The Appointments Panel of Kensington and Chelsea Council was scheduled to consider the appointment of an Executive Director for Housing and Communities. The meeting was also scheduled to move into a private session to discuss details relating to the interview.

Interview: Executive Director for Housing and Communities

The Appointments Panel was scheduled to interview candidates for the position of Executive Director for Housing and Communities. This role is a senior leadership position within the council, responsible for overseeing the Housing and Communities Directorate. The job purpose outlined in the report pack stated that the role would involve contributing to the council's overall corporate management and organisational development, ensuring coherent management of the directorate's functions, and being visible to the community. A key aspect of the role, informed by learning from the Grenfell tragedy¹, was to put residents at the heart of developing compassionate housing and community services.

The duties of the Executive Director for Housing and Communities were scheduled to include accountability for the operational management of high-profile services, ensuring improvements to the safety, quality, and responsiveness of services to tenants and leaseholders, and overseeing a large-scale investment programme in the council's homes. The role was also expected to create and exploit opportunities for the direct provision of new social and genuinely affordable housing, and to support the development of strong local partnerships to provide social homes for families in temporary accommodation. Furthermore, the Executive Director was to lead the development of an open, transparent, respectful, and credible approach to working with the borough's communities, drawing on innovative practice and the legacy of Grenfell.

The selection criteria for the role emphasised the importance of demonstrating the council's four key values and behaviours: Putting Communities First, Respect, Integrity, and Working Together. Candidates were expected to show an understanding of and commitment to the council's policies on Equal Opportunities, Customer Care, and service delivery. Essential qualifications included a relevant professional qualification or equivalent senior leadership experience in a complex public sector or local government environment. Significant senior management experience in a relevant major service area, with evidence of delivering high standards marked by innovation and clear purpose, was also required. The role demanded a broad range of highly developed management skills, including the ability to lead, motivate, and develop individuals and groups in a multi-disciplinary environment. Extensive knowledge of trends, developments, political, and legislative issues affecting local authorities in terms of modernising public service delivery, political management, and strengthening local partnership working was also a key requirement. The ability to manage and motivate a departmental management team, with a strong understanding of what drives operational performance, was also highlighted.

The report pack also detailed the council's values and behaviours. Putting Communities First meant putting local people at the heart of decision-making, seeking to include all voices, and providing quality services. Respect involved listening to everyone, valuing personal experiences, and adopting a fair and involving approach. Integrity required acting with openness, honesty, compassion, responsibility, and humility, and communicating decisions and their reasoning. Working Together emphasised collaboration and partnership with all stakeholders impacting residents' lives, seeking to learn from each other and adapt.