Energy Australia hunts IT master planner

The energy utility has been without a permanent technology chief since late last year, despite having initiated a review of IT governance.

ZDNet Australia understands a number of interim CIOs have acted in the role since, the latest being the former CIO of the NSW Department of Housing, Sharron Kennedy.

An advertisement on the Energy Australia Web site today said the successful applicant would work at the executive level, and operate "with a high degree of independence".

One of the main priorities of the position, which has a five-year contract, is the creation of an organisation-wide IT strategic plan. Energy Australia employs around 250 technology staff.

"The CIO will be required to develop the Corporate IT Strategic Plan, deploy corporate methodologies, governance framework, process and architectural standards to provide an underlying foundation for achieving success," the advertisement said.

The strategic plan would determine the business cases for new technology solutions at Energy Australia.

As part of this, architectural changes were on the agenda. The CIO would assist Energy Australia in "migrating to an IT architecture that will support flexibility, scalability and an integrated approach for IT solutions."

The CIO would report to the general manager, finance and corporate, and to the IT steering committee. The committee was setup last year to improve governance.

Required skills for the position included the ability to "develop and deploy corporate methodologies, governance structures", extensive project management skills and highly developed consulting skills.