The appointment owns
The appointed CIO sets a systems plan, tests investment choices against operational needs and reports the trade-offs to the board.
permanent executive recruitment
Hire CIO
Hire CIO: define which information systems, technology investments and operational risks the continuing Chief Information Officer will own.
Brief us on this role →CIO briefChoose a part of the brief
Part 01 / 04
Estate
List the critical systems, data flows and supplier relationships that need an executive owner.
Part 02 / 04
Decisions
Name who approves architecture choices, technology investment and changes to shared services.
Part 03 / 04
Risk boundary
Agree how security, resilience and information risk reach the board and where specialist owners retain accountability.
Part 04 / 04
Leadership
Define the reporting line and the teams, budget and peers the CIO will lead or influence.
Hire CIO: what must the role own?
List the critical systems, data flows and supplier relationships that need an executive owner.
EstateList the critical systems, data flows and supplier relationships that need an executive owner.
DecisionsName who approves architecture choices, technology investment and changes to shared services.
Risk boundaryAgree how security, resilience and information risk reach the board and where specialist owners retain accountability.
LeadershipDefine the reporting line and the teams, budget and peers the CIO will lead or influence.
Role reference: SFIA 9: information systems coordination. SFIA describes coordination of information systems, shared services and technology governance; a CIO brief must still define its own decision rights.
What changes when the CIO is permanent?
A permanent CIO carries a continuing executive mandate. State whether the remit covers enterprise systems, information governance, suppliers and technology change, and where the CTO or IT director takes over.
permanentChoose a part of the brief
Part 01 / 04
Seat
Describe the continuing role, reporting line and decisions the appointment will own.
Part 02 / 04
Search
Set the evidence and assessment criteria before comparing candidates.
Part 03 / 04
Offer
Confirm employment terms, authority and any conditions before the offer is accepted.
Part 04 / 04
Induction
Arrange access, introductions and a clear first assignment.
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 · an organisation with a fragmented systems estate
Several functions have bought separate systems, and no continuing executive can decide which shared services to keep or replace.
The appointed CIO sets a systems plan, tests investment choices against operational needs and reports the trade-offs to the board.
Another owner retains
Functional leaders still own their processes; the security lead owns specialist controls; the board retains reserved spending decisions.
How should you assess CIO 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
System decisions
Ask for a real platform decision: alternatives considered, evidence used and who approved it.
Part 02 / 04
Business alignment
Give candidates the same operating priorities and ask which technology work they would defer.
Part 03 / 04
Supplier judgement
Ask how they challenged a vendor proposal and what changed as a result.
Part 04 / 04
Risk escalation
Test how they would brief the board on a material service or information risk.
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.
The working pattern · permanent
A permanent CIOAn employee holds a continuing full-time seat. Assess the long-term remit, reporting line and induction plan.
What must happen before the CIO starts?
Agree decision rights, reporting line and the first systems decision before appointment.
A clear startChoose a part of the brief
Part 01 / 04
Mandate
Agree decision rights, reporting line and the first systems decision before appointment.
Part 02 / 04
Access
Provide the estate map, contracts, incident history, budgets and current plans.
Part 03 / 04
Owners
Introduce functional, technology, security and finance peers with clear boundaries.
Part 04 / 04
Review
Review an actual technology decision and whether the agreed authority was sufficient.
- 1
Mandate
Agree decision rights, reporting line and the first systems decision before appointment.
- 2
Access
Provide the estate map, contracts, incident history, budgets and current plans.
- 3
Owners
Introduce functional, technology, security and finance peers with clear boundaries.
- 4
Review
Review an actual technology decision and whether the agreed authority was sufficient.
A useful CIO brief names the decision, the working pattern and the evidence before it names a candidate.
What should the brief say?
Hire CIO begins with estate, a stated working pattern and the evidence you will ask every candidate to show.
15 minutes · video or phone
Brief us on a CIO
Tell us what the role must own, how it will work and when it must start.
- 01A brief built around the decisions and working pattern.
- 02A shortlist of 3–5 with pay or day rate, availability and IR35 position set out.
- 03Five-stage vetting before a candidate reaches you.
Pick a day that suits · live availability
