Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Tobin Byers.

There were no declarations of interest made.

The Interim Head of HR presented the report which set out proposals for the recruitment to the post of Director of Children Schools and Families, including the draft job description and a recruitment timetable.

In response to questions from Members, the Interim Head of HR advised that it had not yet been confirmed whether the post would be the corporate lead on equalities.  In the event that it was confirmed, the job description would be amended accordingly.  Members felt that it was important to be promoting equalities as an employer and that candidates should be questioned on their commitment to equalities.  It was also important for the executive search agents to demonstrate their commitment to equalities and this should be emphasised to any successful executive search agent on behalf of the Committee.  This would be monitored by way of weekly progress reports from the executive search agents.

In response to a Member question, the Head of HR advised that due to current Covid restrictions, it was likely that the majority of the recruitment process would be carried out virtually, however officers would look into whether there were any opportunities for informal face to face meetings with prospective candidates.

The Committee noted that the top end of the salary range would only be paid in the event of an exceptional candidate; and that the range had been proposed in order to give the Council flexibility to pay that salary without the need to seek further Committee approval.  The salary range was reflective of the statutory and reputational responsibility of the post holder.

The Chair proposed that the panel which would carry out the shortlisting and interviews be made up of five Members, which would be both in keeping with previous Appointments panels and workable; and it should comprise the Leader of the Council, the Leader of the Conservative Group, the Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, the Cabinet Member for Children and Education and the Cabinet Member for Women and Equalities. 

RESOLVED:

A That the job description and person specification for the recruitment campaign be approved.

B That the executive search agent for the recruitment campaign be appointed as set out in the exempt minutes.

C That a sub-committee be established for the purposes of agreeing a shortlist of candidates and to act as the interview panel for the final interview, comprising: the Leader of the Council, the Leader of the Conservative Group, the Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, the Cabinet Member for Children and Education and the Cabinet Member for Women and Equalities.

D. That the general recruitment process as outlined in 2.6 be approved and the decision as to which candidates to longlist, which technical assessor to use for the preliminary interviews and which psychometric profiling to undertake, be delegated to the Chief Executive.

E That a salary in the range of £145k - £160k per annum is necessary.

To RESOLVE that the public are excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following report on the grounds that it is exempt from disclosure for the reasons stated in the report.

RESOLVED:

That the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following report on the grounds that it is exempt from disclosure for the reasons stated in the report.

RESOLVED:

That the executive search agent for the recruitment campaign for the post of Director of Children, Schools and Families be appointed as set out in the exempt minutes.