Person Specification

Competencies for Successful Performance

1. Working within the political arena
   • Develops effective relationships with Elected Members and maintains high level political confidence.
   • Promotes, manages and maintains a constructive, professional working relationship between Elected Members and the Officers of the Council.
   • Supports Elected Members in shaping the aspirations of Fareham now and in the future.
     
     
2. Working together corporately and with partners
   • Promotes, develops and maintains effective relations with a range of external partners, communities and other such organisations
   • Ensures effective internal corporate working at a senior level
   • Values individual differences and promotes equality and diversity inside and outside the Council
   • Demonstrates high levels of personal integrity, ensures this is instilled within the culture of the Council and that everyone is treated with fairness and respect
     
     
3. Setting direction and maintaining focus on strategic and long term issues
   • Effectively leads corporate planning and develops a vision, strategies and challenging objectives
   • Formulates and gains commitment to ambitious high performance standards and targets
   • Identifies and priorities tasks for self and senior managers to achieve short and long-term objectives
   • A record of successful resource management together with experience of the formulation, monitoring and control of large, complex budgets
     
     
4. Communicating and influencing successfully
   • Will have sound judgment, be decisive and possess the ability to communicate effectively and to influence at all levels
   • Creates a culture of integrity, openness and honesty by ensuring appropriate information including good practice is proactively shared
   • Strong negotiation skills and an ability to influence outcomes through tact, diplomacy and effective reasoning and persuasion
   • The ability to write and present reports on complex issues
     
     
5. Leading change through people and developing the organisation
   • Thorough knowledge of the challenges facing local government and the broader public sector
   • Experience of leading and motivating a team of senior professional managerial staff to a high level of achievement
   • Leads change and manages the impact of change effectively in order to achieve strategic plans
   • Demonstrable success in achieving and managing cultural and organisational change
   • Challenges self and others to continuously improve processes and practices
     
     
6. Lead and integrate performance management to achieve excellent results
   • Successful record of establishing and maintaining a strong performance culture driving up standards and delivering effective outcomes for the community.
   • A track record for effectively instilling and maintaining a sense of rigour, accountability, high performance, self confidence and ambition in the management and development of staff effectively harnessing the strengths and talents of employees at all levels.
   • Ensures resources are used effectively and services delivered cost-effectively for the benefit of communities
   • Ensures risks are assessed and managed effectively
     
     
7. Leading, managing and developing people
   • A leadership style that embraces the ability to lead, coach, inspire and empower others.
   • Monitors the performance of senior managers and their teams, providing feedback to encourage good performance and intervening swiftly to address poor performance
   • An effective, highly visible leader and manager of the corporate team with an approachable style.
     
     
8. Deciding and initiating action
   • Makes informed, timely and, where needed, difficult decisions
   • Ensures a culture of transparent decision making and upholds the probity of the Council
   • Accepts accountability for decisions and actions and ensures that all the statutory duties and obligations of the Council are fully met.
     
     
9. Creativity and problem solving
   • Ability to think, plan, and act strategically to develop practical and creative solutions to the management of corporate and strategic issues with the ability to think beyond traditional ways of doing things and make changes happen
   • Strong analytical skills with the ability to quickly understand complex issues and enable others' understanding
   • Ensures comprehensive evaluation of the costs and benefits of options to determine the preferred solution
     
     
10. Customer focus
    • Experience of managing a diverse range of services and translating organisational ambitions into real achievements that benefit services users.
    • Develops processes and practices to regularly and proactively seek and act upon customer feedback.
    • Ability to understand and respond to the need of the community and service users and to focus on delivering services around their needs.

Qualification Requirements

Degree level qualification with evidence of post graduate training and development in management and continuing professional development.

Experience Requirements

1. Successful and consistent achievement in leadership at senior management level, preferably within a local authority or other organisation of comparable size, scope and complexity, with experience of delivering both an operational customer facing service and corporate strategy role.
   
   
2. A track record of successful leading and implementing cultural change and organisational development, implementing and delivering new working policies and practices alongside significant cultural and structural change that deliver improved services for customers in a more efficient way.
   
   
3. Significant track record of success in building effective teams and leading a diverse group of professional staff to achieve organisational aims and objectives.
   
   
4. Demonstrable experience of supporting Elected Members to develop the Council's vision, values and priorities.
   
   
5. Successful experience of translating policy and strategy into tangible outcomes for the benefit of customers.
   
   
6. Successful experience of giving advice to and building relationships with Elected Members or other Board Members dealing with challenging and complex situations.
   
   
7. Successful track record of enhancing the reputation of an organisation at all levels that has generated benefits for the community.
   
   
8. A track record of successfully developing effective internal working relationships and external partnerships that achieve organisational aims and objectives.
   
   
9. A successful track record of establishing and sustaining a performance management culture, supported by effective and efficient management information systems.
   
   
10. Proven experience of financial management including efficiency savings, monitoring and control of budgets.
    
    
11. Successful track record of leading and establishing equality of opportunity in both employment and service delivery.
    
    

Personal Style and Behaviour

• A visionary leader
• Energy, drive and resilience to drive the pace of change and an ability to deliver under pressure
• Leads from the front, an honest and straightforward style
• Personal and professional demeanour, integrity and credibility that engages and commands the confidence and respect of others
• Inclusive, supportive and leads by example
• Displays good judgement and makes timely and effective decisions
• Highly developed interpersonal and communication skills
• Tact and diplomacy
• Excellent written, spoken and presentation skills
• ICT skills