The city of Los Angeles is seeking an Assistant General Manager (AGM) at its Information Technology Agency (ITA), who will also serve as Deputy Chief Information Officer. The application period is closing rapidly; responses are due by 4 p.m. Thursday.
In a LinkedIn post Tuesday, the city’s Chief Data Officer Jeanne Holm said it “may be the best job in government tech.”
“From data science to live TV, from social media to citywide collaboration software and 5G, from 311 to desktop support — do it all with the best team around,” wrote Holm, who occupied the roles before being named CDO in May. Among the takeaways:
• The successful candidate will serve as AGM for ITA’s Customer Engagement Bureau and join a “unified seven-person ITA executive team, managing key customer facing operations and assisting the CIO with understanding the needs/wants of 42 City departments, public relations, interactions with our elected officials, and citywide IT initiatives,” according to the job listing. With subordinate managers, the new deputy CIO will manage technology support including digital education and training initiatives; communications and media; public services including the city’s 311 call center; strategic insight and support, including the business analysis team; and IT department duties including internal ITA project management (ProjectStat) and metrics initiatives (TechStat).
• Key responsibilities include overseeing management of the “LA CityView” Channel 35 government access cable TV and multimedia platform, which includes Los Angeles City Council coverage and content production around city services; management of the city’s official website, ITA’s website and the City’s Intranet site; assisting the CIO in strategic planning and road-mapping citywide tech development; and working with department tech teams and stakeholders on efficient, customer-centered solutions.
• Desired qualifications include the minimum of a four-year degree from an accredited college or university in computer science, computer information systems, engineering, business, finance, management or a related field; at least five years full-time business or government tech experience, with at least three years in upper management or division management; and at least five years full-time L.A. city government experience with tech experience and at least three years in management or supervisory capacity at a Chief Management Analyst or Information Systems Manager II level or higher. Desirable specific experience includes time in management at a large or a government organization; experience “implementing or supporting IT projects”; “extensive experience” working with other agencies, departments or elected officials on IT initiatives; and having developed and implemented business and strategic plans.
• An exact timeline for candidate selection isn’t clear; however, Bruce Whidden, public information director at the Los Angeles Personnel Department, described the response thus far as “significant.” This is an exempt position, meaning it is not covered by so-called civil service protections. However, the job — which is currently funded in the city budget — is also exempt from the hard hiring freeze now in place, Whidden said. This is a historic year for Los Angeles in one regard: while the city’s 2020-2021 Fiscal Year began July 1, this may be the first year in recent memory that the new budget is not a “locked” document. Rather, the budget has been kept open and will be reviewed quarterly at least, as the economic crisis begun by the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
