So You Want to Be a Director of Technology in Local Government? Here’s What You Need to Know

Stepping into the role of Director of Technology in local government is not just a career move it’s a leadership commitment to public service, innovation, and community impact. This is a position that sits at the intersection of digital transformation, strategic governance, and social equity. It’s no longer about managing IT contracts or troubleshooting systems. It’s about shaping the future of how councils deliver services, engage citizens, and build resilient, inclusive communities. The modern Director of Technology must be a visionary, a collaborator, and a change agent. You’ll be expected to lead on everything from cybersecurity and cloud migration to data ethics and digital inclusion. You’ll need to understand the political landscape, navigate budget constraints, and build trust across departments and with elected members. And you’ll need to do all this while keeping pace with rapid technological change and rising public expectations.

This is a role where your decisions can directly improve lives whether it’s through smarter housing systems, predictive analytics in adult social care, or accessible digital platforms for residents with disabilities. But it’s also a role that demands resilience, strategic clarity, and a deep understanding of the challenges facing local government today. If you're aspiring to step into this role, here’s what you need to know to prepare, what to focus on from day one, and what to avoid as you build your leadership legacy.

What You Need to Know to Be Ready

To succeed as a Director of Technology in local government, you’ll need far more than technical know-how. This is a strategic leadership role that demands a rare blend of digital fluency, organisational insight, and political sensitivity. You’ll be expected to lead transformation in a sector where legacy systems, tight budgets, and rising public expectations collide daily.

According to the Local Government Association’s Cyber, Digital, Data and Technology (CDDaT) Skills Framework:

"Insufficient cyber, digital, data and technology capability within councils is a concern for the sector, with numerous roles remaining vacant for years."Local Government Association

This shortage isn’t just about recruitment it’s about readiness. Councils need leaders who can translate technology into public value, build inclusive digital cultures, and navigate complex governance landscapes.

Core Capabilities You’ll Need

Here are the essential skills and mindsets that define readiness for the role:

• Strategic IT leadership – Aligning digital initiatives with council priorities, from climate action to adult social care.

• Cybersecurity and risk management – Embedding resilience and trust into every layer of infrastructure and service delivery.

• Data governance and analytics – Leveraging data to drive evidence-based decisions, predictive modelling, and performance improvement.

• Change management – Leading cultural and behavioural change across diverse teams and departments.

• Stakeholder engagement – Building trust with elected members, residents, suppliers, and internal teams.

• Service design and accessibility – Championing user-centred design and inclusive digital services.

• Procurement and vendor management – Navigating complex supply chains and ensuring value for money.

• Digital ethics and inclusion – Ensuring technology serves everyone, especially the digitally excluded.

• 

A Fresh Perspective on Digital Leadership

Lisa Trickey, former Head of Digital at Dorset Council and LGA advisor, offers a powerful reflection on what digital leadership really means:

"Digital leadership requires thinking, behaving and acting in a way that enables teams to navigate continuous change and leverage technology in a safe, ethical and sustainable way. It means focusing on people and conversation to understand problems and create richer experiences and human connections."Lisa Trickey, LGA Advisor

This isn’t just about systems it’s about culture, curiosity, and courage. The best Directors of Technology lead with empathy, clarity, and a relentless focus on outcomes.

In short, readiness means being able to attract, retain, and inspire the right people not just build the right systems.

What to Think About on Day One

Your first day as a Director of Technology in local government isn’t about fixing broken printers or reviewing procurement logs. It’s about setting the tone for transformation establishing credibility, building trust, and laying the foundations for a digital future that serves everyone. This is your moment to move from operational firefighting to strategic foresight. The decisions you make in your first few weeks will shape how your council approaches innovation, resilience, and inclusion for years to come.

1. Define the Vision

Start by aligning your digital strategy with the council’s corporate plan and political priorities. Whether it’s tackling climate change, improving adult social care, or boosting economic growth, your technology roadmap must be a strategic enabler not a standalone document.

Use frameworks like the Government Digital and Data Capability Framework to benchmark skills, roles, and maturity levels. This helps you identify gaps and build a team that’s fit for purpose.

“Digital transformation isn’t just about upgrading systems it’s about reshaping the relationship between citizens and the state.” Mark Gannon, Director of Client Solutions, Netcall.

2. Build Trust Through Cyber Resilience

Cybersecurity is non-negotiable. Councils are increasingly targeted by ransomware and phishing attacks, and public trust hinges on your ability to protect sensitive data. Adopt zero-trust security models, conduct vulnerability assessments, and ensure staff are trained in cyber awareness. The LGA’s Cyber Assessment Framework is a practical starting point for embedding resilience into every layer of your infrastructure.

3. Map Your Tech Estate

Before you can modernise, you need to understand what you’ve inherited. Legacy systems are often fragmented, expensive, and poorly integrated. Conduct a full audit of your IT estate systems, contracts, data flows, and dependencies. This will help you identify opportunities for cloud migration, system consolidation, and cost savings. Don’t wait for structural clarity modernise early to avoid deeper technical debt.

4. Put People First

Digital transformation must be resident-centred, not department-led. Invest in user research, accessibility, and service design that reflects how people actually live and interact with public services. As Tom Smith, Director of AI at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, puts it:

“Real transformation will require collaboration between councils, suppliers, government departments and sector bodies.”

Use this opportunity to break down silos and design services around real user journeys, not legacy structures. Think “outside-in” rather than “inside-out”.

What to Be Thinking About Long-Term

Once the dust settles from your first few months, your focus must shift from immediate fixes to strategic foresight. The most effective Directors of Technology in local government think beyond systems they think about impact, inclusion, and governance. Here are three long-term priorities that will define your legacy.

1. Data as a Strategic Asset

Data is no longer just a back-office function it’s the fuel for smarter, more responsive public services. Councils that treat data as a strategic asset can unlock predictive analytics, AI-driven insights, and proactive service design. The Local Government Association’s Better Use of Data programme highlights the importance of building an evidence-informed culture:

“Improving data maturity enables well-informed decisions, better service design, and transparency across departments.”Local Government Association

Real-world applications include identifying vulnerable households during emergencies, forecasting housing maintenance issues, and predicting which residents may need early intervention in adult social care. But this only works if your council has:

• Clean, interoperable data across systems

• Skilled analysts who understand both tech and policy

• Clear governance protocols for ethical use

As the Infrastructure and Projects Authority notes:

“Innovation in data analytics and AI could be transformative for project delivery but success depends on removing barriers to sharing data and building the right skills.” IPA, GOV.UK

2. Digital Inclusion

Digital transformation must be inclusive by design. It’s not enough to digitise services you must ensure that every resident can access and benefit from them.

According to the House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee:

“Digital exclusion is a serious problem, with basic digital skills set to become the UK’s largest skills gap by 2030.”House of Lords Report

Many councils still report that 40% of staff lack essential digital literacy, and large segments of the population especially older adults, rural communities, and low-income households remain offline or underserved. Your long-term strategy should include:

• Community-based digital skills programmes

• Partnerships with libraries, schools, and voluntary groups

• Investment in accessible design and assistive technologies

• Data-driven targeting of exclusion hotspots

The LGA’s Digital Inclusion Hub stresses that:

“Local authorities are best placed to support digitally excluded residents but success depends on cross-organisational ownership and tailored training.” Local Government Association

3. Governance and Accountability

Digital transformation without governance is just chaos with better branding. You’ll need to build agile, transparent, and accountable structures that support innovation while protecting public trust. The National Audit Office recommends that councils adopt agile governance models that allow for rapid iteration, stakeholder feedback, and clear decision-making:

“Agile governance enables faster delivery, better collaboration, and improved accountability but it must be supported by strong audit and risk assurance practices.”National Audit Office

Consider implementing:

• Digital boards with cross-departmental representation

• Decision logs and sprint reviews for transparency

• KPIs focused on user outcomes, not just system uptime

• Regular public reporting on digital progress and challenges

Governance isn’t just about compliance it’s about creating the conditions for safe, ethical, and sustainable innovation.

What to Avoid

Even the most visionary digital leaders can stumble if they overlook the structural and cultural realities of local government. Avoiding these pitfalls is just as important as setting the right strategy. Here are three critical traps to steer clear of:

Ignoring Legacy Systems

Outdated technology isn’t just inconvenient it’s a security risk, a financial drain, and a barrier to innovation. Many councils still rely on decades-old systems that are expensive to maintain, difficult to integrate, and vulnerable to cyber threats. Delaying modernisation can lead to:

• Increased downtime and service disruption

• Higher long-term costs due to patchwork fixes

• Incompatibility with cloud platforms and modern APIs

• Reduced staff productivity and morale

A 2023 Socitm report found that over 60% of councils cite legacy systems as the biggest blocker to digital transformation. Modernising doesn’t mean ripping everything out overnight it means prioritising interoperability, cloud-readiness, and future-proofing.

Underestimating Cultural Resistance

Technology doesn’t transform organisations people do. And people resist change, especially when it threatens familiar routines or job roles. A common mistake is assuming that digital transformation is purely technical. Without cultural buy-in, even the best systems will fail. You must:

• Engage staff early and often

• Provide tailored training and support

• Celebrate quick wins to build momentum

• Create safe spaces for experimentation and feedback

As the LGA’s Digital Leadership Guide notes:

“Digital transformation requires a shift in mindset, not just skillset. Leaders must model curiosity, openness and a willingness to learn.”

Ignoring culture leads to disengagement, burnout, and stalled progress.

Siloed Thinking

Digital transformation is cross-cutting by nature. It touches every service, every team, and every resident. Yet many councils still approach it in silos with IT, communications, and service leads working in isolation. This results in:

• Duplicated effort and wasted resources

• Inconsistent user experiences

• Missed opportunities for collaboration and innovation

Instead, foster a whole-council approach. Create cross-functional digital boards, embed service designers in transformation teams, and encourage shared ownership of outcomes. As the Government Digital Service puts it:

“The best digital services are built by multidisciplinary teams who understand users, policy, and technology and who work together from day one.”

Final Thought

Digital transformation in local government is not just a technical challenge it’s a leadership opportunity. It’s a chance to reimagine how councils serve their communities, how data drives decisions, and how technology can unlock fairness, efficiency, and innovation. Yet the scale of the challenge is sobering. According to the State of Digital Government Review, the UK public sector spends over £26 billion annually on digital technology, but public satisfaction with services has dropped from 79 percent to 68 percent. This disconnect highlights a critical truth: spending alone doesn’t deliver transformation leadership does.

The next generation of Directors of Technology must be:

• Bold enough to challenge legacy thinking

• Inclusive enough to design for every resident, not just the digitally confident

• Visionary enough to see technology as a tool for social change, not just operational efficiency

• 
  

As Theo Blackwell, Chief Digital Officer for London, once said:

“Digital leadership in the public sector is about creating the conditions for innovation to thrive not just delivering projects, but shaping culture, policy and ambition.”

If that sounds like you, the sector doesn’t just need you it’s waiting for you.