Chief Innovation, Technology and Digital Officer

Westmorland and Furness District Council
£120,927 - £135,629
Hackney

Westmorland & Furness is one of England’s newest unitary authorities, established in 2023 and covering a stunning geography from Barrow-in-Furness to Penrith, taking in Kendal and the surrounding Lake District communities. The Council brought together the former district councils of Barrow, Eden and South Lakeland alongside services from the former Cumbria County Council, and is now focused on building a modern, confident organisation with its own distinct identity.

THE ROLE

This is a newly created role reporting directly to the Chief Executive. The CITDO will bring together digital and technology, data and intelligence, customer services, business support, communications and PR, transformation and the corporate PMO under a single strategic leader.

The council is past the initial LGR transition phase but is still shaping its long-term digital and data foundations. Legacy systems, processes and cultures from predecessor councils are still being brought together, and the direction of travel is firmly towards modernisation. Digital transformation, automation, channel shift and smarter use of data are central to how the council will modernise, with investment in technology helping to reduce costs and improve outcomes.

The communications, customer and democratic engagement dimensions of the portfolio mean the CITDO will be visible to elected members and will need to operate with confidence and political awareness, particularly as the council shapes its public identity ahead of the 2027 joint mayoral and all-out local elections. The Cumbria Combined Authority also introduces a regional dimension, with digital and data strategies developing across the combined authority footprint.

For the right person, this is a unique opportunity to shape the digital and organisational infrastructure of a council that is still being built, at a moment when the leadership, the financial position and the transformation ambitions all demand that digital and technology are treated as corporate priorities. We welcome candidates from across local government, central government, the NHS, combined authorities and the private sector.

 

INFORMATION

For further details, please click on the role profile and useful links below. For more information please contact Tim Farr (07756 293292 / tim.farr@starfishsearch.com) or John Pease (07511 106 753 / john.pease@starfishsearch.com)

Role Profile     Structure Chart    
Timeline

Closing date: 2nd August 2026

Longlisting: w/c 3rd August 2026

Technical interviews: w/c 10th August 2026

Shortlisting: w/c 10th August 2026

Psychometric assessments: w/c 17th August 2026

Final interviews: w/c 31st August 2026

How to apply

To make an application, please click on the apply now button below, with the following prepared:

  • Your CV (no more than three sides of A4).
  • A supporting statement (no more than three sides of A4) that sets out why you think this role is the right move for you and how you meet the knowledge and experience criteria.

If our client is a member of the Disability Confident Scheme and you would like to apply under the scheme, please state that clearly at the top of your supporting statement, along with any adjustments you require to be made if invited for interview.