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GovOps Opens Recruitment for Agency Information Officer

Andrew Armani, who retired in June as the agency's first and only AIO, has some advice for potential applicants -- and for the tech vendors who will come calling once the position is filled.

The state has begun recruitment for an agency information officer (AIO) for the powerful Government Operations Agency, the sprawling entity that encompasses the California Department of Technology (CDT) and the Department of General Services, among others.

The job posting indicates the importance of the GovOps AIO role in state IT governance: “Partnering with the chief information officers and information technology offices across the agency, this executive is responsible for leveraging and coordinating equipment, staffing, telecommunications and technology to maximize the use of technology and telecommunications resources throughout the programs of the agency’s departments, boards and commissions. In protecting the agency’s information assets, the executive is responsible for adhering to information security and risk management policies.”

The position is a Career Executive Assignment, reporting to GovOps Secretary Yolanda Richardson, and it has a monthly salary range of $10,360 to $12,341. The application deadline is March 8.

The recruitment is to fill a position whose only previous occupant was Andrew Armani, who was also simultaneously the deputy secretary for the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency (BCSH). That combined role was split, and Jason Piccione was named AIO for BCSH in December.

“It makes sense to split it,” Armani told Techwire in an interview Thursday. “The reason I could handle that is because I’d been managing for so long. For me, it’s second nature. But any new person who comes in is going to be overwhelmed.”

As for the next GovOps AIO, Armani, now a consultant in the private sector, had some advice.

“GovOps is an interesting kind of agency because they also oversee CDT,” Armani said. “It’s a policymaker for the state. But there’s a very fine line between the responsibility of an AIO at GovOps and basically directing CDT, because you’re working with the state CIO. So the state CIO (Amy Tong) reports to the (GovOps) secretary, and you (the AIO) report to the secretary, so it’s more your equal — partners, if you will, with the state CIO. That’s one aspect of it.

“You also have to understand the politics of it,” Armani continued. “So the advice I have is, ‘Understand it.’ You can’t just jump in and say, ‘This is what I want’ or order people around. You have to understand the connections. And GovOps — they have the Office of Digital Innovation, they have the state chief data officer, and these are all part of GovOps, which means you as an AIO have to be able to partner with all of them, because every one of them has a piece of technology. You are not the sole adviser to the secretary, per se, for technology. So you have to understand the relationships.”

And on the topic of relationships, Armani — a founding member of e.Republic’s California Public Sector CIO Academy, has spoken for years at conferences about the importance of networking and personal connections.

“The relationship between the AIOs and CIOs and the private sector, the business community, is essential,” Armani said Thursday. “We cannot do business without the private sector, and you cannot be shy about it or afraid of the private sector. If anything, that is probably what I would absolutely emphasize as far as partnership and relationship building: That is absolutely essential. We have larger systems integrators in town, and we have smaller companies that do a lot of work for the state, so without those relationships, you’re not going to get the benefit that’s offered by these companies for your departments, for the agency.”

Armani also had a bit of advice for vendors on how to approach a new AIO, once GovOps has one in place.

“The way to approach any of these folks — AIOs or CIOs — is to go in without right away saying, ‘We have this product that we want you to buy.’ You have to go in, introduce yourself … let the AIO know how long you’ve been in business or working with the state, and you’re just here to say hello and see how you can help them. … Many times, a company will come in and say they have a solution for your problems. It doesn’t work that way. … These guys (AIOs and CIOs) don’t need solutions looking for problems. Study them. Understand the department. Do your homework, introduce yourself, do a meet and greet, and then follow up.”

Armani also cautioned applicants about voicing their personal views about policy, politics or other potentially sensitive matters.

“As the AIO, you’re basically speaking for the secretary,” Armani said. “You’re speaking for the entire agency. You go to (legislative) hearings, you have to testify — these things have nothing to do with IT. So if you don’t know how to do it, learn from the experts.”

Armani added that he still enjoys mentoring and offered to have a conversation with anyone seeking his advice.

Dennis Noone is Executive Editor of Industry Insider. He is a career journalist, having worked at small-town newspapers and major metropolitan dailies including USA Today in Washington, D.C.