Joe Harley, chief information officer (CIO) for government and also for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), has announced that he will retire from the civil service next spring.

The DWP will immediately begin a process to appoint a successor, while the Cabinet Office will start a separate process to appoint a new CIO for government alongside the ongoing efforts to recruit a new deputy-CIO.

Harley said: “It’s been a great honour and a privilege to have served the department and government over the years. It’s been a hugely fulfilling experience. I am proud to have made some contribution to improving public services for the benefit of the citizen and the taxpayer."

DWP permanent secretary Robert Devereux said that Harley “has been pivotal in establishing commercial arrangements which give value for money, and in the delivery of major changes to IT underpinning services which are critical for millions of people every day. The IT for Universal Credit, in particular, is on track.  I wish him well in his retirement."

Cabinet Office permanent secretary Ian Watmore said: “Joe has accomplished great things in his time as government CIO, having created and published a transformational ICT Strategy, along with plans of how it will be implemented.”

Written by CSW