Lifeline on the hunt for CIO
Crisis organisation Lifeline has advertised for a chief information officer (CIO), describing the position as a "newly established role" that would give the chosen executive a chance to make their mark in an organisation that itself makes a difference to the lives of many Australians.
The non-profit organisation's mission is to prevent Australians from taking their own life and boosting mental health; a goal it meets through its well-known 24-hour hotlines and centres located around the nation. Founded in 1963, the organisation now takes 1250 calls a day, fielded by an army of 11,000 volunteers. It also has some 260 retail outlets.
Lifeline didn't immediately return calls about the matter, and it's not clear who was previously leading the organisation's IT operations. Its most recent technology executive with a public profile appears to have been its former national IT manager for information systems, Steve Tucker, who in 2006 conducted a number of interviews about the group's move to an IP telephony platform, as well as associated new identity management systems. However, Tucker has since moved on to work at ETSA utilities in South Australia.
In its advertisement, Lifeline said it was embarking on "an ambitious expansion of its ICT capabilities", including a major expansion of its contact centre environment, and the development of new online crisis support services.
"You will be responsible for developing and leading ICT business service provision to Lifeline's national office in Canberra and shared services to 24 Lifeline member organisations located in every state and territory," the organisation told candidates.
The group is looking for an executive with "strong business acumen", along with skills in strategic thinking, financial and project management and so on, and it noted that certification in the Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) standard and membership of a professional body like the Australian Computer Society would be well regarded.
The position is the second national CIO role to open up within a week, with national workforce services company SKILLED Group also advertising for a new top-level technology executive.