Welcome
Thank you for your interest in the post of Chief Executive of Devon County Council.
On this site, you will find the full details of the post, as well as key information about the authority and the county of Devon.
As Leader of the County Council, I am immensely proud of Devon. It is a wonderful place to live and work with strong and vibrant communities, a number of thriving economic centres, two national parks and two stunning coastlines.
But we also face many challenges.
As we emerge from the pandemic, the focus of our 2021-25 plan is on recovery and renewal.
Supporting Devon’s economic recovery from the pandemic is a key task. Our economic recovery programme must support small and medium enterprises, employment and skills, and the hardest hit towns and communities.
Whilst we are widely known as a tourist destination, we also have world class higher education and a strong high-tech manufacturing base. We need to work with our partners to use the development of the Plymouth and South Devon Freeport to harness the power of high value manufacturing to deliver clean growth and provide high quality jobs and opportunities. We also want to work with central Government to explore a Team Devon devolution deal to give Devon more powers and flexibilities.
We want to build on the resilience of local people and communities to create a fairer, healthier and more caring county, and grasp the opportunity to create a greener, more prosperous and inclusive future for all.
Protecting the most vulnerable in society has always been my top priority. Health and social care services were under immense pressure before COVID-19, and those pressures have only increased. Our social care support for children and vulnerable adults, and our services for children with special educational needs and disabilities are facing unprecedented demand. This demand, coupled with the current economic situation and inflation means that, like many other councils, we are under increasing financial strain.
However, we have many strengths. As an organisation, we have a positive, innovative and collaborative culture, and enjoy excellent officer-member relations. We come together as Team Devon to work closely with other local authorities, the NHS, voluntary and community groups, businesses and many others for the benefit of local people. But we also know we must constantly evolve and transform the way we work to ensure we get the most from every pound we spend so that we can continue to help and support the people we serve in the best way we can.
As our next Chief Executive we will be looking to you to take the lead in addressing our challenges head-on and to build on the good work we’ve already done to help move the council forwards.
We welcome applications from senior local government professionals, as well as from experienced leaders in other fields who can demonstrate that they have what it takes to lead our organisation.
We will be looking for you to show that you appreciate the challenges we face, and that you are enthusiastic about harnessing the enormous potential of our county and our council to deliver the very best for the people of Devon.
For further information, please contact our executive search partners at GatenbySanderson, Seb Lowe (07464 543442) or Tim Hills (07393 011130).
We look forward to hearing from you!
Best wishes,
Councillor John Hart
Leader of Devon County Council