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By Andy McCue, 1 March 2004 17:45

NEWS The "most influential role in UK IT" is officially up for grabs with the government now looking for a CIO to replace current e-Envoy Andrew Pinder this summer.

The job spec is revealed in an advert inviting applications for the new 'head of e-government' in yesterday's Sunday Times. The salary is described as "competitive".

The role will remain in the Cabinet Office and will incorporate a new position of head of profession for IT in government, as well as being responsible for the security of the critical ICT infrastructure of the UK.

"The role is analogous to that of a CIO of a very large and diverse conglomerate," stated the advert.

The new position will also work with the Office of Government Commerce on public service efficiency and reform and lead the government's strategic relationships with major IT suppliers.

"It will be a high-profile role operating at the highest levels in Government and the ICT industry," the job ad said.

Obviously impressed with the impact former private sector IT man Richard Granger has had in his role as head of the NHS IT modernisation programme, the government is looking for someone "of the very highest calibre" who is "likely to be group CIO of a major organisation" to take on what it describes as "one of the most influential roles in the world of IT today".

Speaking at the launch of a new online government portal that pools together departmental information into easy to navigate categories, e-Envoy Andrew Pinder said that although his contract ends this month he has agreed to stay on until the new person is appointed "in the summer".

The new government website, Directgov, will initially be available through UK Online and combines motoring, disability and parenting information from 18 different government department websites and will eventually replace UK Online.

"We're convinced this is a much better way of doing things," said Pinder. "We want to produce a site that is usable for people who don't know their way around government."

The information and transactional capability of the site will be expanded ahead of a proper launch, probably in the autumn. Pinder said government departments had shared the "few hundred thousand pound" costs of the site. It is run on a platform developed by Sapient and Microsoft and hosted by EDS – though this will shift to ITNet with its new government hosting contract.