Role Profile - DRAFT
1 PURPOSE OF YOUR JOB
Provide leadership and strategic direction, inspire team working and high standards of service delivery within the service areas ensuring that mechanisms are put in place to sustain and improve performance to enable the Council to deliver the Council Plan.
Using the Council’s role as facilitator of economic activity and the deployment of the Council’s Commercial and Housing assets to deliver better housing, employment and social outcomes for the residents of York.
In utilising the Council’s assets to also seek to use innovative approaches to public private partnering in order to accelerate economic growth and housing provision.
In order to maximise the benefits of delivery of these objectives where possible, maintain or seek commercial revenue growth opportunities for Members to consider re investment in assets or Council Services and to do so in the context of the Council’s Carbon reduction objectives.
The specific areas of responsibility include the following:
· Economic Growth
· Regeneration
· Housing delivery/operations
· Housing management
· Council Commercial and surplus Assets
· Facilities Management
2 DIMENSIONS
Revenue income £5,099,000 (+ proportion of 74,409k)
Revenue expenditure £2,123,000 (+ proportion of 74,856k)
5 yr Capital expenditure £23,872,000 (+ proportion of 199,322k)
Direct reports 10
Indirect reports 350+
3 Principal Accountabilities
a. Develop and maintain a corporate performance management regime ensuring the monitoring and reporting of performance, early identification of potential issues in order to take decisive and effective corrective action across all areas of delivery.
b. Develop strategic plans to set direction and key organisational objectives in respect of the City’s economy and Council assets.
c. Develop economic, housing and asset strategies that seek to deliver better employment, housing and social outcomes including carbon reduction for York residents.
d. Identify and work with key stakeholders to align priorities and resources to deliver improved partnership working and services that achieve better outcomes for York’s citizens. In particular delivery of Economic strategies will require influence and partner working including Make It York, the Council’s arm’s length destination company. The Business Improvement District and commercial and employment representative bodies.
e. Responsible for the operation of an extensive commercial portfolio with significant revenue generation and direct relationships with commercial tenants.
f. Responsible for the safe operation of the Council’s housing provision, regulation of private sector housing provision and ensuring housing options are available so that the council can meet its statutory duties in the housing of vulnerable people and reducing homelessness.
g. Responsible for the operation of all non-operational council land and property, current assets to ensure they are fit for purpose, are operating effectively and contributing to the delivery of council strategic objectives and supporting the council budget.
h. Responsible for the Facilities Management functions associated with the Council’s operational facilities.
i. Responsible for developing Housing sites for general needs and supported housing including acquisition, construction and sales, and strategically lead on the Council’s housing enabling role, ensuring that the authority facilitates were possible optimal levels of affordable homes in developments in the city
j. Responsible for developing regeneration sites and commercial investment opportunities including acquisition, disposal, construction and partnerships.
k. Responsible for development of and repurposing of operational assets as required by services including acquisition, construction and handover to Council services.
l. In respect of the delivery of all projects associated with undertaking of the role ensure sound project management principals, risk appraisals, gateways and business case development is embedded thereby ensuring Members are properly advised and informed to make decisions necessary to deliver projects effectively and cost effectively on behalf of the Council. Responsible for openness and transparency in the development and delivery of services and projects including extensive and genuine engagement with the residents and stakeholder proportionate to the scale of the matter at hand.
m. Support and deputise for the Corporate Director in the corporate and strategic management of the Directorate. Lead, plan and deliver the Directorate’s corporate priorities including existing and new legal responsibilities and functions conferred upon the council.
n. Represent the organisation at high levels with stakeholders across the Yorkshire Region and nationally, where applicable.
o. Provide the strategic lead in developing Housing sites for general needs and supported housing, and lead on the Council’s housing enabling role, ensuring that the authority maximise on the affordable element of new developments in the city
p. Identify and work with key stakeholders to align priorities and resources to deliver improved partnership working and services that achieve better outcomes for York’s citizens.
4 JOB CONTEXT
The role is part of the Corporate Directorate Management Team and the postholder contributes to the strategic and operational management of the Council to ensure achievement of both directorate and corporate aims and objectives.
The postholder has to work closely with politicians of all parties, and undertake extensive public engagement to develop the strategic and delivery response to the service challenges, and public expectations within the legislative and statutory frameworks.
The role requires an extensive knowledge of the statutory environments within which the service operates and to be able to ensure the commissioning of the appropriate specialist legal, financial and technical advice to ensure that service delivery and regulatory compliance are maintained across the functions the role is responsible for.
The postholder must develop complex multi-faceted commercial and property based projects, and thereby maintain and manage relationships with senior representatives of partners, stakeholders, contractors and a wide variety of government departments to be effective in the role.
Operationally the postholder is responsible for the Council’s role as landlord to in excess of 7000 tenants, all its commercial tenants, and for the provision of accommodation to a number of the Council’s operational services. This involves extensive statutory obligations, Council objectives and includes the safe provision of buildings and maintenance regimes for the delivery of these functions. These obligations therefore require the postholder to operate a comprehensive and effective performance management culture to ensure these duties are fulfilled.
The postholder has responsibility for a number of wider regulatory functions in particular in housing and must therefore ensure that the Council fulfils its duties as regulator in such a manner that seeks to achieve the objectives of legislation rather than in a per functionary manner that whilst compliant fails to deliver the outcomes for the public.
The postholder must also deliver on objectives over which they have little direct control through facilitation which can involve cross-directorate or cross organisational working (eg housing, economic, commercial engagement, cultural, tourism). It can also mean consultation and collaboration with chairs and senior members of external bodies (e.g. chairs and directors of Network Rail, NHS, Universities, NRM, and the Dean of the Minster). The postholder works to deliver the projects and report back to formal and informal cross organisation boards.
This also involves public speaking and presenting to work and industry related bodies, in the public sector, and to private sector e.g. building companies.
This role is part of the emergency planning rota and the postholder is on call for out of hours emergencies.
This role is an Information Asset Owner and must carry out the responsibilities of an Owner as required and set out in the Council’s ‘Information Governance/Data Protection Roles and Responsibilities Rules’.
The postholder deputises for Corporate Director as required.
5 IMPACT & INFLUENCE
The postholder has a major involvement with and impact on city, regional and national issues.
They must be able to communicate effectively with all groups, at political, business and community levels. The postholder is tasked with seeking to deliver better employment, housing and social outcomes including carbon reduction for York residents and therefore has a fundamental role in influencing the lived experience of every York resident and the 7 million plus visitors and workers that come to the City each year. This influence and the scale and nature of assets deployed to achieve the strategic outcomes thereby has a significant influence on the whole York economy and the appetite for commercial and Government investment in the City. This influence extending through commercial, housing, retail and industrial asset classes
Some projects require major complex procurement and the postholder steers and oversees the tactics required, to gain beneficial deals in procurement and thereafter the proactive management of contracts e.g. for the Guildhall project.
Impact is both long and short term; strategies are in the main between 3 to 5 years, although the Local Plan and the Housing Revenue Account business plans are for a 30 year period. This contrasts with the impact of housing adaptations and repairs which have immediate impact for tenants and on the housing stock.
The postholder is influential in delivering the right number and mix of housing using information provided from sources such as the Local Plan and Joint Housing Strategy.
They must make decisions as what housing development the Council can undertake, identify opportunities to buy further land and on whether existing Council sites are still fit for purpose or can be re-generated or redeveloped; maximising and making best use of existing assets.
They are influential in generating additional provision with the external private developers by maximising the planning gain (percentage of affordable housing in developments). They also need to build influence with housing associations to mobilise them to take on development opportunities and increase the affordable housing stock in the city.
The role is influential in maintain standards of housing in the private sector both owner occupied and rented homes through the licensing and inspection regimes. This is fundamental in developing good quality, safe and affordable rental properties for York residents.
6 ORGANISATION
7 HARDEST MOST DIFFICULT PART OF JOB
To oversee a coherent strategic approach across multiple asset classes and facilitate the mobilisation of Private sector partners, Government, stakeholders and gain public support.
The political will and ambitions affects direction, and the focus can change depending on the manifesto of leading parties e.g. balancing investment opportunities vs commercial profit for income vs social benefits, translating the administration’s ambitions into reality is a key challenge for this role.
Seeking and securing funding and partners for major projects, such as recently: £155m for the enabling infrastructure to deliver York Central; £90m for the Castle Gateway project; £20m for regeneration of Guildhall.
To be able to make quick decisions on areas not previously exposed to – learn the subject, absorb, use and implement as necessary. (e.g. affordable housing)
Working with Members, and getting decisions made for proposals, requires resilience, flexibility and a range of strategic and technical skills.
The role is strongly rooted in effective Partnership working which requires sophisticated stakeholder management skills and strong personal credibility.
Dealing with stakeholders / public engagement and their expectations also requires excellent strategic and communication skills.
8 Knowledge Skills & Experience
· Considerable success in delivering complex multi-disciplinary change programmes and large complex capital schemes
· Experience of managing large and diverse operational and commercial property portfolios
· Strong commercial skills with significant experience in complex contract negotiation and management
· Experience of leading complex partnership development, and a strong track record of partnership working to deliver ambitious change agendas
· Understanding of a range of complex commercial, property and planning legal issues
· A broad understanding of local government legislation with regard to finance, asset management and planning
· Experience of structuring engagement and consultation plans for public engagement programmes
· Significant experience of identifying and mitigating corporate and project risks
· Experience of delivering economic development outcomes
· Significant experience of leading large scale public procurement exercises
· Significant experience of financial modelling and business case development
· Educated to degree level preferably in a relevant discipline
· Project Management Qualification (Prince 2 or equivalent experience)
Substantial experience at senior management level, working in a political, complex, multi-functional organisation which should include:
· Experience of developing and delivering strategies to meet organisation objectives and achieve planned results
· Experience of strategic and operational resource management, with strong analytical skills and an aptitude for developing clear vision and direction to overcome complex problems
· Ability to manage large and complex public sector budgets with an emphasis on value for money and efficiencies.
· A detailed knowledge and understanding of leading edge service delivery and the ability to translate this into service transformation.
· Ability to provide visible and supportive transformational leadership, empowering, enabling, motivating and developing the workforce to achieve significant, sustainable service improvements and outstanding results.
· Ability to operate effectively within the democratic processes, with the political acumen and skills to develop productive working relationships with Council Members.
· Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills to relate effectively to employees, Council Members, the general public and other stakeholders to engender respect, trust and confidence.