Cornwall is a place that is forging ahead in the 21st Century. Behind our reputation as a rural idyll, our County is changing fast. Our growth and investment plans are amongst the most ambitious in the UK and we’re becoming a hub for enterprise, entrepreneurialism and new thinking.

Cornwall is a place that is forging ahead in the 21st Century. Behind our reputation as a rural idyll, our County is changing fast. Our growth and investment plans are amongst the most ambitious in the UK and we’re becoming a hub for enterprise, entrepreneurialism and new thinking.

Our ambitions for Cornwall rely on our ability to transform the effectiveness and efficiency of our public services. That’s why we’re looking for people that can bring a visionary approach to creating 21st Century commercial and support services that will enable the next steps in shaping our region.

The Opportunity

Our Service Director for Commercial and Finance will play a pivotal role in shaping markets and driving innovation to support commercial and commissioning outcomes. They will lead the development of a coherent strategy across all elements of our supply chain including market development, commercial progression, procurement, external standards/quality and contract management.  They will have accountability for developing, driving and evolving the legal and policy framework that supports and enables commissioners to develop and commission excellent services for our customers.

This is a strategic and influential role with responsibility for leading the development of a modern, high performing commercial and finance function that enables Cornwall Council to be an outcomes-based and innovative authority.

The successful applicant will implement an effective and sophisticated approach to partnerships and commercial arrangements, both within Cornwall and beyond, identifying opportunities to drive value, generate income and make savings. You will also help shape and lead the Council’s approach to asset management and its future property strategy, working across the organisation to ensure our asset base is fit for purpose and fully utilised. In addition the role will lead the finance function for the authority, providing assurance to the council’s Chief Operating Officer and Section 151 Officer on financial control. With direct responsibility for a budget of £40m, commercial income of £12m and influence over £800m per annum of contracted spend, this is one of biggest commercial opportunities in local government.

This will include:

• Leading support services transformation to create a truly modern organisation

• Acting as the senior commercial expert within Cornwall Council

• Acting as the strategic lead on a Cornwall Council’s approach to market development

• Defining how we use the financial resources of the whole organisation to greatest effect

• Developing the right commercial arrangements and investments to secure the Council’s income streams

• Playing a central role in shaping what comes next for our region

About You

We want our new Service Director for Commercial and Finance to be someone who can set the right culture and ethos across our commercial service; who can cut through bureaucracy whilst working in partnership and who has the energy to sustain the pace of change that our ambitions demand. You’ll need to be a determined and committed commercial expert with a goal-oriented approach and possessing the kind of credibility that comes from having transformed the effectiveness of commercial services and financial performance in previous organisations.

If you can match our ambition and have what it takes to deliver on a demanding, change-driven, high profile role where you have the scope to shape a region and to genuinely change lives, we’d love to hear from you. 

To find out more and to apply, visit www.leading-cornwall.co.uk