Full time, permanent.

Eastleigh Borough Council is an ambitious and high-performing district authority in the South of England. We are proud of our record in leading the way on tackling climate change, managing and improving the environment and delivering good services that our residents tell us they appreciate, whilst becoming more efficient and responding to the financial challenges that all councils are facing.

We have successfully made some big changes to the way our Direct Services operate with the support of staff and residents. However, we remain ambitious and the need to change will continue. Therefore, we are looking for an outstanding candidate to become our Head of Direct Services. This is a senior post reporting to Members and the council's Management Team.

The Direct Services unit is responsible for: Waste Collection, Recycling, StreetScene (Street Cleansing and Grounds Maintenance), Vehicle Workshop and Fleet Management.

As well as improving the already high standards of service, there are a number of specific challenges:

The council:

* is committed to reducing waste further and increasing its recycling rate; you will take the lead in achieving this.
* has successfully reduced its CO2 by 18% since 2007 and aims to reduce this to 50% by 2020. As the head of the council's largest operational unit, you will play a key role in achieving this.
* has been recognised as having the best performing Street Cleansing Team in the country. You will take the lead in building on excellence to provide an even better service for residents.
* has achieved genuine efficiencies to meet the financial challenges and not implemented large scale cuts. You will work corporately and lead your service in the development of innovation and collaboration in service delivery to help the council maintain services and deliver its ambitions for its residents.

We are looking for someone with:

* relevant in-depth experience of service delivery
* customer focus and political awareness
* a track record of effective leadership, successful team working and business transformation

If you believe you are able to meet our challenges, to find out more and to apply online, take a look at this link.

For an informal chat about the post, please contact Alex Parmley, Corporate Director on 023 8068 8250 or alternatively by email on this email link.

Closing date: 3rd January 2013.

Interviews: 14th and 15th January 2013 (only some candidates we progress to the second day)