Mike Sakamoto, the chief information officer and deputy director of the Information Technology Division (ITD) at the California Department of Developmental Services (DDS), has announced his retirement; and as a result, DDS seeks a new CIO. A nearly 14-year veteran of state service, Sakamoto began his state service in October 2006 as chief, IT operations at the Office of Statewide Health Planning & Development – following a 23-year career at HP. Since then he’s also held C-level positions at California Correctional Health Care Services, the Employment Development Department and the California Department of Health Care Services. He has been in his current role since March 2018; his last day as CIO has not been announced. In a November 2018 interview with Techwire, Sakamoto said he is “naturally drawn to leadership roles,” adding: “I believe that in order to be a leader, I first had to be a follower. Being a follower made it easier for me, as a leader, to empathize with my team. I model the behavior I expect from my team.”
DDS’ CIO job is a Career Executive Assignment (CEA), Level B; and the successful candidate will work under the direction of the Chief Deputy Director, Operations and be responsible, generally, for “planning and administering department-wide information systems, strategic planning, evaluation and outcome measurement systems, and e-Government” according to the job posting.
More specifically, roughly 40 percent of the new CIO’s duties will include leading development and adoption of system-wide standards, policies and processes as well as system implementations that ensure “the Department’s Headquarters’ offices, state-operated facilities, and 21 regional centers enhance communications and increase accountability, accuracy, and efficiency of operations.” The CIO must also ensure information access to enable decision-making and program monitoring. Roughly 30 percent of his or her job will entail planning and developing information systems to “support and enhance (department) strategic plan goals and major work activities by assessing and measuring the department’s accomplishment of its primary objectives.” The CIO must also develop and monitor evaluation systems that identify “problem areas, resolutions and best practices,” yielding improved services for DDS customers. The monthly salary range is $7,442 to $17,513, and the and the application process will stay open until the position is filled.
Elsewhere, the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) is seeking a Chief Information Security Officer, an IT Manager II. Generally, the department CISO will work under the direction of DHCS’ CIO and be responsible for the agency’s information security program. He or she must have “extensive knowledge and experience of IT, information security, risk and compliance within the health care business,” the job posting says. His or her responsibilities will fall within the domains of Information Security Engineering, Business Technology Management, System Engineering, and Software Engineering domains; and demand knowledge and an understanding of areas including large department operations, enterprise governance, security strategy, risk management and compliance; as well as cybersecurity attack vectors and breach methods, and technology recovery.
Specifically, approximately 30 percent of the CISO’s duties entail interacting with state and other leaders to “plan, govern, and direct the DHCS Information Security Office,” including developing and enforcing information security policies, standards and procedures; as well as enabling information security governance within the department and advising on IT security technologies including endpoint security, identity management, data encryption and data loss prevention. Roughly 20 percent of the job involves cybersecurity operations, including leading protection of DHCS information assets in accordance with laws and standards from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act; as well as leading and directing cybersecurity monitoring of DHCS’ on-prem and cloud environments. Another roughly 20 percent of the job is dedicated to cybersecurity risk and compliance, including overseeing internal and external security assessments, providing oversight to third-party organizations such as vendors and other governmental entities; and being involved with agreements, procurements, contracts and vendors to ensure pacts, products and operations do not put DHCS at risk. The monthly salary range is $9,725 to $11,821 and the application deadline is Aug. 18.
