10th September 2026
Welcome to the latest edition of our North East Jobs Thursday Spotlight page!
Spotlight is your weekly focus on some of the best new public sector job vacacnies from around our region.
Each week we highlight interesting roles from around the North East and speak to people from different local councils and public sector organisations to get the inside track on what it's like working in the public sector.
SPOTLIGHT FOCUS
This week we have a special focus on an amazing senior leadership opportunity with North Tyneside Council as their new Chief Technology Officer, and have also spoken to their Interim Chief Digital and Information Officer Louanne Mullarkey-Stocker.
We started off by asking Louanne the following:
1. What attracted you to working in your current role?
"I believe I can make a real difference to how the council uses digital, data and technology to improve services. I had already led significant change across ICT and digital services, including bringing services back in-house, improving resilience, strengthening cyber security and supporting major transformation. That experience has shown me how important strong digital leadership is to the whole organisation, not just the technology service.
I care about making services simpler, safer and better for residents and staff. I also care about building a confident, capable team that feels supported and ambitious about what digital can achieve. This role gives me the opportunity to set the direction, join up work across the council, and make sure digital, data and technology are focused on outcomes, not just systems. I understand the organisation, I know the challenges, and I have the energy and commitment to help move us forward."
2. What has been your biggest challenge to date?
"The biggest challenge is balancing transformation with resilience. Local government has to modernise quickly, but we also need to keep essential services running, protect data, manage cyber risk and deliver value for money. The CDIO has to join up technology, data, people and service redesign so digital change delivers real benefits, not just new systems."
3. What has been your most satisfying outcome of the role?
"The most satisfying outcome has been helping to stabilise and strengthen the ICT service after bringing it back in-house. I am proud that we improved resilience, strengthened cyber security, built better governance and supported the team through significant change. The biggest reward has been seeing confidence grow and staff progression.”
4. Is there anything else you would like to share about the Chief Technology Officer opportunity?
"The Chief Technology Officer (CTO) role is important because technology sits underneath almost every service the council delivers. North Tyneside Council needs someone who can look ahead and make sure our technology is ready for the future, while also making sure the basics are reliable, secure and well managed.
For me, this is what makes the role so exciting. It is a real opportunity to shape the council’s technology foundations at a time when digital, data and cyber security matter more than ever. The role can help unlock better services, support new ways of working and give the organisation the confidence to modernise safely.
The role is about balancing innovation with operational stability. We need to modernise our infrastructure, make better use of cloud and data, improve how systems connect, and support new ways of working. But we also need to keep the lights on every day. Staff and residents depend on our systems being available, safe and easy to use. Security has to be at the forefront of that. The CTO must make sure cyber resilience, data protection and good technical controls are built into everything we do, not added later.
The role also needs strong technical direction. That means setting clear standards, reducing complexity, tackling legacy systems, and making sure investment decisions support the council’s wider aims. A good CTO helps the organisation move forward with confidence. They create the strong, secure foundations that allow digital transformation to happen at pace, without putting services, data or trust at risk.”
A big thank you to Louanne for sharing her thoughts with us this week. You can find out more about the new role below.
THIS WEEK'S SPOTLIGHT
North Tyneside Council - Chief Technology Officer
Salary: £73,599 • Closing date: 15th September
This is a rare opportunity to lead the technology North Tyneside runs on, and to own the technical decisions behind it.
As Chief Technology Officer within the council's Digital, Data and Technology service, you'll be the technical subject matter expert and technical design authority. Every strategic technology decision comes through you. This is a chance to join an ambitious council that is investing in its digital capability, and to set the direction of the estate that carries it.
You'll lead operational delivery across all of the council's technology infrastructure teams, covering architecture, on-prem and cloud server infrastructure, storage, backup, networking and connectivity, Unix, voice and data. You'll decide what those teams work on and in what order, so that their services stay resilient and high quality.
This role is also about digital ambition for North Tyneside. It is about looking beyond the council’s own systems and helping shape a borough where people, communities and businesses can benefit from better digital access, stronger connectivity and new technology.
You will play a key role in turning our Digital Strategy and Inclusive Economy Strategy into practical plans that support growth, inclusion and opportunity. Working with the Lead Members for ICT and Regeneration, you will help make sure North Tyneside has the digital foundations it needs for the future.
To find out more and apply, please click on the link below: