Supervisory Board Member — Digital Transformation

Ask what digital change improves for learners and staff

The supervisory member will assess whether technology investment advances educational and administrative priorities. The role requires challenge of transformation plans that may be technically ambitious but weakly connected to access, staff workload or the quality of service.

Responsibilities in the supervisory board

Review the digital strategy, investment portfolio and management’s capacity to deliver change. Examine dependencies across learning systems, identity, data and administrative platforms. Require a realistic account of adoption, accessibility and support needs, including the impact on people who cannot readily use digital channels.

Assurance during change

Challenge the evidence used to declare benefits, readiness and acceptable risk. Ask whether migration and continuity plans reflect the academic calendar and periods when disruption would be particularly damaging. Ensure management can explain what will be stopped, simplified or retired as new capability is introduced.

Transformation papers should explain the effect on staff workload during implementation and after launch. A system that saves administrative time in one team may impose additional tasks on educators or service users. The member should ask how adoption will be assessed and what support exists for people who struggle with the change. Benefits should be tested against the original service problem, and the board should understand the continuing costs of integration, support and content or data maintenance.

The contribution sought

The board should gain a clearer view of transformation priorities and the evidence needed before major commitments. Candidates should explain how they have challenged a digital programme that delivered systems but little practical benefit. Current roles and supplier relationships require conflict screening, and availability must support preparation as well as meetings.