Purpose of job
To provide strategic and operational leadership, direction and general management control in the functions delivered by Operational Services and to ensure that service-specific advice is provided as required to the Chief Executive, elected members and Depute Chief Executive.
To ensure that the day-to-day management of service areas is effectively undertaken and that all service activities are effectively integrated and focussed towards agreed council service and business objectives.
As a member of the council’s Corporate Management Team, contribute to the development of overall council policy through the Corporate Management Team.
Job scope
The Head of Service reports directly to the Depute Chief Executive – Corporate, Operational and Housing and is responsible for ensuring that effective management systems and controls are in place within their service area(s) to deliver agreed service outputs to the required quality.
There is also a key requirement to contribute to the development of overall council policy in addition to providing the necessary leadership and management direction within service areas. In this respect, the Head of Service post provides a critical link between the operational and service delivery requirements of the council and the formulation and implementation of service and organisational strategy at Corporate Management Team level.
The Head of Service will assume significant budget, resource and managerial responsibilities as delegated by the Depute Chief Executive and council standing orders and has direct responsibility for an annual budget of approximately £82 million in 2024/25, covering General Fund revenue and capital resources, and circa 1,200 FTE staff across the functional areas of Facilities Management and Support Services, NETS Land and Countryside Services, Passenger Transport Services, Recycling and Waste Services, Fleet Services, and Roads and Transportation Services.
The formulation and delivery of service plans and the development and support of employees through the Appraisal and Development Review process is another key requirement of the post.
Being responsible for operational effectiveness and service delivery is likely to bring the Head of Service into frequent contact with elected members, other senior managers and external government and other agencies. They will require to form, maintain and develop key internal partnerships to ensure that the other service areas within the council have the opportunity to make their contribution to deliver key outcomes, while recognising the primary responsibility of the Operational Services service group.
There is also a requirement to maintain and develop strong partnership working with external partners, including but not limited to the Scottish Government, Transport Scotland, Sustrans, Lothian Buses Regional Board, Zero Waste Scotland, Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), Police Scotland and the Association of Public Service Excellence (APSE).
They will have a significant impact on the success of the council and will have a considerable role to play in influencing its direction. It will therefore be necessary that the Head of Service demonstrates a wide and comprehensive vision of the partnership working arrangements. Allied to this will be the need for the Head of Service to seek opportunities to apply digital solutions to meet existing and future service needs.
The need to ensure proper compliance with best value, service audit requirements and quality standards is an important aspect of the job.
The service areas covered have a high and sensitive political and public profile and form an important part of the council’s strategic aim to address the needs of socially excluded groups and communities through effective management and integration of services.
Organisational Chart
Principal accountabilities/key tasks:
- To produce and update effective and meaningful plans and strategies within the service area, whether statutory or in line with Council and Community Planning mechanisms.
- To make a full and significant contribution from the service area to other planning requirements, e.g. West Lothian Community Planning Partnership Local Outcome Improvement Plan.
- To take responsibility for representing the Council’s interest in a wide range of critical partnership arrangements, including but not limited to the Scottish Government, Transport Scotland, Sustrans, Lothian Buses Regional Board, Zero Waste Scotland, SEPA, Police Scotland and APSE.
- To advise council members to allow them to discharge their responsibilities.
Establish, implement and scrutinise robust governance systems, processes, practices and monitoring arrangements to ensure compliance and management of risk across Operational Services. - To ensure that policies are applied consistently and in particular to ensure the council complies with the statutory obligations.
- To lead the planning implementation and evaluation of service redesign projects to improve efficiency and effectiveness of services, including promoting and consulting on proposals for organisation and service change to meet the needs of customers.
- To lead, manage and develop all staff, promoting excellent relationships within and between services and professional groups, ensuring staff can contribute effectively to the achievement of service objectives.
- To develop robust communication structures to ensure stakeholders are involved in and able to influence the planning, delivery and organisation of services.
- To be responsible for developing, publicising and ensuring compliance with the council’s Occupational Health and Safety Policy in respect of the particular nature of the work activities of services provided.
Assignment and Work Review
Work is driven from council Committees, the Chief Executive and Depute Chief Executive.
The post holder reports to the Depute Chief Executive and is expected to operate autonomously at senior management level and to manage the services and resources to meet the agreed outcomes and targets.
Review of performance is undertaken through the agreement of performance objectives and individual appraisal by the Depute Chief Executive. The appraisal process is conducted on an annual basis with a 6 month review.
Accountability
Responsibilities include:
- Risk Management
- Health and Safety
- Business Continuity and Resilience
- Staff Governance and Healthy Working Lives
- Control the utilisation of an agreed financial budget framework that clarifies accountability for budgets, provides management teams with the necessary financial resources to deliver to agreed objectives / targets and ensure that they deliver value for money and control expenditure on an ongoing basis.
- Develop and manage the Service in line with the Scheme of Delegation, the Council’s Financial Regulations and Corporate Procurement Procedures, Ensuring appropriate controls are in place to achieve good financial management and best use of resources.
Competencies – Essential
Qualifications/Training
- Graduate/Professional qualification in related area or equivalent relevant experience.
Skills
- Proven leadership skills in a senior managerial post.
- Strong interpersonal, motivational and influencing skills.
- Effective management and professional skills and knowledge covering operations, policy development, corporate communications and finance.
- Proven ability to instigate and facilitate change in a form that promotes proactive visioning rather than reactive and delivers co-operative working towards innovative solutions.
- Proven ability to work corporately and contribute effectively to the senior management of the Council.
- High level of interpersonal and successful negotiation skills.
Experience
- Significant management experience at a senior level in a related service area.
- Substantial experience in people and resource management in a complex organisational structure.
- Significant experience of leading large scale projects and major transformation and change programmes in a large, complex organisation at a senior level.
- Substantial experience in managing and monitoring budgets.
- Evidence of sound financial management and commercial awareness with the ability to interpret and understand complex financial and budgetary information.
- Experience of dealing with elected members and senior managers at policy/strategic level
- Experience of partnership working at a senior level
Competencies – Desirable
Qualifications/Training
Qualification in Management at degree/professional level
Experience
- Significant in-depth experience of a senior management post at the same level in a large, complex local authority
Other Essential Information
The post is politically restricted in accordance with the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.
Review
As the Council’s management structure will continue to develop and meet new requirements, the post holder is expected to operate flexibly within this remit. If necessary, the post holder may be required to be responsible for a different range of service areas in the future.
