of 3–5 with pay or day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
  3. 03Five-stage vetting before a candidate reaches you.
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  1. A shortlist of 3–5, each with day rate, availability and IR35 position
  2. Fractional, interim, part-time, temporary or permanent — and non-executive directors
  3. Every candidate through our five-stage vetting
  4. Your briefs and their candidates, in one room
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