Purpose

Following a period of interim cover for the role, enabling Heads of Service to undertake mentoring and gain cross service experience, an internal secondment recruitment process was undertaken at the end of July 2026. This process was not successful and an internal appointment was not possible.
This is an essential role in the Place directorate, leading on key projects as well as managing the Place, Communities and Enterprise service.
The existing interim Assistant Director Place Communities and Enterprise is a well established and key member of the Place Leadership team and has demonstrated the skills and knowledge required to fulfil the requirements of the role..
The interim postholder has driven forward key strategic projects and corporate priorities including
•Leisure Investment Project Executive
•Hemel Health Campus DBC Project Executive
•Concluding three Service Reviews
•LGR Baselining
•HGC SPDs and broader delivery
•Local Plan input
•Concluding the Arts and Culture and Active Wellbeing Strategies
•Supporting corporate projects such as DIP and SAR
Additionally, the interim postholder has supported the three Heads of Service delivering service plan priorities including
•Stronger Futures
•Little Hay Golf Course tender
•Hemel Town Centre Masterplan
•Inward Investment Strategy
•Frogmore Paper Mill lease arrangements
•Maylands and Kylna Business Centres cleaning contract
and has undertaken the full management range of duties.
LGR will create additional demands on the Strategic Director’s capacity and this will impact on their contribution to service and major corporate workstreams and so continuity is essential in the AD role to ensure resilience and continued service delivery, while responding to service requirements to support LGR also.
Retaining the services of the current interim postholder will provide the continuity required to ensure the challenges of the next 18 months are met

Decision

•To extend the contract for interim resource for the Assistant Director Place, Communities and Enterprise with Altair Consultancy Services Ltd.
•That the interim arrangement will transition to a fixed term employment contract at the earliest opportunity.
•That the interim arrangement including the period of fixed term employment contract is extended to 31st March 2028.

Alternative options considered

Option 1 - Internal secondment recruitment opportunity was not successful