Lead Officer - Corporate Implementation

A fantastic opportunity to join Canterbury City Council’s Corporate Management Team as the Lead Officer for Corporate Implementation.

Looking after the local area and the people who make it special is at the heart of what we do, delivering more than 70 services to residents, businesses and visitors.

Central to this is our Corporate Plan to return pride to our district by being a greener, fairer, better, stronger district.

This will be achieved by working collaboratively to deliver projects through matrix working between internal services and maximising opportunities with external stakeholders through our strategic partnerships.

Working closely with Cabinet and reporting directly to our Joint Chief Executives, as our new Lead Officer for Corporate Implementation, you will be integral in the delivery of these corporate projects.

What’s in it for you?

• A salary of £57,713 - £66,064 PLUS a car allowance of £3,621 per year.
• Relocation package available.
• Cost of living pay award annually as a salary increase.
• Flexible, hybrid working - we understand the importance of a good work-life balance.
• We offer a generous annual leave entitlement! You’ll receive 26 days annual leave which increases with service, PLUS 3 given days which are usually used over the Christmas period when our main offices are closed. You’ll also have the option to buy more annual leave.
• A fantastic local government pension scheme.
• We’ll support and encourage your career by providing excellent opportunities for training and development, as well as cover your Professional Body Membership fees where essential to the role.
• Employee perks, including multiple retailer and lifestyle discounts to help you get the most out of your money and enjoy your free time.
• An easier commute: free use of Canterbury’s Park and Ride, flexi bus tickets, reduced train season ticket loans, and a cycle to work scheme.
• Stay healthy: Access to free counselling, advice and webinars through our employee assistance programme, as well as contributions to the cost of Flu Jabs.

About this senior level job opportunity in Canterbury, Kent:

As the Lead Officer for Corporate Implementation, you’ll deliver feasibility studies, and scope and deliver corporate projects in support of the corporate plan. Some expected projects during the current corporate plan timeframe include:

• Projects and policy development related to the Visitor Economy and Economic Development workstreams 
• Scoping and assessing business development opportunities for the council's wholly owned companies and partnerships 
• Reviewing and assessing the actions from the new Procurement requirements on local authorities 
• You’ll be the Lead Officer for the emerging district strategic partnership, including organising conferences to engage a wider group of stakeholders.

Alongside these projects, you’ll also contribute towards the council’s successes by:

• Providing advice, support and briefings to the council’s Joint Chief Executives and political leadership on national, regional and local relevant topics, particularly on how to maximise the effectiveness of our strategic partnerships.
• Working with our internal managers to ensure that projects that intersect areas of specialism are delivered with no unintended consequences whilst delivering on corporate priorities.
• Working with the East Kent Leaders Chief Officer to ensure that Canterbury City Council’s interests are understood and provided for in the delivery of east Kent projects.  

The working pattern:

• Flexible, hybrid working.
• Usually Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays, with a requirement to attend meetings and events on some evenings and weekends.
• Permanent contract for 37 hours per week.

About you, the ideal Lead Officer for Corporate Implementation at Canterbury City Council:

Your knowledge

• Demonstrable knowledge of either the visitor economy or economic development fields within a local authority or wider public sector environment
• Demonstrable knowledge of local government and local government priorities within a local, regional and national level context

Your experience

• Demonstrable experience of working within a local authority or other public sector body at a management level
• Significant experience of leading and managing complex projects

Your skills

• Ability to facilitate executive level stakeholders from diverse backgrounds and sectors.

For an informal chat to find out more about the role or what it’s like to work for Canterbury City Council’s corporate management team, please contact Charlotte Delo by email to charlotte.delo@canterbury.gov.uk to arrange a conversation with one of our Joint Chief Executives (Suzi Wakeham or Peter Davies). Suzi and Peter very much welcome your questions.

First stage interviews are currently planned for 16 December, with second stage interviews on 8 January.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion at Canterbury City Council.

We are committed to promoting equality and diversity in everything we do. We provide a safe and welcoming environment where everyone is valued, included and respected. 

Our diversity strengthens our ability to serve the diverse communities we support through our work.

To demonstrate this through our actions, all applications are anonymised for the shortlisting panel, allowing all applicants to be assessed on merit alone.