Skip to content Skip to navigation

Executive Director of Prosperity and Place

Employee Specification

 

Criteria Requirement
Essential Desirable

Educated to degree level or equivalent, with evidence of continuing professional development; post graduate and/or leadership and management qualifications desirable.

  

Seasoned professional with breadth across the services within scope; demonstrable experience of leading at least one of the key service areas at senior level in a complex, diverse organisation.

  

In-depth understanding of regulations, legislation and best practice within relevant specialisms and the wider local government sector; understanding of national and local government developments, policy and emerging trends.

  

Proven experience of high‑level external engagement, working with central government, national agencies and major investment partners to secure influence and impact and attract investment

  

Track record of raising a region’s national profile, shaping policy and championing place‑based priorities at a national level. 

  

Experience of forming strategic partnerships beyond the local area, including national and emerging international networks that support investment and growth.

  

Significant experience of leading diverse, multi-disciplinary teams and delivering constant change and transformation; proven mandate for change and ability to inspire the workforce to improve.

  

Excellent commercial acumen and significant financial and managerial experience, including service budget and capital management; value for money and business process re-engineering to generate efficiencies.

  
Ability to build and sustain effective relationships and alliances to gain support for the Council’s vision and its implementation; political astuteness and sensitivity; organisational awareness.  

Excellent knowledge of the impact of underlying demographic, social and political drivers; understands formal and informal politics at regional and national levels and implications for the Council.

  

Evidence of cultivating a high-performance, cost-effective culture delivering outstanding outcomes through structure, working methods, contracts and other mechanisms.

  

Knowledge of the digital agenda and maximising use of technology to improve service delivery, enable self-service and realise efficiencies.

  

Experience of contributing successfully to culture, vision, aims and objectives of an organisation; a corporate player contributing to the Council’s overall effectiveness.

  

Treats customers with respect and gives confidence in services provided.

  

Improves efficiency and effectiveness of services; manages customer contact and redesigns processes based on customer outcomes.

  

Listens to understand, builds rapport and delivers information clearly; excellent written and verbal communication skills.

  

Enthuses and persuades others; provides clear direction; skilled and persuasive communicator.

  

Manages risks, maintains high personal standards (integrity, openness, commitment to excellence) and works on own initiative.

  

Identifies problems and key issues; displays innovative thinking; models options and understands financial impact; allocates and uses resources effectively.

  

Acts with integrity and honesty; strong commitment to corporate working.

  

Builds positive relationships, networks and partnerships; demonstrates leadership, influencing and negotiation skills; works in partnership to deliver shared priorities.

  

Evidence of continuing professional development; organised and resilient; able to deal with complex demands and situations.

  

Sets performance objectives; mentors and coaches; empowers others and embraces organisational differences. 

  

Provide visible, inclusive leadership that strengthens organisational capability, drives improvement, and leads effective change. They will build leadership capacity, promote collaboration across partners, and ensure strong governance and accountability in delivering key place based priorities

  

Has a vision for the future; inspires others; forecasts opportunities for change; proven experience of strategic planning and delivery in a performance-led, innovative organisation.

  

Leads development and implementation of major initiatives and partnerships that deliver major change; manages the change process and encourages innovation with a commercial approach.

  

Identifies opportunities to use technology to improve service delivery and realise efficiencies; applies technology to support service redesign and promotes self-service.

  

Dimensions of role
•    Leads a major, multi-division/functional directorate that delivers a very wide range of services and has a major impact across East Riding and the Council.
•    Significant financial oversight, typically managing an annual gross budget of circa £250m, 3,500 staff and capital programme circa £150m per year.
•    Strategic planning across a multi-year horizon.

    

 

Job outline

Overall purpose

As a member of the Corporate Leadership Team, the Executive Director will shape and drive corporate strategy, ensuring delivery of the Council’s priorities and value to residents.  The role provides the overall strategic leadership across a wide-ranging directorate spanning planning, economic growth, housing, transport, public protection; streetscene services, infrastructure, facilities, culture and customer services and acts as the Lead Officer for the operational elements of the emerging Mayoral Combined Authority.

The postholder will champion economic growth, setting an ambitious prosperity agenda that positions the East Riding as a competitive, investment‑ready and productive part of the UK economy.

 

Principal accountabilities

  1. As part of the Corporate Leadership Team, shape the Council’s strategic direction to drive continuous improvement and deliver priorities and value to residents, balancing economic growth ambitions with financial constraints.  Ensuring major prosperity programmes align and protect neighbourhood services, providing strategic leadership that maintains standards while enabling long‑term economic uplift.

  2. Ensure the directorate uses all available resources efficiently and effectively, providing excellent value for money; manage directorate budgets (revenue and capital) and drive service improvement, streamlining and transformation.

  3. Provide direct leadership and accountability for the services within scope, ensuring statutory duties are met and discretionary services are customer-focused and cost effective. Ensure strong governance, clear accountability and effective cross‑directorate collaboration across all culture and customer services activities, supporting the integration of services, partnership working and high‑quality, efficient delivery that meets corporate objectives and performance standards, strengthens community wellbeing and impact and contributes to continuous improvement and value for residents.

  4. Remove internal and external barriers and create the conditions for entrepreneurial, innovative practice by co-design inclusive, joined-up services across departmental and organisational boundaries that meet the needs of residents and communities.  Act as the Council’s enabler for delivery, cutting unnecessary bureaucracy and championing a culture of pace, pragmatic problem‑solving and delivery focus.

  5. Act as Lead Officer for the operational elements of the emerging Mayoral Combined Authority, ensuring alignment of place-based priorities and programmes.

  6. Actively position the East Riding as a regional and national economic powerhouse, shaping major policy discussions, influencing strategic investment decisions, and securing the area’s inclusion in key UK growth, innovation and infrastructure programmes.

  7. Inspire, motivate and develop leaders and staff to create an empowering, modern and learning culture that enables high performance, talent attraction and retention.

  8. Lead and model continuous improvement through significant change and transformation while maintaining performance, managing financial constraints and meeting statutory obligations.

  9. Align the directorate with corporate objectives, ensuring priorities and plans are delivered across diverse service areas.

  10. Identify developments in the sector and beyond; create innovative approaches that reflect an understanding of the system-wide picture, anticipating future issues and positively challenging current thinking.

  11. Develop constructive relationships with stakeholders including businesses, government agencies, local authorities, community planning partners and the voluntary/community sector at local, regional, national and international levels.

  12. Serve as East Riding’s leading ambassador for place‑based prosperity, forging influential relationships with Ministers, Whitehall officials, industry bodies, major investors and international partners.  Represent the area on regional, national and global platforms to attract investment, shape policy, and raise East Riding’s economic profile.

  13. Act as a Place Leader, creating an environment for joint design, commissioning (if required) and delivery of outcomes with partners; unlock barriers and monitor partnership success.

  14. Maintain effective communication with Elected Members and customers, advising Members of significant developments and events.

  15. In conjunction with People Services, maintain good employee relations and negotiate necessary agreements with employee representatives.

  16. Act as client officer for procurement, monitoring and supervision of contracted functions, supplies and services within the Directorate’s responsibilities.

  17. Ensure effective and safe practices across all areas of responsibility to protect the well-being of residents, customers, visitors and employees.

  18. Support Cabinet and Members in translating political objectives and priorities into coherent initiatives, working within appropriate governance structures.

  19. Any other duties commensurate with the grade and level of responsibility of the post.

In this role you are required to speak English with sufficient fluency to effectively perform your duties, as required by Section 42 of the Immigration Act 2016.

The above principal accountabilities are not exhaustive and may vary without changing the character of the job or level of responsibility.