Agenda and minutes

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To authorise the procedure for confirming and signing the Minutes of this meeting.  It is recommended that the Minutes be circulated to Members of the Panel and be signed by the Chairman in light of any comments on their accuracy received within 7 days of their circulation.

RESOLVED: that the minutes of this meeting be circulated to Members of the Panel and be signed by the Chairman in the light of any comments on their accuracy received within 7 days of their circulation.

The Panel considered the report of the Head of HR & OD which set out the proposed process for recruiting to the statutory post of Head of Paid Service following the departure of Clare Marchant. The Panel had interviewed candidates for the interim role and its recommendation that Steve Stewart be appointed as Interim Chief Executive was agreed by Council. 

It had been agreed that recruitment to the permanent post would not commence immediately but recommendations put to July Council once an Appointments etc. Panel had debated the different models.  Steve Stewart commenced his role as interim Chief Executive on 19 June 2017, on a fixed term contract, for a period of six to nine months whilst the permanent arrangements were agreed and implemented.

The Council was required by law to have a Head of Paid Service, appointed by full Council. There was no legal requirement to have a Chief Executive, but this was the model the Council agreed to retain as its model at the Council meeting on 13 July 2017 following recommendations from the Appointments Etc. Panel meeting on 6 July 2017.

The Council's Chief Executive would also continue to be the statutory Head of Paid Service.  

Given the current competitive market for high calibre candidates for the Chief Executive post, careful consideration would be given to the recruitment campaign, which included the shape of the role, the salary, the search process, the candidate field and the selection process.

The proposed re-shaped Job Description (JD) and Person Specification (PS) were considered by the Panel. Both the JD and PS emphasised the strong leadership capability and experience the Council could expect from prospective candidates.

Key requirements as set out in the JD and PS for the role of Chief Executive focused on the successful candidate having an extensive experience in delivery of services including:

a.    Ability to execute change efficiently and effectively in a financially constrained environment;

b.    Ability to shape Worcestershire's future;

c.    Ability to deliver key services based on set requirements;

d.    Provision of efficient services within the medium term financial plan and aligned to the Corporate Plan.

It was agreed to appoint to this post on a 35 hour contract, in line with corporate policy, on a salary range of £154,038 to £173,421 (with the advert stating 'up to £173,421' so as not to discourage any potential candidates at advert stage).

In terms of the recruitment process, it was agreed that long-listing would be done based on:

a.    A first stage sift of applications by the Leader and Deputy Leader of the Council with advice from the Head of Human Resources & Organisational Development (and search partner)

b.    Long-listing interviews of selected candidates following that first stage sift. The purpose of these interviews would be to further reduce the list of candidates to a manageable number for further interviews (the short list), ensuring that only the most suitable and appointable candidates progressed to the final Panel selection stages. 

Recommendations would then be made for a short list of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 1075.