Skip to main content

The Highland Council

Executive opportunities

Donna Manson

A message from the Chief Executive

Thank you for your interest in The Highland Council.

Our Executive opportunities bring a once in a lifetime opportunity to work innovatively in close partnership with myself and the Executive Leadership Team, the Members, our staff, partners and communities at a time of transformational change. It is a time for ideas, energy and drive.

We are focused on delivering our revised Highland Council Programme ‘Local voices | Highland choices’ and Corporate Plan alongside our Highland Improvement Programme through our core themes of striving to be ambitious, sustainable and connected.

If you relish challenge and working at a very fast pace whilst connecting with people at every opportunity, across a vast beautiful geographic area in the north of Scotland, an Executive role with The Highland Council is perfect for you.

Our People and our Places are special and unique; that is why the Highlands of Scotland are one of the top ten destinations in the world. It really is a very special place to work, to live and to grow. We want our Executives to be innovative, have excellent partnering skills and commitment to delivering high quality public services. Above all, you will be committed to openness, fairness and accountability in all that you do.

If you share our vision and want to help us make public services in the Highlands the very best they can be, we would very much like to hear from you.

Yours sincerely,

Donna Manson 
Chief Executive

About us

The Highland Council is one of 32 all-purpose councils in Scotland, serving 235,540 people across 26,484 sq km. There are 74 elected members and the administration is a coalition of Independent Group; Scottish Liberal Democrats; and Scottish Labour Party. The Council provides a vast range of services with a gross revenue budget of £595m.

We are currently recovering - and continuing to respond to - the impact of COVID-19 in our communities. This will have an impact on our ability to deliver on our challenging programme for improvement driven by a refreshed Council vision for an ambitious, sustainable and connected Highlands. An engagement programme was held in 2019 with staff, communities and Members. The Council’s Programme is supported by the budget strategy and changes programme ‘A Sustainable Highland – Change and Improvement Strategy for 2020-2022’ as agreed on 5 March 2020 and is currently under review due to the impacts of COVID-19.

The Highland economy is centred on tourism, life sciences, renewable energy and aquaculture and has seen the development of a new aluminium plant in Lochaber. Currently, the Highlands of Scotland is the number 1 destination for the UK domestic tourism market and the region continues to be a popular area for the film and television industry.

The Inverness and Highland City-Region Deal is delivering £315m of investment through Scottish and UK Governments, the Council and regional partners. This 10-year programme aims to deliver a step change in transport, innovation, digital connectivity, housing, skills, infrastructure, life sciences and tourism.

For more information on the Council please visit:

  • Highland Community Planning Partnership
  • Reports Full Council 9 May 2019
    • Change Strategy (Item 12)
    • Corporate Plan and Improvements Priorities (Item 11)
  • Reports Full Council 7 March 2019
    • Redesign of Council (Item 9)
    • Local & National Statutory Performance Indicators 2017/18 (Item 10)
    • A Connected Highland Striving to be an ambitious, high performing & sustainable Council (Item 12)
    • Change Fund Approach & Priorities (Item 14)
  • Report Full Council 14 Feb 2019 Budget – A Sustainable Highland – Change Strategy 2019-22

    • Reports Full Council 27 June 2019

    Reports Full Council 22 August 2019

    Reports Full Council 5 September 2019

     

    Reports Full Council 31 October 2019

    Back to the top

    The Highlands

    It may be one of the most recognisable corners of Scotland, but there is still a lot you don’t know about the Highlands.

    The Highlands offer one of the most distinctive lifestyle choices available anywhere in the world. It is one of the most attractive places to live, work and socialise. The area offers diversity of geography, blessed with outdoor opportunities and a rich culture with a guaranteed friendly welcome.

    Considering a move to the area? Links to schools, further education and housing can be found below:

    Back to the top

    Current Opportunities

    Executive Chief Officer for Health and Social Care

    Salary £ 93,932

    Inverness

    Working as part of the 10 strong Executive Leadership Team you will lead corporate and cross service strategies to ambitious levels of performance improvement driving efficiency to advance the sustainability of the Highlands while ensuring communities are connected and feel safe, strong and supported. You will strive to improve our successful Health and Social Care service working in collaboration with partners to achieve Regional best outcomes for all our young people of the Highlands.

    You should be educated to degree level with a further relevant professional qualification. You will have significant leadership experience across large, complex organisations, as well as the ability to work effectively with HNHS and other key stakeholders. You will be dynamic and ambitious for positive change, with the belief that person-centred focus is key to ensuring that families get the right service at the right time.

    Roles and Responsibilities:

    As a senior leader you will take responsibility for:

    • Leading, directing and managing the Council’s Health and Social Care Service
    • Improving Corporate performance, culture and aspirations
    • Advise the Council and its Committees on all aspects of the Service including policy options, performance indicators and cost consequences
    • Ensuring managers have in place appropriate arrangements for managing their staff, performance and budgets
    • Managing the discharge of statutory duties as required and exercise the specific delegations of the post as laid down in the Council’s Scheme of Delegation and Administration to Committees the Council’s Standing Orders and the Scheme of Delegation to Officers.
    • Corporate responsibility for Caithness and Sutherland.

    Our 8 Executive Chief Officers have a range of corporate responsibility alongside their service function and linked to a specific geographical area. This includes community capacity building, strengthening partnership and promoting cross-service collaboration and building on the Council ‘s relationship and reputation with the communities it serves. You will play a key role in including staff in all change and improvement processes impacting positively upon attitude, behaviour, skills and competencies.

    Back to the top

    How to apply

    To arrange an informal discussion please email our Talent Manager Koreen MacDougall on koreen.macdougall@highland.gov.uk

    Apply for:

    Applicants will be shortlisted for interview by matching the details given in their application against the job description and person specification. We would therefore ask applicants to provide clear evidence to show how your experience, skills and knowledge match those requirements as well as why you are interested in the role.

    Recruitment timetable

    Closing date: 14 September 2020
    Shortlisting: End of September 2020

    Back to the top