Welcome note from Councillor Kevin Richards, Leader of the Council and Frank McArdle, Chief Executive
Thank you for considering South Derbyshire as the next destination in your career. You have already made a good decision.
As Leaders in our respective positions, we are both proud to serve the community of South Derbyshire and make it a great place to live, visit and invest. Benefiting from the dedicated leadership of Frank, the Council has continued to deliver excellent services for the community and alongside Elected Members, we are passionate about leading high quality, innovative and value for money services.
The Council is about to enter a period of change. This is both exciting and challenging and we are uniquely placed and resourced to meet these challenges with your help, talent and ambition.
Not only do we have an all-out Election on 4 May 2023 but ahead of this, we say well done and best wishes for the future to the two Officers in the posts that you are now looking to fill who are both retiring by the end of March 2023. These Officers have made significant contributions to the strategic leadership of the Council and through their work, have enhanced the reputation of the Council at a local, regional and national level.
These posts provide the opportunity to build on our successes, to drive forward change and innovation to future proof our services and improve the quality of life for our community. Both are key roles with high expectations from our Elected Members, workforce, residents and partners.
As Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service, this post defines a career. It presents opportunities to showcase your talent, passion and ambition for the delivery of public services and stretches your leadership skills in to areas further outside of any professional background you started with. You are the role model for how the Council will be seen over the coming years by our residents, Elected Members, current and future workforce, businesses, communities and our partners in the public, private and third sector. It is rewarding; it is demanding but most of all, it represents the pinnacle of your career.
Our Strategic Director (Corporate Resources) also undertakes the statutory role of S151 Officer – Chief Finance Officer. Whilst it is critical this role oversees and controls the Council’s resources; we offer much more. Within this remit are the following services; Corporate Property, IT and Business Change, Customer Services, Finance, and Organisational Development and Performance. Alongside the Chief Executive and recently appointed Strategic Director (Service Delivery), you will form part of the Council’s Leadership Team. Together, you will work with Elected Members to shape and influence the future direction of the Council. Your role will be high profile, visible and will enable you to have the deepest insight in to our financial position at all times.
We are a customer first authority, in a strong financial position and are looking to invest, grow and expand with major projects to deliver including the creation of an Urban Park not far from Swadlincote town centre, the redevelopment of Rosliston Forestry Centre, the investment in Swadlincote town centre and an ambitious Climate and Environment Plan which involves decarbonising our fleet by working with partners such as Toyota who are located in the District. Linked to this is our evolving commercial agenda, with an opportunity to increase income, raise our profile and be more innovative in service delivery. Key to our success has been strong links with partners and stakeholders in the delivery of services and a dedicated workforce that has maintained and adapted services throughout the pandemic.
We have embraced flexible working to offer choice and modernise our employment practices. We invest in our workforce, nurture talent and create opportunities for personal and professional development. With a strong commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion we need to keep reviewing our approach to reach all residents and partners, including those most vulnerable in the community.
We hope that you are interested and excited about the opportunities on offer. To find out more about either post then please contact Jude Watters (07594 250 060) or Gary Evans (07809 195 593) at GatenbySanderson.
Both current postholders, Frank McArdle - Chief Executive and Kevin Stackhouse, Strategic Director (Corporate Resources), are available for an informal chat about their respective posts. Please arrange this through the contacts at GatenbySanderson.
The Council looks forward to receiving your application.
Frank McArdle – Chief Executive |
Councillor Kevin Richards – Leader of the Council |