Director Of Children, Education And Skills

Salary (£120,030 – £135,092) subject to pending pay award

Newcastle is a confident, optimistic city with diverse, passionate and proud people – great businesses, fantastic natural and economic assets. We power and serve the North East and working alongside our Combined Authority we are central to planning and delivering levelling up in the North.

Newcastle is a city that thrives on fresh ideas and this role is a fantastic opportunity for an inspirational leader to improve the lives of children, young people and families.

Already one of the fastest growing regional economies in the UK Newcastle is a great city, one that never stands still. A city of justice, fairness and deeply held values, at the heart of our city-region. As a city and a partnership, we will define, challenge and mark out a new path, emerging from the Covid-19 crisis a more inclusive, socially just and sustainable city with the same undiminished drive for economic success that has made us a byword for innovation and growth. We have exciting plans to build back greener, healthier and to support prosperity across the North East. We’ve established strong governance and partnership structures across some of the City’s largest organisations which has facilitated open, transparent cross-sector alliances across public, private, VCS and academic sectors.

Despite exceptional progress, we know challenges still lie ahead, not least those created by Covid and the deepening of inequalities. We are setting out to define, challenge and mark out a new path, emerging from the pandemic a more innovative, sustainable and liveable city.

As our new Director of Children and Education Services, you will play a pivotal role in delivering our recovery plans and vision to build forward better. We’re looking for an experienced leader with energy and vision and excellent stakeholder management and strategic partnering capabilities. Your leadership and track record of delivery will speak for itself. If you’re passionate about children and young people and seeking the opportunity to work with a progressive and ambitious city council, which places great emphasis on doing what’s right for all its communities, we want to hear from you.

For further information about this exciting opportunity please visit: https://www.opportunitynewcastle.co.uk or call our advising consultants at Penna: Nick Raper on 07715 690463 or Carol Coyle on 07500 887849.

Closing Date: Monday 20th December 2021

We are working in partnership with a local authority organisation in the Midlands region who are looking for the support of an Interim Chief Accountant. The primary focus of the role will be to lead the council through year-end closure of accounts (2020/21) and the subsequent liaison with the Auditors.

The successful candidate will ideally be a fully qualified accountant (CIPFA, CIMA, ACCA or ACA) with demonstrable experience and achievements of supporting another local authority through a year-end accounts closure process – including production of the statement of accounts, liaison with auditors and supporting the Head of Finance with production of a detailed narrative behind the accounts.

For more information, or to express your interest in this opportunity, please contact Jonathon Sheppard at CIPFA-Penna at jonathon.sheppard@penna.com

CIPFA-Pena are partnering a Midlands-based local authority organisation (district council) to support in the recruitments of a Senior Management Accountant. The role is offered on an interim basis for an initial period of 3 months, with a string possibility that they’ll need someone for longer.

As a Senior Management Accountant stepping in for an out-going member of permanent staff and managing a small team, the successful post-holder will largely be responsible for coordination of revenue monitoring, budget monitoring and budget setting. Guiding the workload and signing off the work of the team, you’ll also take a ‘hands-on’ approach and meet with many budget-holders yourself.

Previous experience in a similar role within local authority would be advantageous, as would string excel skills and relationship-building qualities (in particular, with non-finance people). Though there is a preference for someone to attend the Midlands-based office semi-regularly, those working remotely are also being considered.

Please contact Jonathon Sheppard, Senior Consultant at CIPFA-Penna if you’re interested in exploring this opportunity further (jonathon.sheppard@penna.com).  

Up to £118, 864 | London Borough of Waltham Forest (hybrid working)

The Role

Reporting to the Strategic Director of Families, you will be responsible for Schools Monitoring & Support (including SEND, School Improvement, Traded Services, and Educational Psychology); Early Years Teaching & Learning; Post-16 Education Strategy; and the Borough’s Careers Service.

Following the in-sourcing of the borough’s education and learning service and subsequent investment in Alternative Provision, SEND, and School Provision, the service is now established, well-resourced and highly-regarded.

You will lead an ambitious team that is still keen to do more, and will be tasked with building on those recent successes; this may include:

• Reviewing pupil place planning strategy – ascertaining whether new schools are required, and creating a format in which maintained schools can be supported to thrive (there is currently a 50/50 split between academies and maintained schools.)

• Post-Covid Recovery – delivering a 2 year programme to close educational attainment gaps.

• Developing your strategic relationships across the council and developing links across wider communities – this role will suit those with an interest in whole system delivery.

With the retirement of the previous postholder, we are now looking for a new Corporate Director of Education to continue taking the borough forward.

The role is challenging, yet rewarding, and offers the opportunity to make a strategic contribution towards making Waltham Forest one of the best places in the UK to grow up and to impact positively on the lives of children and young people.

If you are a strategic leader with good people skills and a passion for education and children’s services and would like to join our team then we would love to hear from you.

Next Steps

Long-listed candidates will be invited to an initial technical assessment with shortlisted candidates then being will be invited to a final panel interview.

So, if you are looking for an exciting new challenge with an outstanding team, look no further – and please follow the instructions to apply by visiting: https://walthamforestforyou.co.uk/ before Friday 17th December 2021.

If a confidential conversation about the opportunity would be of value, please contact Andrew Tromans on 07805 226 301 or at andrew.tromans@penna.com

Director of Financial Services

Salary £110,118 to £118,864

“Are you a qualified accountant who is committed to public service? Could you manage your team to develop and allocate resources in innovative ways to improve the lives of the residents of our Borough? Do you value and actively promote the combination of difference of backgrounds, perspectives and approaches in all your colleagues? Will you be able to work with other leaders to develop the talent within the Council? Could you balance the advantages of taking risk to meet our ambitions with the long-term responsibility of public accountability?

LBWF is appointing a Director of Financial Services (Deputy Section 151, and one of the deputies to the Strategic Director of Finance and Governance) as part of the seven strong management team of the Finance and Governance Directorate. The team is responsible for providing effective strategic and corporate financial services for the council, assessing and paying housing benefit and collecting council tax and business rates, compliance, financial planning, setting financial targets and developing innovative ways of financing the Council’s capital programme. This is a great opportunity to develop the skills and knowledge that will lead to becoming a Section 151 Officer.

At this exciting time for the Council as we rewire the way staff work and how we deliver services to the residents, the priorities for the role, alongside the statutory responsibilities, are to:

• develop innovative financing options for our £1/2bn capital ambitions

• find ways of engaging all staff across the Council to enhance the quality of financial management;

• develop your team’s strategic capability;

• build on our strength to look outwards by increasingly working in partnership with other organisations in the public and private sector to identify new ways of doing things.

We are keen to hear from anyone who meets the job criteria. We firmly believe that diversity within our teams produces the best team performance. We are proud of and driven by our Diversity Rationale and aim to have a workforce, at all levels, that reflects the communities we serve. We are determined to close the gap for groups in staff underrepresented at a more senior level. In order to tackle this, we would particularly encourage Women, people of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic heritage, people who live openly as LGBTQI+ or those with a disability to apply.

We recognise that people from different classes and backgrounds have often had less access to career development, so we are committed to supporting them to overcome that lack of advantage. We see what people bring through their personal experiences, background and identity as a great asset that significantly enhances the Council’s ability to understand the diversity of our staff and the residents we provide services to.”

“Waltham Forest is a Disability Confident Employer.”

If you are interested in being part of this exciting opportunity and working for an employer with flexible working options and award-winning  family  friendly  policies, please go to https://walthamforestforyou.co.uk/ for more information and to apply. If you would like a confidential conversation, please contact Az Ahmed on 07717 810 481 or Julie Towers on 07764 791736 to discuss this opportunity.

The Closing Date is Friday 17th December 2021

Make UK – Chair

Make UK is the manufacturers’ organisation - the leading voice of UK manufacturing and engineering and a key provider of business services for 125 years. An influential member of the B5 - the five core business groups engaged by Government – Make UK connects manufacturing to the heart of Westminster.

At Make UK we value and nurture the contribution the UK manufacturing sector makes in creating jobs, boosting productivity, powering economic growth and delivering shared opportunity across England and Wales.  

This is an exciting time for UK manufacturing with a transition to an innovative and more sustainable future. Net Zero, Industry 4.0 and the Government’s agenda around the Green Industrial Revolution create an agenda for change. Make UK plays a leading role in representing and championing this transition in partnership with its members.

Make UK is also a commercial organisation operating highly successful business services. We provide professional support services (advice, consultancy and training) in HR and Employment Law and Health, Safety and the Environment.  With a focus on the sector’s future skills base, MAKE UK has established itself as a leading national provider of engineering and manufacturing apprenticeships through its Apprentice Training Centre in Birmingham as well as owning and operating several award-winning conference centres in Warwickshire, London and Bristol.

As Chair you’ll bring considerable leadership experience to provide robust governance and coordination of the Board. You will have previously chaired similarly diverse organisations, with a focus on balancing commercial and wider strategic objectives. You will work closely with, support and challenge the CEO and Executive Team to prioritise business delivery and development while ensuring the organisation’s continued effectiveness and sustainability. You will have a strong network across Government and business with a national and international reach and will act as an ambassador for our brand and our sector amongst our key audiences and stakeholders, including with Government Ministers and in the media.

This an opportunity to support Make UK in the next stage of its journey – to further enhance our business service offering, anticipate and meet the future skills needs of manufacturers and strengthen our position as the leading advocate for our sector.

To download the candidate briefing pack please click on the apply link below.

( Closing date: 5pm, Wednesday 15th December 2021)

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact our colleagues at Penna, Charles Wilson on 07801 880420 charles.wilson@penna.com.

CIPFA-Penna are delighted to be working with a Local Authority who is seeking an Interim Finance & Business Systems Manager for a period of 6 months. Developing, promoting, managing and ensuring the continued integrity of the corporate services systems. Working in partnership with IT to ensure that updates to the systems are successfully tested and rolled out. CCAB qualified with previous experience of working in a local authority environment. For further information & a confidential chat please contact me at catherine.bush@penna.com

CIPFA-Penna are delighted to be working with a Local Authority who is seeking an Interim Chief Accountant for a period of 6 months starting in the New Year. To lead and coordinate the annual closure of accounts process and to provide expert technical advice on complex local authority financial issues including the Collection Fund, local authority tax & VAT and capital financing policy. CCAB qualified with previous experience of working in a local authority environment. For further information & a confidential chat please contact me at catherine.bush@penna.com

Assistant Director Highways, Transport and Regulatory Services

Salary: £96,192 - 108,213

About us

At Sutton Council, we’re ambitious for our residents and our environment. We are focused on delivering

ambitious, progressive programmes that deliver positive outcomes for everyone who lives or works here. We have a clear vision, and the ambition to deliver it. Everything we do is underpinned by shared values which promote our reputation as a great place to live, work, and raise a family.

We are looking to take our shared service with Kingston in a new direction. The benefits of shared expertise and high quality of experience will be balanced by truly local leadership. This new approach will put our infrastructure network at the heart of our green ambitions whilst ensuring high quality place-based services

Sutton is a great place to live and work, with low crime, exceptional schools, a strong environmental record and good community engagement. As a council it is hugely ambitious for both the borough and the people who live there, and we have exciting plans for the future. We are quietly brilliant – and now we want to be even more brilliant – and be louder about it.

The role

This is a unique role - you will lead for Sutton delivering services which are vital to our borough but leading staff in an established shared service and giving them clear direction and focus. Reporting to the newly appointed Strategic Director Environment, Housing & Neighbourhoods, you’ll play a key role in the collective leadership of both the Council and the new Environment, Housing & Neighbourhoods Directorate.

This role will be the lead on delivering a range of operational highways and transport functions, and a variety of regulatory services such as environmental enforcement and environmental health. It will require someone with experience, skills and enthusiasm to lead the delivery of excellent public-facing services and a programme of organisational change to help us do things better and do better things for our communities

With a revenue budget of around £5m and a capital budget averaging £15m a year, this is an exciting opportunity to be part of a ground-breaking approach, sharing services and working in partnership across two London boroughs.

About you

We’re looking for an effective leader with the ability to lead large, multi-disciplinary teams, within a politically sensitive setting, and with a commitment to managing staff through change. You will manage complex revenue and capital budgets well and have great people skills. You’ll need a broad knowledge of leading-edge approaches and sector developments in some or all of the relevant the fields, including Environmental Health and Enforcement, Highways, Infrastructure, Smart Cities and Transport Planning & Engineering. Most importantly, you will have the ambition, drive and energy to lead and support your teams to help them and the services they deliver be the best they can possibly be. You’ll also need to be a true ambassador and speak up loudly for Sutton when working in partnership with other organisations.

We’re looking for a truly exceptional, engaging leader with excellent communication skills who shares our ambitious plans for the future of our borough, its environment and people. If you can inspire staff and partners in these difficult times, we’d love to hear from you.

For a confidential discussion, please contact Rob Naylor on Rob.Naylor@Penna.com / or Joshua Bembridge on Joshua.Bembridge@Penna.com / 07739 985 331.

Close date: 9am on Monday 6th December 2021

To download the candidate pack, please click apply now.

Shaping a brighter future

Director of Education

Salary –  Up to £110,000

Reading is a place where your talent and expertise can make a real difference. Brighter Futures for Children is a company wholly owned by Reading Borough Council that aims to improve the lives of children and young people in Reading. Here, you’ll be part of a team that shares a clarity of purpose and consistency of focus, operating in a vibrant and growing town. Reading has the fastest economic growth outside London, a respected university, and is ranked in the UK’s top areas for wellbeing. We want to ensure that our growing and diverse population all share in that success.

This role is a key appointment to help us achieve our vision, to continue to drive improvements in educational attainment, and in addressing issues that have arisen as a result of Covid.

Reporting to the Director of Children’s Services you will lead the Education service and will be responsible for a variety of services including school improvement, virtual school, SEND, place planning and traded services

This role calls for a leader who can collaborate with peers to identify where improvements can be made and then inspire and motivate colleagues and partners to deliver; first-hand leadership experience of working with and supporting schools to deliver improvement will be required for success.

If you are ‘can do’ and you are looking for your next challenge, we want to hear from you.

To dowlnload a copy of the Candidate Pack please click the link below.

If you would like a confidential discussion, please contact our retained consultants at Penna: Andrew Tromans on 07805 226 301, Maggie Hennessy on 07877 004648, or Carol Coyle on 07500 887849.

Closing Date for Applications: 9am on Friday 10th December 2021

Inspire Excellence

Director of Commercial Investment

£104,902-£109,140 pa

Croydon is a council on a journey. By accepting and addressing the challenges of its past, the council is transforming itself into a modern, sustainable, and resident-focused local authority.

This is an opportunity to be part of a new chapter for Croydon and help shape the future of the council. A council with a passion for driving positive change and delivering excellence; a community with a rich heritage, a diverse population and a distinct identity. It’s an environment in which you can find fresh inspiration and inspire others in equal measure.

Welcome to Croydon Council – and a role that will challenge you and fulfil you like never before. As our Director of Commercial Investment, you’ll manage our current portfolio of investments and shareholdings. You’ll act as the corporate client to Brick by Brick and Croydon Affordable Housing, minimising risk and improving efficiency.

The impact you’ll have

This is an opportunity to make your skills count on a broad scale as you manage our division to help drive the development and transformation of a range of services in line with our budgets and medium-term financial strategy 2021-2024. You’ll provide expert property and commercial services, working very closely with other divisions and our finance, legal and commissioning services to achieve the perfect balance between quality and value. Across everything you do, you’ll support our ongoing financial sustainability so that we can better support and empower our residents.

There will be difficult decisions to make and tough budgets to deliver. But you’ll relish the chance to apply your ideas and ingenuity to find the best ways forward.

Your specific responsibilities will include:

• Taking the lead on and delivering any land or property-based commercial transactions, including housing disposals and acquisitions
• Ensuring robust governance and control around our shareholdings, asset investment funds and any other entities
• Overseeing the recruitment of non-executive directors to all council company boards, ensuring they have the right level of training, development and support
• Meeting all shareholder requirements both contractually and operationally, and upholding our governance requirements in briefing members appropriately and ensuring transparent and effective decision making
• Acting as the client representative on all future affordable housing development, managing all asset purchases and disposals, and creating an asset management register

The skills and experience you’ll bring

We’re looking for someone who’ll be passionate about and experienced in delivering outstanding commercial services and shaping the future of our organisation as a whole. An inspiring, engaging and motivational leader who’ll live and breathe our values, you’ll be adept at identifying and developing talent, driving high standards and value for money, and embedding a culture of trust and respect. You’ll empower people within your team to bring new ideas and try new approaches as well as inspiring them through your own. You should also be a natural and inclusive collaborator – someone who can work well with a range of stakeholders, establish productive relationships, and see things from different perspectives.

Who we are – and where we’re going

We fully acknowledge the fact that we haven’t got things right in the past and have strengthened our resolve do them better. With a clear financial strategy in place together with an unwavering commitment to listening to our residents and putting them first, this is a reenergised Croydon. A determined Croydon, with a fantastic team of people who care about our community, and how we can support the many different people who live and work here.

We have a vision of what improvement success looks like for us – a future where we have a vibrant local economy, a great team of people, and delivering new ideas that will mean we can be at our best for the communities in Croydon.

How to apply

If you’d like to find out more, please go to: https://www.inspiringcroydon.co.uk

Croydon Council is an inclusive employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. We are happy to consider applications from candidates seeking flexible working arrangements.

As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the advertised role. We’re committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and we expect every member of our team to share this commitment.

Inspire Excellence

Director of Legal Services (Monitoring Officer and Proper Officer)

£104,902-£109,140 pa

Croydon is a council on a journey. By accepting and addressing the challenges of its past, the council is transforming itself into a modern, sustainable and resident-focused local authority.

This is an opportunity to be part of a new chapter for Croydon and help shape the future of the council. A council with a passion for driving positive change and delivering excellence; a community with a rich heritage, a diverse population and a distinct identity. It’s a chance to help shape who we are today, and what we become tomorrow. It’s an environment in which you can find fresh inspiration and inspire others in equal measure.

Welcome to Croydon Council – and a role that will challenge you and fulfil you like never before. Join us as our Director of Legal Services, and you’ll be our chief legal officer responsible for the provision of all legal services as well as holding the statutory post of Monitoring Officer and the role of Proper Officer. It will be down to you to ensure we always operate in full compliance with the law and best practice. You will also oversee the shift to the new elected Mayor Governance model for Croydon.

The impact you’ll have

You’ll manage our Legal Services division, ensuring that we follow all the relevant legal regulations as we develop and transform our services. As our Monitoring Officer, you’ll make sure our constitution is maintained and that our decision making is lawful and reasonable. You will need to support members and officers to at all times fulfil the seven principles of public life and might need to undertake investigations referred by the Ethics Committee. We’ll also need you to ensure that our Leader and Cabinet, Scrutiny and Overview members, employees and all other members are well-advised on compliance and the legal implications of different council matters, working closely with the Head of Democratic Services and Scrutiny (Deputy MO).

There will be difficult decisions to make and tough budgets to deliver. But you’ll relish the chance to apply your ideas and ingenuity to find the best ways forward.

Your specific responsibilities will include:

• Delivering high quality legal services to the council, and taking responsibility for the procurement and management of all external legal service suppliers
• Managing demand for legal services efficiently, ensuring full use is always made of our in-house legal resources
• Authorising the delivery of any legal proceedings carried out in the name of Croydon Council
• Working closely with the Chief Digital Officer and Director of Resident Access to maintain our relationship with the Information Commissioner and the Local Government Ombudsman, and providing support on data protection and information management issues
• Working closely with the Head of Democratic Services and Scrutiny to ensure our governance meets the principals of public life.
• Maintaining responsibility and oversight of our whistleblowing policy, and ensuring we operate within our governance, financial and legal frameworks at all times

The skills and experience you’ll bring

We’re looking for someone who’ll be passionate about and experienced in delivering an exceptional legal service, and shaping the future of our organisation as a whole. An inspiring, engaging and motivational individual who’ll live and breathe our values, you’ll be adept at identifying and developing talent, driving high standards and value for money, and embedding a culture of trust and respect. You’ll empower people within your team to bring new ideas and try new approaches as well as inspiring them through your own. You should also be a natural inclusive collaborator – someone who can work well with a range of stakeholders, establish productive relationships and see things from different perspectives.

Who we are – and where we’re going

We fully acknowledge the fact that we haven’t got things right in the past and have strengthened our resolve do them better. With a clear financial strategy in place together with an unwavering commitment to listening to our residents and putting them first, this is a reenergised Croydon. A determined Croydon, with a fantastic team of people who care about our community, and how we can support the many different people who live and work here.

We have a vision of what improvement success looks like for us – a future where we have a vibrant local economy, a great team of people, and delivering new ideas that will mean we can be at our best for the communities in Croydon.

How to apply

If you’d like to find out more, please go to: https://www.inspiringcroydon.co.uk

Croydon Council is an inclusive employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. We are happy to consider applications from candidates seeking flexible working arrangements.

As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the advertised role. We’re committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and we expect every member of our team to share this commitment.

Inspire Excellence

Chief People Officer

Salary: £100,000+/ under review

Croydon is a council on a journey. By accepting and addressing the challenges of its past, the council is transforming itself into a modern, sustainable, and resident-focused local authority.

This is an opportunity to be part of a new chapter for Croydon and help shape the future of the council. A council with a passion for driving positive change and delivering excellence; a community with a rich heritage, a diverse population and a distinct identity. It’s an environment in which you can find fresh inspiration and inspire others in equal measure.

Welcome to Croydon Council – and a role that will challenge you and fulfil you like never before. Join us as our Chief People Officer and you’ll deliver the Croydon Renewal Improvement Plan, the council’s most important priorities and a financially sustainable budget by March 2024. It’s a vital role.

The impact you’ll have

We want to deliver excellent services to the people of Croydon. And we know we can only do that if we have the right people on board. We’re already a home to many talented staff. Now, we’re looking for a highly skilled Chief People Officer who can get the best out of our people and get the organisation to support them in the best way possible.

There will be difficult decisions to make and tough budgets to deliver. But you’ll relish the chance to apply your ideas and ingenuity to find the best way forward.

Your specific responsibilities will include:

• Leading a portfolio of human resources, workforce related equality, diversity and inclusion activity, culture change, along with strategic workforce planning and organisational development.  
• Providing high quality professional advice to a series of senior stakeholders including the Leader and Cabinet and chief executive, and other external bodies.
• Managing the division, ensuring that services are delivered to meet the new budget in the medium-term financial strategy 2021-2024.
• Leading on the people and workforce issues that impact the entire council.
• Collaborating with the corporate directors of adult social care and health and children, young people and education, helping to raise the quality of their services, through joint workforce planning
• Creating excellent working relationships with trade unions, partners and suppliers.
• Being responsible for the delivery of a best practice employee relations service.
• Taking a ‘one Council’ approach to promote corporate working and effective outcomes.

The skills and experience you’ll bring

We’re looking for someone inspiring, motivational, and collaborative, to live and breathe our values. Importantly, you’ll be passionate about shaping the future of our organisation and encouraging excellence in human resources and organisational development. With personal gravitas and professional credibility, you’ll be confident managing colleagues, empowering people and setting clear direction. And, thanks to your experience, you’ll be able to see things from different perspectives, while still focusing on the detail.

Who we are – and where we’re going

We fully acknowledge the fact that we haven’t got things right in the past and have strengthened our resolve do them better. With a clear financial strategy in place together with an unwavering commitment to listening to our residents and putting them first, this is a reenergised Croydon. A determined Croydon, with a fantastic team of people who care about our community, and how we can support the many different people who live and work here.

We have a vision of what improvement success looks like for us – a future where we have a vibrant local economy, a great team of people, and delivering new ideas that will mean we can be at our best for the communities in Croydon.

How to apply

If you’d like to find out more, please go to: https://www.inspiringcroydon.co.uk

Croydon Council is an inclusive employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. We are happy to consider applications from candidates seeking flexible working arrangements.

As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the advertised role. We’re committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and we expect every member of our team to share this commitment.