South Kesteven Role DescriptionJob title: Strategic Director – Commercial and Operations

Salary: £85,719 - £95,544 Contract: Permanent

Hours: Working hours will be 37 hours per week.

Week by week arrangements will be in accordance with business requirements and by agreement, subject to your right not to work more than 48 hours per week unless by agreement.

Location: Council Offices, St Peters Hill, Grantham Political restriction: This role is politically

restricted

1 Overall purpose As part of the strategic vision for South Kesteven District Council to be recognised as the leading council in

the UK, the organisation is embarking on a new, commercially driven approach You will be accountable through the Chief Executive to the Leader and Members of SKDC for maintaining a

safety-led operation, delivering excellent service delivery to customers and the residents of South Kesteven

You will have a transformative effect on ways of operating and adopting a continuous improvement approach in people, processes and technology

You will lead the organisation to exploit its commercial landscape, identifying market opportunities and overseeing the development of new and profitable initiatives. Decisions will be based on the market place, trends and expectations for the future

2 Responsibilities and outcomes Bring to life the new Corporate Strategy of South Kesteven District Council (SKDC), providing strategic and

professional leadership to:- Environmental Services- Street Scene- East Midlands Building Control Partnership

Implement strategies to drive revenue and business growth, reviewing contracts and making recommendations on ‘best value’

Drive a commercially focussed culture that keeps the residents of South Kesteven at the heart of decision-making across the organisation to deliver the Council’s strategic plan

3 General Role Expectations

Support the Chief Executive, the Leader and Members in defining and exploring new opportunities, and delivering council priorities, policies and plans

Demonstrate a flexible approach to strategic leadership, to ensure that the strategic and the operational

needs of the Council are met, undertaking different duties as, when and where required Model leadership styles that motivates employees, engages with partners, builds successful teams and

delivers for the customer, creating an environment where employees feel empowered and valued Represent the Council locally, regionally and nationally - promoting its achievements and raising the

profile of the district Scan the wider environment for trends and developments, anticipating and developing timely responses

to get the best outcomes for the district Lead by example and promote a positive and enabling culture, where the customer is at the heart of all

plans and actions Provide informed strategic leadership of engagement with customers, residents, partners and

stakeholders ensuring that community consultation is incorporated into decision making Communicate well internally and externally in getting the right messages across and enhancing a positive

reputation of the Council Manage performance to achieve the agreed standards and targets set by the Council, ensuring Heads of

Service can deliver successful, coherent and cost effect services Actively develop a performance culture to improve service delivery, and using the full range of people

management tools to build capacity Develop effective working partnerships and working relationships with external bodies Build strong and positive working relationships with the Leader, Cabinet and other elected members in a

climate of trust and mutual respect to enable the Council to determine and deliver the Council’s priorities Provide strategic advice and support to elected members to enable them to fulfil their roles and

responsibilities, especially in relation to community leadership

4 Values and Behaviours

To be successful in the role, you must live and breathe the values and behaviours adopted by the organisation to help us achieve our goals set out in the Corporate Strategy. All SKDC employees will be regularly appraised and held accountable for displaying and demonstrating the Council’s values and behaviours.

Accountability – In order to succeed we will need a culture of accountability throughout SKDC. Everyone at every level will need to be responsible for what they do; willingly taking ownership for their actions and decisions and being a reliable, dependable member of the team, often going beyond the normal terms of employment. We cannot work flexibly without accountability.

Flexibility – We can’t be set in our ways if we are going to succeed, so flexibility matters. It might be flexibility in terms of the hours you do, the way you work or where you work. We can’t afford to do things the same way just because “that’s the way it’s always been done”. Our performance will be measured in outcomes and those outcomes will contribute to achieving our strategy.

Agility – Related to flexibility is agility. SKDC’s needs are going to change over time and we need people who can respond to those changes, who can move freely between teams and who want to stretch themselves by being trained to be better at more things.

Equity – Every member of the SKDC team matters, irrespective of their rank or position. This hasn’t always been the case in the past, but it will be in the future. All of us should expect to be treated with respect and dignity, and doors should be open. We will all be held to account for this.

Networking – We learn from each other and from external partners, so we need to be better at networking. Our networks hold the key to raising our profile, improving our performance, discovering better ideas and developing ourselves.

Learning – We are constantly learning from everything we do, regardless of success or failure. When we do something well, that knowledge can help us repeat and refine what we do in the future. We clearly won’t seek failure, but neither will we be frightened of it. And if we fail, we will learn from it and not seek to just apportion blame (see ‘accountability’ above).

Talent – Having a diverse and talented team is fundamental to our success. However, a person’s real talent isn’t always obvious; sometimes it’s overlooked, other times it may be hidden or ignored. Sometimes it’s a talent the person didn’t realise they had. Harnessing talent will be everyone’s job, not just HR or senior managers.

5 Corporate Responsibilities

As a Strategic Director at South Kesteven District Council, you will be expected to be a positive and committed member of the leadership team, to lead by example and to behave in accordance with the ‘SKDC Behaviours’. You will be expected to conduct your duties within professional and legal standards and more specifically will be expected to:• Lead and work collaboratively across all service clusters/areas with other senior managers in order to

generate efficiencies and create synergies wherever possible• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with all areas of the Council, with Members and with

external organisations• Influence and contribute to delivering business objectives• Instill in direct reports the imperative for accountability, responsibility, collaboration and integration with

other areas of the Council• Effectively lead and manage staff - setting, monitoring and evaluating objectives on a yearly basis• Be accountable for all your allocated budget• Ensure capacity, both skills and resources, is available for all scheduled Council programmes, highlighting any

potential shortfalls to the relevant Strategic Director • Ensure best practice in project and programme management methodology is applied across projects in order

to deliver performance improvements and cost savings• Ensure that Health & Safety legislation and the Council’s Health & Safety requirements are complied with and

monitored within your area of responsibility • Be aware of and comply with the Council’s Equal Opportunities Policy, safeguarding arrangements and other

corporate strategies and policies• Recognise and accept that assigned resources may, from time to time, be released to contribute to corporate

projects to deliver priority outcomes• As and when required, manage a/multiple corporate projects to deliver priority outcomes• Ensure commercially advantageous business plans are in place for all business areas• Understand the commercial priorities of Council in order to optimise use of resources

6 FlexibilitySome flexibility in your working hours will be required from time to time. This role description is not intended to be exhaustive. You will be expected to adopt a flexible attitude to your duties, which may have to be varied (after discussion with yourself), subject to the changing needs of the organisation.

7 Authority to work in the UKYou must have the legal authority to work in the UK. Non-EU nationals must have the relevant approval to work in the UK from the UK Border Agency.

Key Criteria Role Requirements Essential or desirable

PART 1 – Experience

A track record of leading and delivering successful change and improvement in service delivery

A record of success in: managing a diverse range of services; translating organisational ambitions into real achievements; and delivering quality services – all within a similar sized or larger complex organisation

Experience of consultation and engagement with communities/customers to inform decision making

Successful track record of establishing and driving a positive performance culture, effective performance and service quality evaluation that has improved standards and performance of service

Experience in evaluating and responding to trends and development in the public sector environment that have local impact

A record of successfully engaging with others, building positive relationships with a variety of communities, partner organisations, private sector providers, and public sector agencies

Experience of successfully advising and influencing at senior levels on organisational effectiveness, corporate governance and improvement

Evidence of introducing commercial applications into previously non-commercial settings.

Evidence of succeeding in a complex political environment – not necessarily a council – and evidence of forming and maintaining strong working relationships with non-executives

Experience of introducing a commercial approach to operational organisations

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PART 1 – Qualifications

Educated to degree level or relevant professional experience area Management Qualification Evidence of continuing (professional) development

EED

PART 2 – Knowledge/ Skills

A strategic leader, well able to realise the full potential of the organisation and its people, with excellent managerial and motivational skills

Excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to gain respect, confidence and trust of the public, staff and members

Skilled and resourceful leader with a strong focus on managing performance to achieve high standards

Clear understanding of drivers and skills required for successful organisation and cultural change

A good people manager Highly developed networking, presentation and communication skills

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PART 3 – Aptitudes

A leader who can inspire by being energetic, determined, positive, decisive and resilient

A shrewd creative thinker who can detach from operational issues to determine best course of action

An excellent role model who will promote the highest standards, and lives the Council’s values and behaviours

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Resilient, tenacious, able to handle pressure positively, and willing to tackle difficult issues, including under performance

An enthusiastic and effective ambassador for the Council, who will enhance its reputation

Able to both constructively challenge and receive feedback to improve motivation, service delivery and performance

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PART FOUR – Issues around ‘fit’

We posed a range of questions to Aidan Rave, Chief Executive, to whom the role reports:

Chemistry and ‘fit’

“Aidan – tell us about your style and what is important to you”?

Whilst I can cope with some ego and know that it can be a driver to deliver, I am not wild on people with ‘huge’ egos, and wanting to be the centre of attention all the time

With the above, comes an utter dislike of duplicitous behaviour Considers candour amongst colleagues to be critical Likes people who focus on how it is, rather than how they wish it could be Likes people who focus on creating an environment where we can get things done – that is

the level of expectation that he expects to see at this level And he likes a bit of humour And I like a bit of humour

“Culture and fit – beyond the person spec above, what will be necessary to survive and thrive here”?

Important that you read our ‘Values and Behaviours’, which we have invested much time to develop o I am avid about this, and determined that:

we will live these values and behaviours the organisation has to demonstrate them and our leaders have to be leading them

o Our new performance management framework will hold all staff accountable to these values and behaviours; and that needs to be demonstrable and manifest the further up the organisation tree one is

o If you read them and if there are any that you are not prepared to buy into, then in all honesty, no matter how commercial and fabulous you might be, this role will likely not fly

“What is the Leader like to work with”?

Quite hands-on and involved compared with many political leaders Likes people who are straight-forward and don’t play games, or play one person off against another Very receptive and keen to hear about new ways of doing things and reasonable/transferable

lessons we can learn from the commercial world – or elsewhere Likes people who stay well networked and connected Not so keen on mavericks – likes folk who realise that they need to keep the politicians on board

“What might this person be doing right now/where might they be”?

OK, so:

You could be in a council that decided this direction of travel that we are embarking upon was a good idea 2-3 years ago, and has now got a track record of having done it - so now interested in coming and doing, at pace, what we want to do – having made your mistakes and learned your lessons the first time around

You could very likely be working in a purely commercial environmento If so, you are likely to be a person who is keen to be challenged and minded to take a

managed risk with your career by moving into another sectoro Or you could be a person who is ready to commit a period of your life to showing that such a

leap can be achieved The bottom line is that if you have the necessary attributes, then you should be assured that our

political leaders will hold their nerve about making what some might call a ‘brave’ appointment – because they have done so already re other appointments here in the last 12 months

“If this person has all the ‘hard experience’ noted above, then they will likely have many options for their career. In that case, why would they want to come here to South Kesteven and to this role”?

Any, or a combination of the following:

You You are looking to work in an organisation, who’s scale of ambition matches your own; and that

likely means that we are talking about your wanting to be a key influencer, at a ‘whole organisation’ level

The other part of what we have been discussing in organisational terms is a more disrupted organisational model

o If there are any opportunities, we are, for example, open to setting up a company and floating it off

o In 2-3 years time, folk who are leading such ventures may earn more than the CX does because they are creating revenue – and we will be fine with that

The Organisation South Kesteven, as an authority, is very forward thinking It is almost the case that the possibilities are limitless; and we are building a managerial and political

culture to match As an organisation, we are determined to be (and beginning to believe we can be) the best Council

in the country within 3 years; we have a fairly considered view of what ‘best’ means, which is more about everywhere we look and in all that we do – we are doing as well as we can, and still striving for better

And nobody is expecting this of us; we are flying under the radar so far, but are about to go national with a key relationship/partnership with EY to facilitate the introduction of robotic processes and operations; our partners are multinational, and all will be wondering ‘who exactly is SKDC’

We have a charismatic political Leader, and our CX (who has been here just over twelve months) is not too shabby either

We are not in trouble financially As a local authority and organisation, we’re not failing and we’re not in trouble; rather, without in any

way being complacent, by comparison with many we’re in a good place – but we want to do so much more

Local government and the public sector is facing very challenging times, but we always look for opportunities to work within that environment/context to innovate and succeed

We offer lots of potential to make a real difference for our communitieso We are ambitiouso We are financially stable, have the resources to invest – and are doing soo This is a great opportunity to deliver something ‘on the ground’

We have elected members who really are ready to listen and engage We have a new and extremely ambitious ‘Political Leadership Team’ that is hungry to deliver on our

strategic goals and ambitions

Being financially sound allows us the space for innovation and personal development – and we are committed to that

We try and flip challenges into opportunities, rather than being reasons not to do things We have a strong strategic vision that is approved and supported by the full Council, and this is an

opportunity to be part of implementing that vision With that background context of stability plus ambition, you’ll gain a tremendous amount of

experience in a short time as we pursue our growth agenda, a renewed focus on customers and change management

It will be challenging in lots of ways; it will be different; we are ready and set up for challengeo We are looking to change our management thought processes and how we worko Changing that traditional local government ethos to become more commercial in our

mindset; the latter is a bit of a veneer at the moment; but you are going to help make us think differently

The Role You will be joining a corporate management team of future CX’s, so you will find yourself stretched,

stimulated and satisfied by the peers you are working with Professionally and intellectually, there is a combination of some key challenges within the services

plus stretching ambitions from members that should engage you sufficiently to have the opportunity to make an enormous difference to the District, and leave a lasting legacy

You will have substantial and effective resources available to you, in order to deliver We have a huge appetite to work in partnership with both the private sector and other parts of the

public sector; you will learn a huge amount here, and build substantial and lifelong networks We will challenge you constructively, support you, and ensure that you have opportunities to grow

within the role The role offers you a chance to get your teeth into ‘investing’ into providing the best services, right

across all of our communities You will not be inheriting a broken or poorly performing team, so you won’t have to get immediately

distracted by a huge re-organisation, although you’ll be able to make such changes as you can prove are needed

You’ll be working with a strong peer group, and a good and supportive corporate management team You will have the support of a very experienced and effective team You will find lots of potential here to bring in significant external investment If you aspire to be a chief executive one day, then the potential deliverables and skills to be

learned/deployed here will seriously aid you on that journey, and we won’t put any blocks in your pursuing that path

The Place It’s a great area in which to live and work There is a great quality of life Education/schools are top notch House prices are low relative to many areas in England

The Rewards The non-financial rewards have been outlined above Remuneration as outlined below is competitive We offer a good package to assist in re-location Generous terms and conditions; we still have private healthcare, essential car allowance, and a

good pension

Health & Wellbeing as an employer We take the health and wellbeing of our employees very seriously

TERMS AND CONDITIONS 

Summary information about the key pay and terms and conditions and associated matters

Salary

Specific range is £85,719 - £95,544, depending upon experience

Holidays

Annual holiday entitlement is 25 days per annum (plus bank holidays) goes up to 30 after 5 years

Pension

You will have the opportunity to join the Council’s Occupational Pension Scheme (the Local Government Superannuation Scheme)

Relocation assistance

Up to £7000 relocation assistance is available, depending on circumstances

Other

Sick pay 1st year 1 month full and 1 month half pay; goes up year on year to 6 months full and 6 months half

Pool cars/car loan scheme/parking Maternity/paternity/parental scheme Employee assistance scheme/cycle to work/discounted gym and various other benefits

Flexibility

37 hours per week/flexible working applies/working from home. Some flexibility in the working hours will be required from time to time. The role description is not intended to be exhaustive. You will be expected to adopt a flexible attitude to duties, which may have to be varied (after discussion with yourself) subject to the changing needs of the organisation

Political restriction

The role is politically restricted

Authority to work in the UK

You must have the legal authority to work in the UK. Non-EU nationals must have the relevant approval to work in the UK from the UK Border Agency. Copies of all documents provided by you as proof of identity are retained for our records, by providing these proofs the Council will treat this as your consent for this to happen

HOW TO APPLY

This guidance contains important information to help with your application.

General Conditions

We recognise and welcome our responsibility to remove any barriers in our Recruitment and Selection process for disabled people. We have tried to do this, but if you have a disability and identify any barriers in the job description please tell us of these in your application. We are committed to making reasonable adjustments to the job wherever possible and it would help us to know your needs in order to do this.

To apply for this role, we would like you to provide the following:

A motivation statement (ideally no more than 2 sides of A4), which explains why you are applying for this role and the contribution, style, skills and experience you will bring to it.

A supporting statement, providing evidence/examples of how you match the key requirements of the role as outlined in Part One section of the ‘role profile’.

A comprehensive, up to date and current CV ensuring all gaps in employment and education history are fully explained.

Contact details of three referees so that we are able to take up your references if you are shortlisted for initial officer panel interview (referees will not be contacted without your permission).

A completed Equal Opportunities monitoring form (see below). We are keen to ensure that our jobs are accessible to all members of the community and use this data to monitor our progress in doing this.

The equal opportunities and monitoring form can be found at the end of this pack. This is a word document that you need to complete and return to us.

Please ensure you return the above documents by the end of the closing date (see below), to SK1063@davidsonpartners.com

Following long listing, you will be contacted directly with an update on the status of your application. In line with the timetable below:

o Those candidates who are longlisted will be invited to an initial screening interview with our advisors, Davidson & Partners

o A shortlist will then be selected for final Officer/Member interview (possibly plus additional assessment); in advance of this interview, you will also have the chance to have an informal telephone conversation/meeting with Aidan Rave, to whom the role will report

Please ensure that you let us know in your covering letter if there are any specific dates that present you with a problem.

INDICATIVE TIMETABLE

Closing date 19th August 2018

Longlisting TBC

Preliminary Interviews TBC

Shortlisting TBC

Informal meetings/conversations TBC

Final Member Panel TBC

If you have any specific queries about the role, or wish to have an informal and confidential discussion, then please call or email our advisors at Davidson & Partners:

Hamish Davidson: hamish.davidson@davidsonpartners.comM: 07932 698 807

Jack Williams: jack.williams@davidsonpartners.comM: 07885 670 504

DIVERSITY MONITORING FORM

Role: Strategic Director (Commercial & Operations)South Kesteven District Council

Reference Number: SK1063

Where/how did you first learn about the role?

We are committed to employing a workforce that reflects the community we serve. Please help us to monitor our progress by completing the details below. Your information will be treated confidentially.

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