The Audit and Corporate Governance (Appointment Panel) Sub-Committee met to discuss the recruitment process for the new Chief Executive, and to agree on a short list of candidates. The Sub-Committee was also scheduled to approve the minutes from meetings held on Monday 22nd January 2024 and Tuesday 6 February 2024.

Chief Executive Recruitment

The Sub-Committee was scheduled to discuss the recruitment process for the new Chief Executive, who, as Head of Paid Service, must be approved by the council.

The report pack included a summary of the role:

Camden has never been a place that ignores or accepts injustice. Alongside the council, Camden’s communities, citizens and partners have a rich history of coming together to bring about real social change. In March 2022, we published We Make Camden – our refreshed community vision for the future of our borough. It sets out what we want to achieve with our partners and our communities and how we will share power and lead together.

The recruitment process has so far involved advertising the role, longlisting candidates, and undertaking a technical interview with each longlisted candidate.

The next stage involves the Sub-Committee:

• Assessing the applications and CVs of the candidates, along with officer feedback.
• Making an assessment against the job and personal specification.
• Deciding which candidates should go forward to the next stage of the selection process.

The report pack notes that it would be unlawful to consider any discriminatory matters.

The job description included in the report pack lists the following specific accountabilities:

• Advising the elected leadership of the council on their strategic policy direction and forward planning of services and resources to support elected leaders to deliver on their political ambitions included in We Make Camden and Camden Missions.
• Progressing Camden’s vision for the future of the borough and the council to ensure it continues to be purpose led, challenging conventional thinking in the pursuit of improved impact on outcomes for the citizens and communities of Camden.
• Embedding a culture that takes an ‘outside-in perspective’; challenging existing beliefs and assumptions to ensure services are designed around citizen’s needs, with a clear focus on prevention and early intervention and acting decisively when required.
• Exercising strong financial management and a commitment to outcome-based financial planning in order to balance increasing demand for services and reducing income, alongside the Section 151 officer¹.
• Creating a truly inclusive organisation and lead by example to support and encourage diversity in all respects, including diversity of thinking within the workplace and in the delivery of services.
• Ensuring there is shared responsibility and distributed leadership throughout the council that supports a high calibre, motivated, empowered and flexible workforce (to be achieved through implementation of the Camden Leadership Model).
• Creating strong relationships with strategic partners that enables the council to work across the whole system to achieve the greatest outcomes for residents, playing a key part in the strategic future of Euston and the North Central London health partnership.
• Representing the council by promoting its image and reputation on a national and London wide stage whilst also helping to influence the environment within which the council operates at regional and national level, also representing the council at civic and borough occasions as required.
• Managing the interface between Elected Members and Senior Officers, maintaining the essential Member / Officer partnerships and processes.
• Ensuring the effective co-ordination of bids and resources to promote the sustainable regeneration of Camden, responding to the needs of the community and the environment.
• Undertaking the statutory role of Returning Officer and Acting Returning Officer for all elections and referendums in Camden ensuring that all elections are conducted in accordance with the law and to a high standard.
• Working together with the Section 151¹ and Monitoring officer, whilst recognising their respective statutory roles, to ensure that the business of the council is conducted lawfully, prudently and ethically.
• Being an active participant in pan-London agendas in support of Chief Executive colleagues across London and provide cross-organisational leadership on key agendas as required.
• Providing strong, clear, compassionate and decisive leadership as required during emergency management situations – supporting pan-London needs including participating in the GOLD rota.

The report pack also included a person specification, stating that the successful candidate must:

• Have an impressive track record at an Executive level within local government or a comparable sector.
• Share the same core values and level of ambition as set out in We make Camden.
• Be able to demonstrate experience of significant innovation and challenge to conventional management logic.
• Be able to demonstrate significant organisational achievements and understanding of culture within organisations.
• Have worked closely and effectively with politicians and have good political awareness and be able to forge effective working relationships with politicians and instil confidence.
• Be able to demonstrate effective systems leadership beyond organisational boundaries.
• Have a good understanding of the financial context of and current issues and challenges in local government.
• Have a good understanding of the political, social, and economic context and challenges in local government in Camden, across London and nationally.
• Have a collaborative personal style, highly effective interpersonal skills including strong emotional intelligence; and highly effective presentational skills.
• Have a coaching / developmental leadership style that fits the council's sense of shared leadership responsibility and empowered organisational culture.
• Have excellent analytical skills and an aptitude for complex problem solving.
• Possess an evidence-based approach to developing strategies and policies
• Be able to champion the pursuit of diversity and inclusion and demonstrate a record of accomplishment of this.
• Have the personal adaptability and resilience to thrive in a fast paced, challenging environment where personal responsibility, personal and organisational growth and development are prized.