Plymouth City Council, Chief Operating Officer, To £167k

Plymouth is Britain’s Ocean City. It’s a springboard for innovation and creativity across the UK - where great ideas are born and legacies are forged. The City is rooted in marine engineering, naval heritage, pioneering exploration and diverse cultural industries and health and social care. It is home to the UK’s first National Marine Park, ‘The Box’ - an outstanding new regional museum - and is benefitting from the recently secured Freeport status for our thriving commercial maritime sector.

As one of the fastest growing cities in the UK, with an increasingly diverse population, Plymouth City Council has huge ambitions to reshape this incredible place for generations to come by creating a better future for everyone in the City and wider region. With significant plans encompassing job creation, increased productivity and prosperity, improved living standards, greater aspiration through education and skills, better housing for local people, addressing climate change and delivering quality services and facilities for those living in and visiting the City. All point to an ambitious improvement trajectory from already sound foundations.

This critical role is about ensuring the business is the very best it can be to enable effective delivery across this wide and ambitious agenda. As Chief Operating Officer, you will be at the heart of this ongoing transformation of Plymouth for its communities, supporting and leveraging the work of the Chief Executive and Elected Members. You’ll ensure that the enabling and corporate services of an excellent organisation are focused towards improving delivery to the residents of Plymouth.

You’ll foster a culture of corporate accountability, engaging partners across the system to drive improvement and efficiency. You will see the changes you are making in the City, now and for the future. Already experienced in leading multidisciplinary teams through modernisation, improvement and change, embracing new technologies without losing sight of the individual, driving performance and customer centricity, you will bring a commercial perspective informed by social purpose and a desire to make a difference every day.

You will be a visible leader in the City, with your teams, with partners and in our communities, reflecting your commitment to make a positive difference to Plymouth. Whilst an appreciation of public service would be helpful, this role is an ideal point of entry to Local Government for an accomplished leader from an aligned or adjacent sector keen to test themselves and transition to the pioneering City of Plymouth.