North Yorkshire County Council

NORTH YORKSHIRE COUNCIL

THE CHIEF OFFICERS APPOINTMENT & DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE

25 OCTOBER 2022

1.0 Purpose of the report

1.1 In accordance with the Council’s Constitution, to establish Chief Officers Appointments and Disciplinary Sub-Committee/s to appoint to the vacant Chief Officer positions of Corporate Director Resources, Corporate Director Environment and Corporate Director Community Development for North Yorkshire Council.

2.0 Background

2.1 With the formation of the new North Yorkshire Council and the recent appoint of the Chief Executive Officer, the Council now needs to begin the process of appointing to the senior management structure.

2.2 The Chief Executive has consulted widely regarding the management structure with all members and all staff across the 8 Councils.

2.3 The roles of Corporate Director Children and Young People and Corporate Director Health and Adult Services are unchanged in the structure and have post holders in place for the new council. Subject to the outcome of consultation process with those affected, the remaining three Chief Officer posts of Corporate Director Resources, Corporate Director Environment and Corporate Director Community Development need to be appointed to.

2.4 For these positions the appointment approach is not the same process the Sub Committee usually undertakes to appoint Chief Officers. Subject to consultation with affected post holders across all councils, there may be one or more people to consider for the role/s. If this is the outcome the Sub Committee will need to consider each individual’s suitability for the post in relation to the job description, person specification and the essential criteria for the post, and satisfy itself that the individual can fulfil the role and meet the essential criteria now, or would be able to do so within a reasonable period of time with an appropriate level of support and training. If there is more than one person for each post, the Sub Committee will need to determine which person is the most suitable based on a competitive suitability interview process and reach an appointment decision.

2.5 In the event that following consultation and any subsequent suitability assessment the post remains vacant an open recruitment exercise will be required.

3.0 Remit of the Chief Officers Appointments & Disciplinary Committee

3.1 The remit of the Chief Officers Appointment & Disciplinary Committee is detailed in the constitution Part 3 Schedule 1.

3.2 In this particular context, in accordance with the remit of the Chief Officers Appointment and Disciplinary Committee, the Committee is requested to:

a) Appoint a Sub-Committee for each of the three vacant positions to conduct suitability interviews with ring-fenced individuals for each post;

b) Agree the job descriptions for the three vacant roles;

c) If a vacancy exists after suitability assessments are concluded, agree the recruitment process to appoint to the role where the appointed Sub-Committee select a shortlist of qualified applicants and interview those included on the short list.

4.0 Proposed Job Descriptions

4.1 The Job Descriptions for the roles are detailed at Appendix 1 for consideration and initial approval. The job descriptions are also subject to consultation with the staff affected. As such, changes may be needed, whilst this is unlikely as they follow a standard corporate chief officer template, the Committee will be informed of any proposed changes and approval requested.

5.0 Proposed Outline of the Appointment and Recruitment Process

5.1 For the three vacant positions, where one or more people are ring-fenced for the role: the Sub-Committee complete a suitability interview to assess each person’s ability to fulfil the duties of the role. These suitability interviews will be scheduled for week commencing 21^st November 2022.

5.2 Further to 5.1 each Sub Committee will assess ring fenced individual/s against the job description/person specification. The individual will submit an application statement outlining how they meet the essential criteria for the role, and this will be used for exploration at interview to consider suitability. The interview is a "suitability interview" at which each Sub Committee needs to explore the areas required for the role and in particular any areas not evidenced by the application to ensure these can be met. Each Sub Committee session is expected to last no more than 2 hours with the first 30 minutes or so utilised to confirm the areas to be explored and the questions to be asked. Given the somewhat unusual nature of the ‘suitability’ process, any members of the Sub Committee who want a more detailed understanding of the process in this instance and the reason for it in relation to the relevant Council policy and procedure can meet with Justine Brooksbank (Assistant Chief Executive Business Support) in advance of the session.

5.3 Recruitment process for remaining vacancies, is as follows:

5.3.1 Where posts remains vacant after ring-fenced suitability interviews are concluded a recruitment process to appoint to the position is needed. The Appointments Committee is requested to consider in this context whether the vacancy should be advertised:

i. internally only (openly available to any staff across the 8 councils to apply for the role) or;

ii. the post is advertised externally (openly available to any staff across the 8 council and external applicants).

5.3.2 In considering whether the role should be advertised internally only or open to external applicants the Committee should consider the opportunities for staff development and career progression given the merging of 8 councils against the opportunity to have a wider field of candidates from which to appoint.

5.3.3 If the Committee decides that any resulting vacancies are advertised internally only (5.3.1.i) it is proposed that the campaign be published week commencing 28^th November 2022 with a 1 week period (as is standard for internal only vacancies). Given that staff will have prior notice this provides sufficient time for interested parties to apply and enable the process to be concluded prior to the holiday break.

· The Chief Executive in consultation with the Leader, and Assistant Chief Executive (Business Support) determine a longlist, rejecting candidates who fail to meet the requirements of the role.

· The Sub-Committee can then shortlist in early-December followed by assessment and interview in mid to late December. An outline of the proposed recruitment process for consideration is at Appendix 2.

5.3.4 If it is decided that any resulting vacancies are advertised externally (5.3.1.ii); a nationwide recruitment campaign, widely advertised to attract an appropriate field can be published in December 22 running through to January 23. Due to the holiday period the campaign will be open to applicants for a longer period.

· The Chief Executive in consultation with the Leader and Assistant Chief Executive (Business Support) determine a longlist, rejecting candidates who fail to meet the requirements of the role.

· The Sub-Committee can then shortlist in mid/late January followed by assessment and interview in late January / early February. An outline of the proposed recruitment process for consideration is at Appendix 2.

5.4 In any event (suitability or open recruitment) full Council approval is required and will be sought prior to formal offer being made, subject to the right of the Leader and Executive’s to object to the proposed appointment (Staff Employment Procedure Rule 5). The next available Full Council would be February 2023.

5.5 The appointment of the three positions outlined above concludes the Chief Officer appointments to the new Council and as per the constitution the Chief Executive (Head of Paid Service) appoints to the rest of the management structure.

6.0 Chief Officer Remuneration

6.1 As per the constitution Chief Officer remuneration must comply with the Pay Policy Statement. Pay benchmarking is underway and if the results suggest a change to the existing pay structure the details will be provided to this committee for consideration.

7.0 Financial implications

7.1 The financial implications are set out in the body of this report.

8.0 Legal implications

8.1 The legal implications are set out in the body of this report.

9.0 Climate change Implications

9.1 There are no significant climate change implications arising from this report.

10.0 Equalities implications

10.1 Where recruitment is required it is recommended to carry out a transparent and open recruitment process which will comply with the Council’s equality processes.

11.0 Recommendations

That the Committee:

11.1 Considers the job descriptions for the positions of Corporate Director Resources, Corporate Director Environment and Corporate Director Community Development (Appendix 1);

11.2 Appoints a Sub-Committee to complete the suitability process for these three positions; and where a post remains vacant following the conclusion of a suitability process complete the recruitment process for the position (Appendix 2);

11.3 Consider if any resulting vacancy should be advertised internally only (staff across the 8 councils can apply) or open recruitment (externally).

Justine Brooksbank

Assistant Chief Executive HR & Business Support

Author: Sarah France-Gorton, Head of Resourcing Solutions

Contact Details: 01609 798106, sarah.france-gorton@northyorks.gov.uk

Presenter of Report: Justine Brooksbank – Assistant Chief Executive (Business Support)

14 October 2022

APPENDIX 1 Job Descriptions

Post title:	Corporate Director – Community Development
Grade:	DIR2
Responsible to:	Chief Executive
Directorate:	Community Development
Date of issue:	September 2022

Job context

As a member of the NYC Management Board, along with colleagues and the Chief Executive Officer, you will ensure that all local government services meet the diverse needs of our residents, communities, economy and visitors including; Children & Young People Services, Health & Adult Services, Housing, Economy, Leisure/Heritage, Business & Environmental Services, Strategic and Corporate support services.

As a Corporate Director you will provide outstanding strategic and organisational leadership to create, embed and sustain the new Council. With colleagues you have collective responsibility for delivery of the new authority operating model and embedding the values and behaviours throughout the council. You will promote diversity and inclusion throughout the council and through partnership and relationship with other stakeholders.

The next few years sees the introduction of a Mayoral Combine Authority, and as a member of Management Board you will support the journey of the council and the Chief Executive in the Devolution Deal for York and North Yorkshire.

You will work effectively with elected Members to ensure the vision and strategic direction of the Directorate is delivered.

You will act as an advocate for the Council at local, regional, and national level, enhancing the Council’s reputation and influence, building partnerships and enabling the council to be a leader in the field. You will lead and be involved in many key strategic partnerships .

In this newly formed Directorate, along with the CEO, you are able to shape the way North Yorkshire Council delivers its services to its residents across key function that touch the heart of the communities. These functions are;

- Planning services

- Economic Development, Regeneration, Tourism and Skills

- Culture, Arts, Libraries, Museums, Archives, Key Venues and Leisure

- Housing services

As Corporate Director Community Development, you will provide strategic leadership for the Economic Development, Regeneration, Tourism and Skills across North Yorkshire, working closely with the Mayoral Combine Authority when it is established. You will ensure services are provided across the Council to enable residents and visitors to our region to experience great services and opportunities through culture and arts, enabling the use of our key venues in this experience and enabling the full utilisation of the multiple libraries and leisure facilities available to them.

You will be responsible for key venues across North Yorkshire ensuring their safe operation and sustainability.

Housing and Planning are key functions of the council to enable growth and stability across our region. Strategically leading these services to ensure our residents receive the best possible service.

This job is a politically restricted post as defined by the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.

Job Purpose:

To be responsible for the effective delivery of the Community Development Services for North Yorkshire. To provide strategic leadership and direction, operational management and financial control for the directorate, ensuring delivery of high quality strategic aims. Support the development of cross-council strategies across diverse services.

Corporate Leadership:

In order to ensure the corporate management of the Authority at a senior level and the execution of the Council’s functions:-

(a) Serve as a member of the Council’s Management Board; delivering to the corporate agenda beyond the specific professional remit for Community Development Services;

(b) Be the Corporate Director with responsibility for ensuring the delivery of the corporate objectives of the Council Plan;

· Ensure the Council meets its statutory responsibility in respect of Planning and Housing

· Be the Authority’s champion for community development services, including Economic Regeneration, Tourism and Skills, Culture, Arts and Leisure..

· Identify and maximise commercial opportunities specific to community development services remit including supporting strategic leadership.

· Manage a portfolio of services and functions to be high performing and deliver excellent customer service engendering an approach of continuous improvement, ensuring the council maintains a clear organisational focus on community development and that relevant statutory requirements and national standards are met;

· Develop and implement service and financial plans to provide cost effective services which deliver agreed objectives, priorities and improvements in the context of council strategies and plans. Ensure stretching targets and measurable outcomes are agreed with the CEO and properly and regularly monitored and managed;

· Work with all relevant partners to deliver and support council and related partner services in order to improve life for local communities.

All Corporate Directors have a joint responsibility to:-

· Provide outstanding strategic and organisational leadership to create, embed and sustain the new Council

· Responsible for the delivery of the new authority operating model

· Ensure the new councils values and behaviours are embedded across all services co

· You will promote diversity and inclusion throughout the council and through partnership and relationship with other stakeholders.

· Lead the development and implementation of strategies to ensure corporate objectives and performance targets in the Council Plan are met and actively promote, develop and review the Council Plan to support performance improvement.

· Be accountable, as a member of Management Board, for the overall management, resources and performance of the Council ensuring services operate with commercial effectiveness. Keep the Board informed of proposals which have significant financial and service implications for the Council. Develop, deliver and support the Council’s change programmes.

· Ensure policies of the Council and services provided or commissioned are fit for purpose and mutually reinforcing.

· Monitor the performance of services and ensure corrective action where performance falls short of policy objectives.

· Keep CEO informed of all matters affecting the performance of their role as CEO of the Council.

· Keep the CEO, Executive Members and relevant Group Spokespersons appraised of matters which are particularly sensitive or controversial in nature.

· To identify the needs of the service, produce and implement a future-focused Directorate business and performance plan, set challenging goals that focus on step change improvements and ensure that its objectives are achieved.

· Drive transformational organisational change in order to achieve excellent member, customer and partner relationships while delivering cost effective, high quality services to residents.

· Responsible for the Wellbeing, Health & Safety of Staff in line with the Health & Safety Policies and practices

· To carry out roles identified within the resilience and emergencies and business continuity policies. Take a lead where required on single and/or multi agency response to emergencies both in and out of hours.

Directorate leadership and management:

· Ensure Directorate resources are used in a planned way providing an efficient and cost effective service which takes account of both changing needs and resource availability and delivers responsive high quality services with an efficient infrastructure.

· Ensure budgets allocated to Community Development Services are managed effectively, taking into account the requirement for financial control and governance.

· Exercise professional leadership through managing staff involved in planning, commissioning and/or providing community development services ensuring relevant professional and occupational standards are maintained.

· Ensure services provided or commissioned by the Council comply with statutory requirements and national standards.

· Advise the Council, its Committees and Officers on the exercise of all the services provided as part of community development services.

· Ensure the efficient execution of decisions and instructions of the CEO, the Council and its Executive and Committees including Scrutiny. Provide high quality advice to both Members and officers of the Council, and execute the Council’s legislative and financial requirements accordingly.

· Maximise commercialisation of services provided, demonstrating strong commercial awareness and the ability to balance this alongside competing priorities.

· Ensure the delivery of the Council’s Plan.

· Establish a culture and approach within Community Development Services providing clear objectives and priorities which filter through to individual and team objectives that encourages and promotes performance management and improvement.

Partnerships:

· Lead, develop and sustain effective working relationships and partnerships with significant local, regional and national partners.

· Ensure that the Directorate is sensitive to the views of citizens and promotes citizen participation.

Person Specification:

Essential

Knowledge and Experience -

· Substantial knowledge of the national policy context, regulatory environment, financial legislation and key issues relevant to community development services.

· Significant understanding of the workings of local government and the current issues to be faced in a large, diverse Authority, particularly the financial, legal and political context of public sector management.

· A proven track record of significant achievement, exploiting new opportunities and winning commitment as a leader in a large, complex and challenging organisation. To include experience of operating successful commercial organisations and programmes at Board level.

· Significant experience of budgetary responsibility including the successful management of large and complex budgets, delivery of savings.

· Experienced in leading successful major organisational culture change within a large diverse organisation, including effective workplace relations to put the customer at the heart of service delivery.

· Experienced in working successfully with partners, both internal and external, to achieve common goals.

· Evidence of building and maintaining reputational management.

· Professional qualification at degree level or equivalent in a relevant subject and management qualification.

· Membership of relevant professional body

Desirable:

· Experience of the development and delivery of commercially traded services.

Occupational Skills

· Strategic planning skills and highly competent in strategic management with the ability to develop strategy, set high quality goals, objectives and priorities and the determination to secure their achievement.

· Strong credible leadership with a passion for delivering improvement in services.

· Excellent communication skills, strong negotiation and influencing skills and ability to effectively deal with the media.

· Highly competent in financial management to co-ordinate, monitor, interpret financial and management information and review financial resources, evaluating competing budgetary priorities and establish effective performance measures.

· Able to display commercial/business awareness and the ability to gain and sustain customer confidence.

· Business planning and ability to develop, communicate and secure ownership of a clear vision and direction.

· Able to work successfully corporately beyond specific children’s services for the benefit of the wider authority.

· Development of practical and creative solutions to the management of strategic issues, resolves problems creatively, pragmatically and flexibly.

· Political awareness and capacity for partnership working in a highly devolved and accountable service.

Behaviours

· Able to work flexibly to meet the demands of the job including some out of hours working at either evenings or weekends.

· Committed to the Council’s corporate vision and objectives.

· Highly motivated and not easily discouraged.

· Personal and professional demeanour and credibility which commands the confidence of members, senior managers, staff, external partners and other stakeholders.

· A high degree of probity and integrity and work within the constraints of a publicly funded service.

· A commitment to learning and achievement.

· Able to travel for business purposes

Link

Structure

NB – Assessment criteria for recruitment will be notified separately.
Optional - Statement for recruitment purposes: You should use this information to make the best of your application by identifying some specific pieces of work you may have undertaken in any of these areas. You will be tested in some or all of the skill specific areas over the course of the selection process.

Post title:	Corporate Director – Environment
Grade:	DIR2
Responsible to:	Chief Executive
Directorate:	Environment
Date of issue:	September 2022

Job context

You will work effectively with elected Members to ensure the vision and strategic direction of the Directorate is delivered.

In this newly formed Directorate, along with the CEO, you are able to shape the way North Yorkshire Council delivers its services across the key functions identified below.

As Corporate Director Environment Services you will lead the service to achieve its vision to “provide quality services that promote, support and understand environmental impacts in North Yorkshire.” This is achieved through the directorate’s objectives which are met by the directorate’s services: -

Highways & Transportation Services, parking, street scene, parks and grounds
Environmental Services, including low carbon, natural capital and waste services
Integrated passenger transport, licencing, public rights of way, harbours
Regulatory Services, Registration, Bereavement, Coroners Service

This Directorate is instrumental in the delivery of services across North Yorkshire ensuring the region stays open and habitable.

You will be required to build strong regional partnerships across multiple stakeholders, including the Local Enterprise Partnership and our trading companies: NyNet, Yorwaste, Brierley Homes, Align and North Yorkshire Highways.

You will be required to fulfil the role of Non-Executive Company Director and Board membership of Brierley Group businesses in particular; Yorwaste and North Yorkshire Highways.

This job is a politically restricted post as defined by the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.

Job Purpose:

To be responsible for the effective delivery of the Environmental Services for North Yorkshire. To provide strategic leadership and direction, operational management and financial control for the directorate, ensuring delivery of high quality strategic aims. Support the development of cross-council strategies across diverse services.

Corporate Leadership:

In order to ensure the corporate management of the Authority at a senior level and the execution of the Council’s functions:-

(a) Serve as a member of the Council’s Management Board; delivering to the corporate agenda beyond the specific professional remit for Environmental Services;

(b) Be the Corporate Director with responsibility for ensuring the delivery of the corporate objectives of the Council Plan;

· Ensure the Council meets its statutory responsibility in respect of Local Transport Plan and Local Plans.

· Be the Authority’s champion for environmental, climate, cultural, heritage services.

· Identify and maximise commercial opportunities specific to Environmental services remit including supporting strategic leadership.

· Manage a portfolio of services and functions to be high performing and deliver excellent customer service engendering an approach of continuous improvement, ensuring the council maintains a clear organisational focus on the environment and that relevant statutory requirements and national standards are met;

· Work with all relevant partners to deliver and support council and related partner services in order to improve life for local communities.

All Corporate Directors have a joint responsibility to:-

· Provide outstanding strategic and organisational leadership to create, embed and sustain the new Council

· Responsible for for delivery of the new authority operating model