Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service (Full Time)

New Start; Basildon; On-site; GBP 112,000 - 187,000; Full time

Job summary

Basildon Borough Council in Basildon, Essex, is seeking a Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service to provide strategic leadership and drive major improvement priorities for the council and borough. You will align Members and officers, translate political ambition into disciplined delivery, and lead an open, transparent response to Best Value work while guiding growth and regeneration across Basildon.

Open to established Chief Executives or exceptional directors ready for their first Chief

Job description

Jobs

Chief Executive and Head of Paid Service

Salary

up to £186,560 + a monthly car allowance of £330.25 + fringe allowance of £753 per annum

Expires

02/10/2026

Company

Basildon Borough Council

Location

Basildon, Essex

Job Type

Full Time

Lead Basildon now. Shape what comes next.

There are Chief Executive roles where the direction is already set. This is not one of them.

Basildon is looking for a Chief Executive who can bring clarity, confidence and stability at an important moment for the Council and the borough. You will lead an organisation that is addressing significant improvement priorities, but which also has committed people, real economic strength and ambitions extending far beyond the immediate challenges.

Your first responsibility will be to bring the organisation together. You will establish a clear sense of direction, build confidence between Members and officers and make sure that political ambition is translated into disciplined, visible delivery. You will lead an open and transparent response to the current Best Value work, ensuring that improvement is understood not as a short-term exercise, but as a lasting change in the way the Council operates.

Yet this role is about much more than organisational recovery.

Basildon has significant economic and regeneration potential. Its future is closely connected to the continued growth and prosperity of South Essex. You will ensure the borough has a strong voice, a clear proposition and an organisation capable of delivering for its residents while pursuing its ambitions for growth and improvement.

As Head of Paid Service, you will provide corporate and strategic leadership, support the Council’s statutory officers, work closely with Members and partners, lead organisational change and help sustain Basildon’s economic growth.

We are open to established Chief Executives and to exceptional directors ready to take their first Chief Executive appointment. What matters is that you bring political acuity, personal credibility and an ability to create trust without avoiding difficult conversations. You will be visible, calm under pressure and as comfortable discussing governance and organisational improvement as you are championing Basildon’s economy, communities and future.

This is not a role for someone looking simply to manage the next chapter.

It is for a leader who wants to help write it.

This is Basildon’s moment. Make it yours.

Closing date: Friday 2nd October, 12pm midday