Agenda Document Pack - Appointments Sub-Committee - 19/02/2024
North Lanarkshire Council · 19 February 2024
Back to Appointments Sub-Committee — 19 February 2024 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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8 February 2023 Members of the Appointments Sub-Committee Chief Executive’s Office Archie Aitken Chief Officer (Legal & Democratic) Civic Centre, Windmillhill Street, Motherwell ML1 1AB www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk Notice is given that a Meeting of the Appointments Sub-Committee is to be held in the Shieldmuir Room, Civic Centre, Windmillhill Street, Motherwell, ML1 1AB on Monday, 19 February 2024 at 14:00 PM which you are requested to attend. The agenda of business is attached. Archie Aitken Chief Officer (Legal & Democratic) Members : Clerk Name: Andrew Rose Clerk Telephone: 07951 409714 Clerk Email: rosean@northlan.gov.uk J Logue, L Roarty, T Carragher, T Fisher, G Lennon, A Smith, A Thomas, S Watson, C Williams. Page 1 of 16
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Agenda 1 Declarations of Interest In Terms of the Ethical Standards In Public Life Etc. (Scotland) Act 2000 EXCLUSION OF PUBLIC The Sub-Committee is asked to consider passing the following resolution: "That under Section 50A(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 1 of Part 1 of Schedule 7A of the Act". 2 Recruitment of Chief Officer (Education - South) - shortleeting 2 (a) Recruitment Pack Submit candidates application pack as made available via the myjobscotland recruitment portal (provided for information). 5 - 16 2 (b) Application Forms Received Submit application forms received for the post. 2 (c) Arrangements for Interviews Consider and agree arrangements for final interviews to take place on Thursday, 7 March 2024 with Friday, 8 March available as a reserve day if required. Page 3 of 16
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Chief Officer (Education) Recruitment Pack Grade: JNC 40-42 - £111,929 - £116,223 Conditions of Service: SJC WE’RE MOTIVATED. ARE YOU? JOIN A TEAM THAT ACHIEVES GREAT THINGS. Item 2 (a) Page 5 of 16
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2 It’s an ambitious time for the council, our residents, our businesses and the people who work here. If you’re motivated, ambitious and driven by achievement, then come and join us. We want you to play a part in the regeneration and transformation of our towns and communities. At North Lanarkshire Council we’re full of energy and ideas to transform our towns and communities into vibrant places to live, work and visit. As Scotland’s fourth largest local authority, we’ve got lofty ambitions, bags of determination and we’re moving at a pace to generate real change in our communities and how we deliver services. We’re providing services that enhance lives, communities and experiences of almost 340,000 people living in the area. There’s a real story to tell about North Lanarkshire. It’s a place that is growing, changing, developing and thriving. The scale of change is vast. And the rate of change is considerable. This is why we’ve agreed with all our partners on The Plan for North Lanarkshire which is underpinned by our Programme of Work. It’s ambitious but by working with our partners, residents and businesses, we aim to completely transform our towns and communities, to make them better, more inclusive and more pleasant places to live. The council is committed to delivering quality services that provide best value, creates prosperity, achieves social justice and meets local needs across the area. Delivering quality services starts with having the right people working here and the right ethos internally. And with around 13,000 staff, we work hard to make sure each person feels part of the bigger team delivering services that improve the lives of people living and working here. It’s important that everyone grasps our ambition as we need the very best people to help us achieve them, and that includes you. Page 6 of 16
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3 Our priorities are clear. We want to: • Improve economic opportunities and outcomes • Support all children and young people to realise their full potential • Improve the health and wellbeing of our communities • Enhance participation, capacity and empowerment across our communities • Improve North Lanarkshire’s resource base We know that we can only achieve the outcomes to meet these priorities by working together and by being focused on solutions. North Lanarkshire Council is high-performing but we can do so much more. We have bright and determined people working here, that believe in what we do. If that sounds like you, then read on. In the rest of this pack you’ll find more information about North Lanarkshire, the relevant job description and links to other useful documents. To be successful you’ll need to be innovative, determined and resilient. You’ll be prepared to do what it takes to deliver our shared ambition to make North Lanarkshire the place to live, learn, work invest and visit. If you have all these qualities, we look forward to connecting with you. BENEFITS • Attractive pension and avc option • 34 days annual leave and six fixed public holidays, rising to 37 days in line with service • Flexible working • Buy and bank leave scheme • Cycle to work scheme • Relocation policy ABOUT US 77 Elected members 21 Wards 35 Scottish Labour Party councillors 24 Scottish National Party councillors 7 Progressive Change North Lanarkshire councillors 5 Scottish Conservative and Unionist councillors 4 Independent councillors 1 Scottish Greens councillor 1 British Unionist Party councillor Workforce (Full-time permanent) 13,080 Page 7 of 16
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4 £991m revenue budget 2023/24 £159m housing revenue 2023/24 Population 339,400 21%under 18 65% age 16-64 4.7%unemployment £207.3m capital budget 2023/24 £131m housing capital 2023/24 ABOUT NORTH LANARKSHIRE Located in the very hub of the country with exceptional transport connections, we attract talent and business that has revolutionised North Lanarkshire into one of Scotland’s fastest-growing economies (pre-pandemic). We’re Scotland’s fourth largest council by population, covering around 181 square miles, stretching from Stepps to Harthill and from Cumbernauld to Wishaw. The council was formed in 1996 following local government reorganisation and includes the main towns of Airdrie, Bellshill, Coatbridge, Cumbernauld, Kilsyth, Motherwell, Shotts and Wishaw, interspersed with many villages and hamlets, including places like Moodiesburn and Stepps, along the Northern Corridor. With a population of around 340,000 people, we have a wide range of age groups living in the area, as well as diverse communities with a range of religions and cultures. We’re also brimming with ambition, have stacks of resolve and are moving at pace to effect real change in our communities and how we deliver services. The council is investing billions of pounds over the next ten years to help create jobs and generate close to £1bn for the local economy. Reducing inequalities is central to our vision for a brighter, better North Lanarkshire and we’re investing in new schools and community facilities as well as doubling our affordable housing programme to build 5,000 modern homes by 2035. Around £240million Glasgow City Region City Deal funding is helping to improve the road and rail transport network, create locations to attract business and industry that are relevant to our future economy, and maximise our greenspace for residents and visitors to enjoy. Embracing our shared vision for North Lanarkshire is crucial, particularly as we face challenges to make savings as local government budgets are reduced. Being big and bold means attracting large international events to our area. We hosted the Glasgow 2018 European Sports Championships, showcasing our world-class venue in Strathclyde Country Park to a television audience of more than a billion people for the rowing and triathlon competitions, a role we fulfilled at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Creating modern, vibrant communities where people live, work and socialise is North Lanarkshire’s shared ambition for the future. Page 8 of 16
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5 Organisational Structure 2024 Page 9 of 16
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Role Summary Our Chief Officers play a vital role in leading our services to deliver on our priority outcomes and strategic goals. Their key focus is on providing strategic clarity and operational direction to their service, ensuring that resources are fully aligned to support excellence in service delivery and building capacity to modernise and transform their services for the future. Chief Officers have a key role to ensure that children and young people across North Lanarkshire are given the best chance to fulfil their potential. Young people are critical to the future of our local economy, and they are central to the Council’s vision of inclusive growth and prosperity. The Chief Officer – Education, directly supports this strategic aim, providing a broad holistic care service that is directly linked to education, and is focused on supporting children and young people in the context of wider family and social community support systems that play such a critical role in their long term growth and progression. Des Murray Chief Executive, North Lanarkshire Council Page 10 of 16
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Role Dimensions The key dimensions of this post are: Responsible for discharging specific functions delegated to the role and specified by the Depute Chief Executive and set out in the Council’s Scheme of Delegation for the following services: • Strategically leading the delivery of the education services, as directed, ensuring schools and centres are supported to develop an appropriate curriculum through quality learning and teaching across the service. Key Relationships: • Chief Executive/Depute Chief Executive • Colleague Chief Officers, including the Chief Social Work Officer/ Head of Children, Families, Justice Services and Integrated Practice • The Corporate Management Team • The Leader of the Council, Elected Members and Political Party Leads • The Community Planning Partnership and other key Partners and Agencies, including the North Lanarkshire Partnership • The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) and the Care Inspectorate • Trade Unions • Scottish Government as relating to Education Strategic Accountabilities Lead the Service to achieve its strategic goals by: • Collective responsibility for addressing and enhancing the overall attendance and attainment in schools and centres. • Strategic lead on key service priority areas, which would include: • Additional Support Needs (ASN), • Early Years and Childcare priorities and Quality Assurance/Performance Management, • Psychological Services. • Gaelic Education and 1+2 approach to Modern Languages • Strategic responsibility in overseeing the GIRFEC programme across all educational establishments to ensure psychological services are effective including utilisation of the teaching workforce to meet the educational outcomes of the service • Driving an efficient, digitised and best value approach to enabling modern services for the Directorate, identifying and regularly reviewing priorities with key stakeholders including community planning partners and Chief Officers • Assisting in monitoring and analysing all available data and information about our schools and centres in order to assess risk, support improvement and develop service provision • Strategic link for Child Protection services for schools and centres • Strategic lead for the development of digital learning and teaching • Strategic link for parental engagement and home education Page 11 of 16
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Management Responsibilities Corporate Responsibilities Direct efforts to manage the following key areas or risks for the organisation: • Take corporate and strategic responsibility to facilitate and co-ordinate improved educational outcomes for children and young people. • Ensure compliance with relevant statutory and legislative provisions, including compliance with the provisions of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, the Standards in Schools Etc. Act 2000, the Scottish Schools (Parental Involvement) Act 2006, the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2009 and the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014. • Providing the clarity of vision, effective leadership and actively modelling desired behaviours required to achieve the Council’s ambition. • Demonstrating commitment to strategic relationships with other Services, and to finding improvements and effective business solutions which support the achievement of the Council’s agreed priorities. • Promoting and valuing the diversity of staff, people and communities served by the Council to ensure equality of access and treatment in employment and service delivery. • Ensuring efficient management of resources, workforce planning, capacity building, and harnessing technologies which demonstrate Best Value in all activities of the Directorate. • Ensuring the service works collaboratively, engages communities, consults parents, families and other key stakeholders and is a good example of wide participation. • Ensuring delivery of best value in accordance with the Council’s corporate policies, agreed service objectives and statutory requirements. • Promoting the integration of Services and of joint working with key partner organisations to improve service delivery. • Ensuring the development and maintenance of good employee relations in partnership with staff and trade unions/representative bodies through informal and formal processes of communication and involvement. • Ensuring effective performance management through the development of continuous improvement, achievement of performance standards and sound budgetary management and control. • Developing and realising the full potential of employees through effective coaching, performance management and providing development opportunities to promote the highest standards of delivery and the maintenance of professional standards. • Ensure compliance with the Council’s Standing Orders and Scheme of Administration, financial and regulatory procedures and policies. • Comply with the Chief Officers’ Code of Conduct and Employee Code of Conduct, demonstrating the ethical standards expected of officials in public service. • Carrying out such other corporate and management tasks as delegated by the Chief Executive and/or Depute Chief Executive. Page 12 of 16
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Experience & Knowledge Education, Qualifications, Training and Professional Memberships • Extensive relevant work experience at management level, including experience of operating at a senior management level in the schools/education service. • Substantial experience in leading/managing large projects, including curriculum projects, workforce development, curricular development and performance management. • Well-developed understanding of educational service management. • Experience of leading a complex service portfolio and professional experience in delivering one or more of the statutory and operational functions delegated to the service. • Proven experience of delivering integrated services with partner organisations, with a strong customer focus and a clear ethos of collaborative working across boundaries. • Track record of commitment to improving performance and harnessing technology to achieve goals and improve service delivery. • Clear appreciation and understanding of the dimensions of the post, both in the public and political arena. • Evidence of building and maintaining positive relationships, collaborative and partnership working in a political environment and with Elected Members. • Evidence of ability to contribute to the corporate goals of the Council, while effectively balancing the complexity of service delivery and meeting key operational and statutory outcomes and goals. • Evidence of striving for improvements and better outcomes while managing risk and business continuity. • Demonstrate knowledge of all relevant legislative, statutory and policy agendas. • Educated to degree level or equivalent and relevant professional membership e.g., GTCS. • Appropriate leadership qualifications. Page 13 of 16
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Leadership, skills & behaviours • Ability to demonstrate clear effective leadership, displaying behaviours which support and enhance the delivery of the Council’s ambition, including setting a clear direction for the Service, promoting corporate working with peers and other Chief Officers and delivering change effectively and sensitively to drive sustainable transformation. • Ability to effectively and innovatively balance resources and risk to drive Best Value and meet customer expectations within a challenging and dynamic environment. • Ability to engender a positive performance culture across the service, developing and building staff capability and capacity and motivating and empowering others to contribute at their highest level. • Astute political awareness and ability to develop and maintain effective professional networks and relationships, both internally and externally, which bring value to the Council and enhance its reputation. • Ability to think strategically and to innovate around the use of technology and new thinking to constantly improve the effective and efficient delivery of the service. • Ability to work effectively under pressure and to respond quickly to unforeseen events and changing priorities and circumstances. • Skilled and persuasive communicator; ability to convincingly represent the service and corporate responsibilities. • Excellent negotiating and influencing skills; ability to optimise partnership and collaborative working to deliver the best outcomes. Page 14 of 16
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11 This post is politically restricted in compliance with the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 and the holder will be expected to comply with the Chief Officers’ Code of Conduct, demonstrating the ethical standards expected of officials in public service. The Council’s conditions of service for Chief Officer posts are those for the Scottish Joint Negotiating Committee for Chief Officials in Scotland, as varied in terms of any local agreement(s) in force from time to time. The job outline is intended to indicate the broad range of responsibilities and requirements of the post. It is neither exhaustive nor exclusive but, while some variation can be expected in particular duties, the outline is considered to provide a reasonable description of the post. USEFUL LINKS In the documents below, you will find more information about the council, its priorities and its policies. You can also visit the council website at http://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk to find out more about what we do and the communities and partners we work with. The Plan for North Lanarkshire - Programme of Work for 2028 Strategic Performance Review Five-year medium term financial plan 2024/25 – 2028 One Place One Plan - annual governance update TIMETABLE Interviews are scheduled to take place on 7th & 8th March 2024. If you would like to discuss this role further, please contact Andrew McPherson, Depute Chief Executive on McPhersonA@northlan.gov.uk or 07939 280467. Produced by Corporate Communications www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk Page 15 of 16
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