The NSW Department of Education is searching for a new Chief Information Officer (CIO) to lead its IT directorate following the departure of the current Chief Information and Data Officer, Sandie Matthews, who recently joined an undisclosed organization. Matthews initially joined the department as CIO in August 2021 and later took on the expanded role of Chief Information and Data Officer.
The department’s spokesperson confirmed that the advertised CIO position is the same role previously held by Matthews, but mentioned that the department is reviewing the role of the Chief Data Officer. Matthews’ next career move has not been disclosed, and both she and the department declined to comment.
In the interim, Josh Roberts, the Group Director of Infrastructure, Network, and Cloud Services, has been appointed as the interim CIO while the department seeks a permanent replacement. The CIO holds a position in the department’s operations executive team and works under the leadership of COO Ruth Owen, focusing on enhancing student outcomes through service delivery.
The IT directorate of the department consists of approximately 1500 staff members and is responsible for meeting the IT requirements of 2200 public schools. The incoming CIO will collaborate with the recently established digital strategy and enterprise architecture, as mentioned in the job posting.
The NSW Education’s digital strategy aims to transform the department into a modern hybrid education system enabled by technology, data, and services. The strategy’s six strategic investment pillars include areas such as cybersecurity, data-driven insights, equitable access, evolved learning, seamless services, and simplified IT.
Prior to her role in the Department of Education, Matthews served as the CIO of the NSW Department of Premier and Cabinet. She has also held executive positions with the City of Darwin, the Northern Territory Office of Digital Government, and Queensland Health.