Council advertises £126k exec role to help authority look 'up and out' of transitional period

The new employee, who will report directly to Chief Executive Adele Wylie, will drive forward the ‘One Council’ approach and will help deliver organisational change, with a ‘laser-like’ focus on prioritisation.

NCC’s employment committee met last week to formally agree to appoint a sub-committee that will choose the new executive, who will be paid up to £126,000 per year.

It’s the second time the authority has attempted to recruit someone for the role following an unsuccessful process in late 2024.

Since then, the job spec and title have been altered.

At last week’s meeting, George Candler Executive Director of Place and Economy told members a sub-committee made up of four Reform, two Conservative and one Green councillors will form an interview panel. The candidates will also have to undergo psychometric testing, technical interviews and will go before a panel made up of the chief executive’s leadership team.

Mr Candler said: “This isn’t the first time we’ve gone out to recruit for this particular role. In June 2024 we went out to recruit to an executive director of strategy and change, so slightly different in terms of job title and role, but the broad principles were the same.

“Unfortunately no appointment was made and sometimes that does happen when we go out to recruit.”

Reform-run North Northamptonshire Council was formed from five legacy councils in 2021 as a result of the county council going bankrupt. Mr Candler explained that the last four years had been a ‘transitional period for the council’ in order to create a ‘strong and fit-for-purpose organisation’.

He said that as the council moved out of that transitional period it was now time to look ‘up and out’ and move on.

He said: "We’ve got some very large, demand-led functional areas, particularly in adult social care and children’s services. They’re multi-faceted and very complex.

"They have huge budgets attached to them but high importance in terms of the outcomes they deliver.

“The role is also about understanding policy that’s coming over the horizon and strategies being developed at a national level and how best we.. can predict those using our own localised data alongside that national policy to shape and continually evolve as an organisation.”

He said a peer review in October 2024 had recommended the council have a ‘strong direction of travel’ and, added that the new appointee must have a ‘laser-like approach’ on what was going to be prioritised. They must also be able to anticipate ‘what’s coming over the horizon at government and sub-regional level’.

The council is paying its executive search partner Penna to help it find candidates. Adverts for the job have already gone out.

Employment committee chair Cllr Chris Munday (Reform, Croyland and Swanspool) asked why the previous recruitment drive was unsuccessful.

Mr Candler said: “When the interview panel considered everything in the round it was felt that none of the candidates responded in a way that gave the panel confidence that they were going to be able to make a sound appointment. Sometimes that happens in the world of recruitment.”

He said the executive search company had a database of candidates that may contain a suitable appointee.

Councillor Leon Gibbs (Reform, Barton and Burton) questioned officers on the salary. He said: “Is this package benchmarked against local government or is it benchamrked against private sector?”

Assistant Director of Human Resources Marie Devlin-Hogg said: “We’re quite competitive. We would never be able to compete with the private sector but there is some scope for negotiation.”

Councillor Munday asked whether home working would be considered in a bid to ‘get the talent through the door’. The Reform council has made no secret of its desire to get council staff back in the office at least two days-a-week.

Mr Candler said: “We will look across the country. We will get enquiries about working from home but now we’re making a commitment to crystalise hybrid working with a minimum of two days in the office subject to some staff consultation.”

He said the council would be ‘up-front and honest’ with the candidates about the scope for hybrid working but said that local authorities were seeing younger candidates coming through who wanted to ‘give back’.

He said: “More and more younger people are wanting to work in the public sector because they want to give something back.

"It’s still a flexible organisation to work in. We’re family friendly. There’s a number of things that outweigh the private sector on the softer side.”

The job spec can be viewed here. It’s hoped an appointment can be made by mid-October.