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| Lancaster Town Hall. Photo: John Freeman |
There are tough times ahead for Lancaster City Council, facing extraordinary cuts to its central government funding, with many local services under threat. So the person who gets the just-advertised position of Chief Executive – replacing Mark Cullinan, who retires in June – will have no easy task on their hands, even if the salary is at least £107,000 a year.
Working full time, this permanent position for a 37 hour week based at Lancaster Town Hall is surely an opportunity not to be missed.
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| “The role of Chief Executive brings with it both significant challenges and opportunities”, says Council leader |
“As with any public sector organisation, Lancaster City Council faces a great deal of challenge in the years ahead,” notes council leader Eileen Blamire in the introduction to the job’s 26 page recruitment pack. “These challenges are met with strong ambitions and a genuine will and determination amongst our elected mem-bers to lead our communities and deliver services that meet the needs of the people we represent. Guiding the path we take is our ethos as an ‘Ensuring Council’.
“We have continually improved key areas of our operations and transformed how we deliver many of our services. This process of continuous improvement, married to strong financial management, is key to our future, as we seek to innovate and work with our partners and neighbouring councils to strengthen how we operate.
“Our ethos as an Ensuring Council cannot be overstated. We believe this enables the council to maintain a strategic advantage in how we develop and deliver our services. The role of Chief Executive brings with it both significant challenges and opportunities for strong and inspiring leadership, aligned with sound management across all service operations.
“The public sector has never been under so much scrutiny as it is now. However we must embrace this and use this scrutiny and challenge through transparent management arrangements to ensure we are accountable inter-nally and are able to demonstrate value for money to the people we serve.
“The role of Chief Executive at Lancaster City Council offers up a great opportunity for a suitable candidate to work with Elected Members and Partners, and lead a workforce that has a passion to serve the wider community. If you have a shared passion for supporting elected members in their role of community Leadership and the deliv-ery of first class local government services, combined with the drive and ambition to take the council forward, then we would be delighted to hear from you.”
The Job Description
- The Chief Executive is Head of the Council’s paid service
- Act as the Returning Officer in local electoral matters
- This role is the main link between Council Members and Officers, promoting positive and open communications between members and officers, ensuring strategic priorities are implemented in an appropriate and accountable manner
- Principal adviser on matters of general policy, giving advice at council and committee meetings, providing the proper level of service to Members of all parties
- Represent and negotiate on behalf of the council with external bodies and leads the development of effective and productive relationships, setting the right balance between the council’s own objectives and shared goals with other organisations that may support the achievement of public service and community objectives
- The role is outward looking and is an ambassador for the council, ensuring it is fully engaged in a productive partnership with its stakeholders and communities to fulfil its community leadership role
- To lead, coordinate and enthuse senior managers and staff in developing policies, actions and influence which reflect the aspirations of the council, ensuring that corporate strategies and public services are developed with a clear focus on supporting these aspirations
- Exercise performance management across the organisation, ensuring that staff have work programmes, targets and appropriate appraisal systems that support achievement and improvement. The Chief Executive focuses upon forward planning, overall organisational performance and promoting the cultural change necessary to achieve all round service excellence
- Communicate and engage others in ambitions for the vitality and growth of the local economy, creating sustainable and valuable local employment. Development of the ‘Ensuring Council’ principles to secure effective, value for money services
- Optimise the council’s financial resources to provide the necessary capacity and capability to achieve planned objectives. Establishing appropriate financial planning, policies and strategic connections to allow the council to conduct its financial affairs effectively and manage future risks
• For a recruitment pack (which includes details on the post, job description and person specification) and an application form please download from the links below. The closing date for applications: 10am on Friday 12th February 2016