Chief Technical Officer - CO - SCS1

£81,000 - £117,800 plus up to £6,763 additional allowance
Published on 21 August 2025
Deadline 2 September 2025

Location

Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
Based in Benton Park View, moving to Newcastle City Centre in Summer 2026.
This is a hybrid role with an expectation of 60% office attendance.

About the job Job summary

Digital Directorate

The Digital Directorate leads on service ownership, service design, and the development of technical services for the Infected Blood Compensation Authority. The team is responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining an effective service for the payment of compensation to support IBCA's mission.

Our work includes designing processes, guidance, technical architecture, and infrastructure that underpin our digital service and operational capabilities.

We collaborate across IBCA and directly with users to create a user-centered, legislatively compliant, and technically robust service.

Job Description

Reporting to the Director of Digital, the Chief Technical Officer will be central to designing and delivering IBCA's strategy and service development.

The role ensures effective technical design and delivery of the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme, working alongside the Head of Delivery and Head of Product. The CTO will lead multiple teams with product, design, and technical expertise, working with operational and data specialists to deliver this crucial service efficiently and user-focused.

The CTO will engage with various organizational areas to define our technology strategy, develop a technical roadmap, and align it with the overall service blueprint. They will ensure incremental value delivery, considering user needs, security, and robustness.

Key Responsibilities

• Technical Architecture and Roadmap Development: Developing and maintaining an iterative architecture and technical roadmap aligned with the service development plan.
• Technical Leadership: Leading digital teams' technical areas, including architecture, engineering, and testing, ensuring alignment with the service roadmap and balancing quality with delivery pace.
• Digital Leadership: Collaborating with the Head of Delivery and Head of Product to ensure development plans are aligned, achievable, and well-communicated.
• Live Service Management: Monitoring and supporting live service elements, establishing strategies, and building capabilities for ongoing support.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Working closely with IBCA teams and stakeholders to ensure shared vision and prioritization of technical and organizational goals.
• IT Strategy and Provision: Ensuring IT strategies reflect best practices and coordinating with wider government digital teams as needed.
• Embedding Technical Expertise: Developing and enforcing engineering and architectural standards, chairing the IBCA Technical Design Authority, and adhering to government service standards.

Person Specification

We seek evidence of:

• Exceptional leadership, inspiring teams and delivering results even in ambiguity.
• Experience in planning, implementing, and maintaining IT infrastructure, networks, systems, and hardware to meet user needs.
• Proven experience leading technical design and delivery of major government digital services using agile methodologies.
• Strong stakeholder relationship skills, fostering collaboration across organizational boundaries.
• Experience working with user-centered design teams to embed technical thinking into service blueprints and advocate for interactive solutions.