Chief Executive Officer

Ad Warrior Ltd; Stroud; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

Wotton-under-Edge Town Council is seeking a Chief Executive Officer to lead the organisation through a period of growth and reform. You will shape long-term strategy, provide clear political and financial leadership, and ensure strong governance and accountability.

Reporting to elected members, you will drive place-based initiatives such as town centre vitality, tourism development, youth services, and the Town Hall and Civic Centre asset programme, while aligning staff and resources with

Qualifications

• Extensive Clerk experience or leadership of services in a regulated public-facing environment.
• Strategic capability to shape priorities and guide transformation and delivery.
• Strong governance and financial grounding with risk management.
• Experience building organisational culture during growth.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership and governance for the Council.
• Lead place-based work including town centre vitality, tourism development and youth services.
• Oversee the Town Hall and Civic Centre asset management programme.
• Align priorities and resources with councillors and community outcomes, driving transformation.

Skills

Change leadership

Public sector leadership

Governance

Financial governance

Staff development

Education

CiLCA

Job description

Chief Executive Officer

Location:

Wotton-under-Edge Town Council, The Civic Centre, 2 Gloucester Street, Wotton-under Edge, GL12 7DN

Salary:

£49,817 - £54,143 per annum (SCP 37-41)

Contract

Permanent, 37 hours per week with some weekends and evening for meetings

Leading Wotton-under-Edge into its next chapter.

WottonunderEdge is entering a period of significant organisational growth. As responsibilities evolve, expectations rise and the wider Gloucestershire landscape shifts, the Council is expanding its capacity, strengthening its governance and modernising how it works. We are building a larger, more resilient team and we are looking for a Chief Executive Officer who can lead this transformation with clarity, confidence and ambition.

About the role

This is a defining moment for the organisation. The Council is refreshing its Town Plan, strengthening its strategic planning capability and preparing for the wider implications of Local Government Reorganisation. As Chief Executive Officer (Town Clerk and Responsible Finance Officer), you will shape the Council's longterm direction, bringing together the perspectives of newly elected councillors and aligning emerging priorities, drive progress on key projects and ensure the organisation is ready for future responsibilities. You will lead key placebased work including town centre vitality, tourism development, youth services and the next phase of the Town Hall and Civic Centre asset management programme.

As the Council's senior officer, you will provide clear strategic leadership, ensuring strong governance, organisational alignment and confident decisionmaking. You will help the Council navigate a changing operating environment with stability and professionalism, offering impartial advice, clarity of purpose and a forwardlooking approach to risk, opportunity and transformation.

About you

To succeed, you will bring:

• Substantial experience in a Clerk role or in leading services and organisational change within a regulated, publicfacing environment.
• Strategic capability to shape priorities, advise elected members and guide transformation and delivery.
• Strong governance and financial grounding, with confidence in compliance, risk and organisational assurance.
• Experience building organisational culture and embedding new and existing staff as the organisation grows.
• Calm, clear leadership that keeps the workforce aligned, resilient and focused as responsibilities evolve.

Clerk experience and CiLCA (Certificate in Local Council Administration) are beneficial, but your strategic vision, governance insight and leadership approach are what will define your success in this role.

If you bring a strong publicservice ethos and a commitment to community outcomes, this is a defining moment to lead WottonunderEdge into its next chapter.

Closing date:

5pm, Thursday 24th September 2026

Interviews:

Interviews take place in person week commencing 12th October.