Agenda item

Chief Officer Recruitment Process

Lynne Ridsdale, Deputy Chief Executive to present. Report attached.

Minutes:

Lynne Ridsdale, Deputy Chief Executive presented a report on the Chief Officer Recruitment Process.

 

This paper sets out clarity on the proposed future approach, taking account of issues identified in recent campaigns.

 

Key points which underpin this approach are proposed as follows.

 

·         The Recruiting Manager will take overall accountability for each campaign. The manager will agree the Campaign Assessment Framework with the Cabinet Member for HR at the beginning of the process and share this with the Appointment Panel before recruitment commences.  The manager will be responsible for ongoing briefings of relevant stakeholders including the portfolio holder, staff and the Trades Unions and managing the candidate after appointment until start date including agreement of starting salary.  

 

·         Named Human Resources support will be allocated to support every campaign and provide technical advice to panels. The HR Team will arrange and liaise with the recruitment/search consultants, if used; draft and place the advertisement; advise on assessment tools; arrange assessment panels and associated logistics and provide technical advisors to Panels. HR will also ensure all pre-employment checks are complete and manage the on-boarding and induction process including final agreement from the Cabinet/Council

 

·         The Portfolio Holder and Cabinet Member for HR will determined the Appointment Panel for each post. The Panel will be the decision maker at shortlisting, assessment centre and final appointment stages and will normally comprise up to 5 members of the new Employment Panel of 9 Members, together with the Executive Director who is making the appointment, as technical advisor

 

·         All Panel Members must be recruitment and selection trained, or able to evidence recent training from another organisation, before they are able to participate in a campaign

 

·         Candidate identities will be disclosed on a confidential basis throughout the process in order to support the safe and transparent management of declarations of interests / disclosable relationships. HR will co-ordinate any declarations at the beginning of each process. In accordance with the relevant Code of Conduct, Panel Members (Officers and Members) may be required to withdraw from the exercise if candidates are family members or close personal relationships.

 

·         Chief Officer Recruitment will be an important opportunity to improve the representativeness of the workforce in accordance with the Council’s inclusion strategy. Every campaign must include targeting advice / advertising to reach all parts of the community

 

·         Every campaign begins with agreement of the “long list” of applications which are put forward to a technical assessment, to establish the ability to do the role. The “long list” process is an application “paper sift” which is drafted by the Recruiting Executive Director and agreed by the Cabinet Member for HR (out of committee). 

 

·         The Appointment Panel will agree the shortlist of applications from those longlisted, with regards the application form and technical assessment feedback.  Candidates will only be recommended to the Appointment Panel for shortlist if they have been found technically appointable by the Cabinet Member at long list.

 

·         Shortlisted candidates are then subject to an assessment centre comprising tests/further assessment as appropriate to the role. The Appointment Panel receives general feedback from the assessment centre but tests are not normally scored.  The Employment Panel may de-select shortlisted candidates based on the nature of feedback received, ie consistent feedback from every assessment that performance was sub optimal.

 

·         Final Panel assessment will normally involve a presentation question and series of competency-based questions. HR will co-ordinate the agreement of a Panel score for each question for each candidate, which produces an aggregate score and ranking for each candidate. Benchmark scores will not be used.

 

Offers of employment will normally be made in order and are subject to final sign off from other members as follows:

 

·         Cabinet approval of preferred candidates o Additional Council approval of designated appointments to statutory posts (ie Chief Executive; Monitoring Officer and S151 Officer)

 

It was agreed:

 

1.   That Lynne is thanked for her update.

2.   That the approach is adopted with immediate effect and included within the current HR policy updates.

3.   That a training programme is scoped and developed for all parties involved in executive recruitment for January/February 2021. Penna have agreed to provide an initial session for Cabinet Members; opposition spokespersons for HR and Chief Officers.  

Supporting documents: