Doncaster Council - Assistant Director Environment

We are looking for a strategic and resilient leader to become our next Assistant Director of Environment here in Doncaster. This is a high profile role and we are looking for somebody who can successfully collaborate with stakeholders and partners from a wide range of backgrounds, with a passion to drive change and to lead teams with credibility and vigour.

By way of background, Doncaster has achieved a lot in recent years - the Doncaster Growing Together plan was launched in 2017 with the ambition to grow the economy, infrastructure and green agenda of the borough. A lot has been achieved but there is still more to do, and this year we have set out a plan for the next five years - so this makes it a really exciting time to be joining #TeamDoncaster.

Our vision is to be a clean and green borough with decent air quality, where walking and cycling are easy and accessible, and where outside space is nurtured. Our regulatory, highways and streetscene agenda will be an integral part of measuring our success here, as will be the focus on our revolutionary approach to energy and waste. We have a passion to hold, protect and enhance the natural environment for future generations, and to help build an innovative and inclusive economy based around clean growth and quality jobs.

Doncaster is an ambitious borough, with a strong sense of community and support and a history of working well in partnership with others. We are also a strong performing authority, our resources and finances are well managed and you will be welcomed by an experienced and hard-working leadership team. As the new Director of Environment and Economy I have been struck by Doncaster’s leadership; authentic and determined, willing to tackle difficult issues where necessary, whilst retaining a sense of clarity, purpose and good humour.

In short, we need somebody who is not afraid to roll their sleeves up and help us continue to make Doncaster a great place to learn, work and live. We need a leader who can:

Provide strategic support and guidance for elected members and Council on matters that are key priorities for our residents. You will deliver services that account for the vast majority of customer contact with the Council.
Jointly lead across the directorate and wider partnerships with pace and focus.
Be outwardly focussed, skilled at building external relationships to help place the needs of Doncaster right at the forefront of regional thinking.
Galvanise our teams and help define a truly collaborative team environment, whilst also robustly managing performance; in Doncaster we get things done and together we achieve more.

This role has the diverse remit of regulation and enforcement, highways and infrastructure, streetscene and waste. To be successful in this role you will be at ease operating at both strategic and operational level displaying adaptive leadership, have the vigour required to deliver public facing services whilst having the commercial acumen and diplomacy to lead strategically. You will galvanise your teams in a relentless focus on delivering customer focussed solutions, being the best they can be, delivering the best Doncaster.

If you are interested in joining our team and are inspired to lead the next phase of our journey, we look forward to your application. In the meantime, following an initial conversation with our recruitment partners I would be delighted to discuss this opportunity with those who might wish to learn a little more about the role.

Dan Swaine
Director Economy and Environment

Role: Assistant Director Environment
Salary: £95,438 per year, plus relocation support

We are looking for an ambitious and energetic leader who will lead the environment function here at #TeamDoncaster.

With a £55m budget and more than 700 staff, you will be an integral member of the Economy and Environment Team, playing a crucial role in supporting Dan Swaine in the development, delivery and implementation of directorate and corporate strategies and policies. With a confident and inspiring leadership style, you will be comfortable being highly visible as the face of environmental services to the wider public, including residents, businesses and visitors of Doncaster.

Your particular responsibilities will include:

Highways and Infrastructure - delivery of an efficient and effective, consolidated highways service
Streetscene and Waste - supporting pride of place and encouraging investment in Doncaster, driving best practice waste management and recycling services
Regulation and Enforcement - consolidating regulatory, enforcement and neighbourhood response functions including emergency planning

Progress your career whilst you shape, lead and influence Doncaster’s success; apply now.

Key supporting documents

Doncaster - A Good Place To Work

Economic success

Doncaster is one of the fastest growing economies in the north. Its business growth performance is second only to Manchester for the whole of the UK over the last five years, and GVA increased by £1.2bn (28.6%) over the last five years creating an economy worth £5.5bn.

Inward investment

Doncaster has already attracted more than £220 million of new inward investment which has enabled a number of schemes to get underway over the last few years. As part of this inward investment growth, there has been significant investment from businesses - Amazon, Next, Polypipe, Volker Rail and Hitachi Rail, to name but a few.

The ambitious Doncaster Urban Centre Masterplan has resulted in significant new interest from investors and developers, and schemes include City Gateway, the CCQ Business District and the Waterdale Shopping Centre. Transformational change in town centres across Doncaster remains very much at the heart of its’ ambition as it moves out of the COVID-19 crisis.

The Civic and Cultural Quarter has seen a renaissance with superb new developments such as the Doncaster Cultural and Learning Centre - a £14 million, iconic 21st century combined museum and library building.

The area now intends to build on this and is putting together a £21million bid for the Government’s Future High Streets Fund. This is all part of the plan to deliver on the vision for a vibrant and buzzing town centre which will benefit the whole borough.

Connectivity

Being centrally located, Doncaster has excellent transport links - road, rail and plane are all easy options for travel. Many of the major UK cities such as Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, London, Edinburgh and Birmingham are less than two hours away on the train.

Doncaster Sheffield Airport is the fastest growing airport outside London, making international travel straightforward. And it is only 50 minutes from the Humber Ports, the UK’s largest port complex.

Doncaster - A Good Place To Live

Doncaster can offer low living costs, great value housing, easy commutes, access to many other vibrant cities, and a great outdoors. You will discover that beautiful countryside and rural villages lie within only a few miles of the urban landscape.

Housing

Doncaster is best in the region for housing delivery and has created 1,100 new homes each year over last three years.

It boasts a wealth of beautiful historical architecture, where property prices are really affordable (50% cheaper than the national average), making it an attractive option in terms of bang for your buck. South Doncaster is one of Doncaster's most popular residential areas and is good for families, with some really pretty villages. Sought after villages include Bawtry, Tickhill, Edenthorpe and Hatfield.

Sport and leisure

When you think of Doncaster the first thing that might spring to mind is the horse racing - it hosts the world famous St Leger Cup every year. But there are a vast range of other leisure interests at your fingertips here - to suit all tastes and ages.

The options range from art and theatre, to football, gym, swimming and ten pin bowling as well as outdoor pursuits and countryside walks. The Yorkshire Wildlife Park is another new initiative which is great for family days out, and a brand new World Class European Golf Development is being planned.

Shopping and retail therapy are high on the agenda, and the new Waterdale Shopping Centre has also been designed to create residential opportunities, office space, new public spaces and pedestrian routes - all with the aim to energise Doncaster town centre.

Discuss this opportunity

For an informal confidential discussion about this opportunity, please contact either Sarah France-Gorton (01609 798106 / Sarah.France-Gorton@northyorks.gov.uk) or Penny Keatings (07811 411462 / Penny.Keatings@northyorks.gov.uk), our recruitment partners - The Resourcing Solution.

Apply

To apply please send your CV including a personal statement in one Microsoft Word document to Penny.Keatings@northyorks.gov.uk by midnight on Sunday 21 March 2021.

It is important that your CV includes: your full contact details (telephone, email, address), full employment history (name of employer, job titles, dates of employment and salary), full education history (qualification, grade, dates and place of study), explanation of any gaps in employment and the contact details of at least two referees including your current / most recent employer indicating whether you consent to us contacting each referee prior to interview.

Your personal statement should outline your motivation for applying and how you meet the criteria for the role.

We will not accept applications from agencies.

This is a politically restricted post as defined by the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.

Key dates

Closing date: 21 March 2021
Shortlisting: week commencing 22 March 2021
Technical assessment / interviews: week commencing 12 April 2021

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