Service Director, Public Realm

ROLE PROFILE

Job Title /

Service Director, Public Realm

Post Number
Service Group / Public Realm
Accountable to / Corporate Director
Grade / Assistant Director, Level 3
Date March 2014 / Number of Post holders / 1

Purpose of Role

As a member of the council’s senior leadership team, to work with external and internal partners with responsibility for leading the Council’s Commissioning, Procurement and Contract Management for Public Realm (covering waste, highways, landscape, fleet and regulatory services) and potentially more broadly for the contracting of building and key capital projects. This role also has a corporate responsibility to support, advise and quality assure contracting functions across the Council, in close liaison with the Council’s Procurement function.

Services and activities must be of high quality, in line with national and local policy, relevant legislation and best practice and deliver the best outcomes for the residents of Milton Keynes.

The focus of this role is to: -

Commission, manage and deliver excellent Public Realm services through effective contracting and client management, ensuring a clean, green and safe local environment which can be enjoyed by residents, businesses, visitors and customers.

Work with and support all service areas to lead, develop and implement a council-wide best practice approach to contract management, building client officer capacity through sharing best practice contract management expertise and knowledge and advising on monitoring arrangements.

Liaise with all services responsible for the commissioning, procurement and contract management of construction projects and other capital schemes, to promote a Council-wide best practice approach to the management and delivery of such schemes.

Create and implement change programmes to improve existing services and develop new provision in line with the Council’s priorities for Public Realm services

Lead the Public Realm Service Group’s performance and fulfil the corporate leadership role of a Service Director

Key Objectives (outcomes which are essential)

1 / Lead on commissioning, procurement and contract monitoring of new service delivery models for highways, waste, landscaping and fleet services.
2 / Advise, improve and promote best practice in relation to the Council’s contract management arrangements across all of the Service Groups in liaison with the Council’s procurement function.
3 / Working corporately, contribute to the development of arrangements for the contracting and programme management of building, and key capital projects.
4 / Ensure the effective implementation of the Council’s statutory responsibilities in respect of its public realm services; including the Regulatory Unit.(i.e. Regulatory/enforcement relating to licensing, environmental health, trading standards, bereavement and registration services).
5 / Maintain effective liaison with the Parishes and Ward Members to ensure the effective resolution of local issues relating to Public Realm, including full integration with the Public Access Service
6 / Maintain effective budget, project/programme and risk management across all areas of responsibility and ensure that financial and service performance is monitored against agreed budgets, action plans and performance targets. Take timely corrective action should these show any adverse trend to the approved plan.
7 / Lead and motivate staff to provide continuous improvement in quality and cost effectiveness of services and ensure that they are delivered in accordance with the Council’s Corporate Plan and agreed priorities.
8 / Promote and build a culture of delivery and achievement through effective performance management of staff.
9 / Ensure the development and effective management of all employees. Ensure all Health and Safety legislation and regulations are complied with and that risk assessments are carried out across all service areas.
10 / Build strong productive relationships with elected Members of all parties and work with elected members to offer operational support, advice and guidance that ensures Milton Keynes Council’s strategic direction is delivered.
11 / Fulfil the service leadership role and corporate leadership role of a member of the senior leadership team to meet the requirements of ‘One Council’.

Scope (contacts, key relationships and particular job-related behaviours the jobholder needs, and the impact the role has.)

The role holder is:

·  the key interface with Members regarding priorities and issues for public realm services, requiring the provision of member briefings and attendance at strategic and service related committees.

·  the senior leader with strategic lead for the full range of operational services within public realm services responsible for delivering operations directly and via contractors, and for ensuring the effective management of all services, resources (people and finance), programmes and projects.

·  a major contributor to the delivery of the Council’s services to the public, with an impact on the quality of services delivered, public perception of the Council and its brand, and the level of complaints and criticism, comments and compliments received.

·  a developing role in supporting the Council’s responsibilities for contracting of both capital and revenue projects, and advising on the development of best practice in relation to contract specification, performance information and monitoring.

·  a member of the Council’s senior leadership team with responsibility for the delivery of the Council's corporate objectives and priorities, for contributing to the development of a ‘one Council culture’ in which good performance is recognised and poor performance challenged and managed, and for ensuring that culture is embedded within Highways and Transport.

Financial

The role is responsible for a revenue budget of £44m and a capital programme totalling over £200m in the next five years . The capital programme typically comprises of over 200 projects per year, which over the medium term will include the delivery of the Residual Waste Treatment Facility contract( £129m) and Highways investment of potentially another £214m, throughout the next 20 years.

Main accountabilities

In fulfilling the objectives of the post, the post holder is accountable for the following services and/or corporate functions:

1 / Highways and lighting
2 / Landscaping
3 / Fleet
4 / Footways and Redways maintenance
5 / Residual Waste
6 / Traffic Management
7 / Parish liaison relating to the Public Realm
8 / Regulatory Unit ( regulatory/enforcement responsibilities including licensing trading standards, environmental health etc., bereavement and registration services
9 / Development of best practice arrangements in relation to contract specification, performance information and monitoring across the Council
10 / Supporting the programme management of building and key capital projects ( this is a developing area of the role)

Corporate Leadership Role

As members of the Council’s senior leadership team, Service Directors have collaborative and individual responsibilities to be fulfilled in a ’One Council’ context.

The key elements are:

1 / Collective and strategic responsibility for working on a collegiate basis with the Chief Executive, the Corporate Leadership Team and other senior managers, and in partnership with the Cabinet, other elected members and external partners, to develop strategies and policies to achieve the Council’s corporate priorities, live within available resources and secure improved outcomes for the community.
2 / Individual accountability to CLT and other relevant stakeholders for the achievement of target outcomes (as expressed in Service Plan objectives) for the relevant service group and the effective management of revenue and capital projects, budgets, human resources, business continuity and risk in order to achieve those objectives. Provide visible and accessible leadership for the Service Group.
3 / Active engagement with transformation and change programmes to shape the organisation as it evolves; constantly scanning the environment for opportunities to embed the ‘one council’ approach and identifying effective strategies to challenge resistance. Model those behaviours that are conducive to continuous improvement and the positive management of change.
4 / Application of corporate systems, frameworks and relevant statutory requirements to meet agreed standards for managing people, budgets, services, programmes and projects, health and safety, risk, and fulfilment of all the requirements of the senior manager role in Milton Keynes Council.
5 / Lead, manage and develop effective relationships with contractors and partners, ensuring the Council’s outcome requirements are clearly specified, delivery is monitored and managed, and performance standards met.
6 / Commit to and model for other employees the Council’s commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults. Follow the Council’s safeguarding policies and procedures and behave appropriately towards children and vulnerable adults at all times, both in work and in their personal lives.
7 / Ensure the service group meets corporate equalities requirements; promoting the Council’s equalities and diversity policies within the organisation, with partners and in all aspects of the role; ensuring that the services provided by Milton Keynes Council meet the needs of its diverse population and customer base.
8 / Contribute to meeting the Council’s emergency planning responsibilities.
9 / Adopt sustainable working practices and targets both in terms of how services are delivered but also in respect of the way in which the organisation consumes materials and energy.
10 / Engage with the development of the Council’s approach to Public Access; strengthen and continuously improve the way we inform, interact with and make services accessible to the community; facilitate and embed an effective customer service culture across the whole organisation.

Additional Information - Leadership Competencies

Creates a compelling future

·  Ability to articulate a clear vision that individuals can identify and align to

·  Positively engages with and influences stakeholders both internal and external

·  Demonstrates a clear understanding of and involvement with the external environment

·  Behaviours are consistent with our values and ‘One Council’ aspiration

Inspires others to lead

·  Recognised as a leader who develops and promotes talent across the Council

·  Activity involved in coaching and mentoring colleagues to achieve their potential

·  Known as a ‘critical friend’ that colleagues will seek out for guidance

·  Creates an environment where constructive feedback is welcomed and acted upon

·  Consistently demonstrates integrity and delivers on commitments

·  Empowers individuals to take responsibility and accountability

Delivers excellence for the customer

·  Constantly strives to improve service delivery

·  Demonstrates a clear understanding of customer need through active engagement

·  Open to new ideas and actively seeks out best practice

·  Proactively shares knowledge and lessons learned

·  Effective at balanced, excellent service delivery, cost effectiveness and financial management

Takes accountability for making it happen

·  Ability to manage ambiguity and complexity. Identifies potential barriers and has the adaptability to overcome them

·  Demonstrates the ability to influence stakeholders and negotiate effectively to achieve a ‘win win’ situation

·  Fosters effective relationships to drive service delivery

·  Embeds effective processes to manage and enhance performance at a team member and service level

PERSON SPECIFICATION

In this section the Skills, Knowledge, Qualification and Competency requirements to perform the role to a satisfactory standard are set out. The extent, nature and level of the role holder’s knowledge and skills should be specified

Awareness some knowledge or skills sufficient to show aptitude and the ability to learn in the particular work area

Significant knowledge and skills gained through practice and/or qualification sufficient to fulfil the role requirements

Extensive knowledge and skills gained through practice and/ or qualification to fulfil the role requirements and contribute to training others and developing policy and practice in the work area

PERSON SPECIFICATION / Examples specific to role / Required / Level / Method of Assessment application form, interview, testing, reference
Essential / Desirable / Awareness / Significant / Extensive
SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE
Technical knowledge and qualifications /
Substantial evidence of continuing professional development
Significant experience in commissioning, procuring and delivering major capital programmes
Considerable senior manager experience in a large complex organisation with knowledge and understanding of a the public realm arena, local government issues and statutory requirements
Evidence of successful contributions to the development and effective implementation of corporate strategies and policies
Extensive knowledge of best practice in relation to the development and management of a wide range of contracts and programmes
Membership of a professional institution of a discipline relevant to the post
A management qualification e.g. MBA or DMS / X
X
X
X
X / X
X / App/Int/
App/Int/Ref
App/Int/Ref
App/Int/
App/Int/Ref
App
App
Planning and organising work / Extensive knowledge and understanding of key Policy issues and statutory requirements relating to Public Realm arena / X / App/Int
Planning capacity and resources / Extensive, wide ranging successful experience as a manager, in a large complex organisation, with substantial evidence of knowledge and understanding of the public sector.
Ability to maintain clarity about organisational and /or partnership priorities and how to use resources to achieve them
Demonstrable success in designing and delivering services and projects with regard to available capacity and resources / X
X
X / App/Int/Ref
App/Int/
App/Int/Ref
Influencing and interpersonal skills / Extensive experience of operating in a complex political environment and able to demonstrate the communication and influencing skills necessary to succeed
Able to use knowledge and understanding of the political environment to influence strategy and outcomes positively
Negotiating skills in respect of general management and service delivery together with ensuring regulatory compliance, including by national and international business
Ability to lead and communicate with people to gain commitment and align their efforts and energies with strategic plans and priorities / X
X
X
X / App/Int
App/Int
App/Int
App/Int
PROBLEM-SOLVING
Using initiative to overcome problems / A significant track record of achieving significant improvements in Public Realm services
Ability to manage ambiguity and complexity and to analyse complex problems and develop practical solutions / X
X / App/Int/Ref
App/Int/Ass
Managing risk / Proven track record in managing risks in line with shared goals and corporate risk management principles / X / App/Int
Managing change / Understanding of change management and evidence of delivering new or improved services, including more cost-effective outcomes
Proven track record in driving service improvement; promoting, leading , managing and evaluating change programmes and projects
Leading services to achieve goals and meet customer needs
Leading and development and implementation of robust performance management systems
Facilitating organisational, individual and personal learning and development / X
X
X
X
X / App/Int
App/Int
App/Int
App/Int
App/Int
ACCOUNTABILITY and RESPONSIBILITY / Significant track record of designing and implementing own work programme to deliver service outcomes / X / App/Int
Managing people / Able to build relationships, networks and partnerships with a wide range of internal and external bodies and key partner organisations to develop and deliver the strategic agenda
Able to lead and inspire others to high standards and high levels of personal performance and service delivery
Ensures corporate people management standards are applied fairly and consistently
Values and promotes diversity / X
X
X / App/Int
App/Int
App/Int
Managing financial resources / Demonstrable successful experience of managing large complex budgets within a system of devolved financial management and in the context of corporate frameworks / X / App/Int

Other information: