Executive Business Manager

About the role:

In this role you will focus on ensuring excellent levels of support are provided to Executive Directors, Directors and associated management teams, enabling them to effectively lead on the development and delivery of the organisations strategic objectives. You will lead, develop and manage the chief officer support staff ensuring the effective delivery of the Directorate business. You will ensure that support is provided in an efficient, joined-up and professional manner. You will provide dedicated and strategic support to the Directorate Executive Director by for example, horizon scanning, commissioning briefs and relationship management with key internal and external stakeholders.

In this role you will:

• Manage Personal Assistants ensuring the delivery of a flexible and professional service that enables the organisation to meet its strategic objectives.
• Manage and develop a team that is focused on delivery within agreed service standards and that is empowered to work creatively in developing innovative solutions that produce efficiencies and improve the customer experience
• Ensure that teams are self-managing and that resources are utilised in the most effective way across the Chief Officer support function
• Maintain a strategic oversight of the business of a specific Directorate, delegate to the team appropriately and ensure mechanisms are put in place to track and monitor departmental business
• Work in partnership with officers across the Council to provide support to elected Cabinet Members by organising regular Cabinet Member briefings, acting as a point of contact for enquiries and other related issues, and in doing so, have the political awareness and sensitivity to address issues appropriately.
• To lead on the onboarding of new Chief Officers to ensure the smooth transition into the organisation.
• To take ownership of priorities and tasks commissioned by the Executive Director to ensure Strategic plans are delivered. Ensure quality briefing material for the Directors internal and external meetings are available as requested commissioning, proof reading and personally writing this as appropriate. Thereafter acting on outcomes and actions as requested by the Senior Director.

• To collaborate with directorates, delivering solutions to challenges and identifying areas of improvement for elected Members, Directorates and for the wider Chief Officer Support Group
• Provide high level support in the management of correspondence relating to Cabinet Members, freeing up Chief Officer time
• Proactively look ahead with Cabinet Members to ensure effective forward planning; enabling Directorate Management teams to plan for and meet strategic objectives.
• Represent and communicate on behalf of Chief Officers, acting as the main point of contact for enquiries from internal and external stakeholders ensuring high levels of customer service are delivered.
• To co-ordinate key information related to directorate work, implementing and maintaining shared information protocols.
• Use a high level of judgement to apply knowledge to ensure that appropriate and relevant issues and their linkages are highlighted in a timely manner to Chief Officers.

• Being an integral member of Directorate Management Teams
• Ensuring Forward plans and strategic objectives are monitored and kept up to date.

Work Environment:

This post demands a high level of flexibility, a positive attitude and ability to adapt to changes due to service needs. This post is office based and the postholder will be expected to work at other sites and to provide cover for similar roles. The postholder will be expected to work as an advocate in modelling new ways of working by using innovative and imaginative thinking to enable the success in adopting flexible working practices.

People Management Responsibilities:

• Full management responsibility for a team of staff (4+) carrying out the same general type of work.
• Responsibility for coaching and developing all team members, with a focus on empowering and enabling staff.
• Work in close collaboration with Directorate Executive Business managers to ensure that teams are effectively developed, have the right skills and work together across teams.

Relationships;

The post holder reports into the Head of Business Support service.

The post holder will be required to liaise with various teams and services across the organisation. Key contacts will include Chief Officers, Cabinet Members and Elected Members, Officers across all directorates and members of the public. The post will be required to liaise with external Strategic partners, Members of parliament and key high profile external bodies. Whilst supporting the leadership of Camden and Cabinet Members, the postholder is likely to encounter matters that are confidential, contentious and complex and where the potential outcome is likely to require considerable discretion.

Knowledge and Experience:

• People management, coaching and performance management skills with the ability to lead a team to ensure delivery of a consistently high level of performance, quality and customer care.
• Ability to communicate and negotiate with confidence at high level discussions, understanding the bigger picture and strategic direction of the Council.
• Excellent practical application of IT systems and software packages, including spreadsheets, databases and presentation programmes.
• Ability to work on own initiative, delegate appropriately, and to plan and prioritise work to manage conflicting priorities, meet delivery deadlines, targets and agreed work standards, with minimum supervision
• Appreciation of confidentiality requirements within the workplace and the ability to use tact and diplomacy effectively.
• Excellent organisational skills and ability to manage a complex and varied workload with a flexible and innovative approach to work
• High level of personal drive and energy and the ability to sustain effort and performance.
• Ability to make accurate, logical & considered judgements.
• Previous experience of providing quality business management support for senior management level.