Jobs

Head of Finance (Deputy Section 151 Officer), Nottinghamshire County Council

Salary: £74,703 – £83,664, plus Market Factor Supplement of £10,833 per annum

Contract: Permanent, Full Time

Location: Hybrid working / County Hall, West Bridgford, Nottingham

The Organisation

Nottinghamshire County Council is one of the largest local authorities in the country, providing more than 400 services to communities across Nottinghamshire.

This is an important and exciting time to join us. We have a new Council Plan for 2025–29, an ambitious programme for the future and a clear commitment to being an efficient, effective and forward-looking organisation – making the best use of our resources while continuing to deliver high-quality services for our residents.

We are also approaching the future from a position of relative financial strength. We have a strong track record of sound financial management, balanced budgets and timely accounts, alongside healthy reserves and headroom within our Medium-Term Financial Strategy. That provides a strong platform from which to respond to the financial, technological and structural changes facing local government.

Against that backdrop, we are now looking for an outstanding finance professional to join our senior leadership team as Deputy Section 151 Officer.

The Role

Reporting directly to the Director of Finance & Investment, this is one of the Council's most important senior finance leadership positions.

You will lead the Financial Services function, with responsibility for the Council's strategic financial planning, Medium Term Financial Strategy and annual budget; financial management and reporting; statutory accounts; capital programme; financial controls and accounting policy; and the provision of high-quality financial advice across the organisation. You will lead a service of around 59 FTE and play a central role in supporting the Director of Finance & Investment in the exercise of their statutory responsibilities.

You will inherit a capable team and a sound financial platform. Your opportunity will be to build on those strengths and help take the function forward.

There is a significant modernisation agenda ahead. The Council is implementing SAP S/4HANA, creating opportunities to rethink processes, make greater use of automation and emerging technologies, and further develop the capability and effectiveness of the finance function. You will have the opportunity to shape that journey rather than simply maintain established ways of working.

And beyond the finance function, you will be a trusted adviser to senior officers and elected Members. You will need to turn complex financial information into clear, practical advice; influence important decisions; provide constructive challenge where necessary; and ensure that financial considerations are properly understood as the Council determines its priorities for the future.

You will also join Nottinghamshire at a time of wider change for local government. The precise shape and timetable of Local Government Reorganisation continues to evolve, but whatever comes next, strong financial leadership will be fundamental to ensuring Nottinghamshire is well positioned for the future. The Council Plan itself identifies LGR and the development of a future operating model as significant organisational priorities.

For an ambitious finance leader, there is another important dimension to the opportunity. This is a genuine Deputy S151 role, providing close exposure to the statutory CFO agenda and the opportunity to further develop your experience and credentials for a future Section 151 appointment.

Candidates

We are looking for a fully CCAB-qualified finance professional with a strong understanding of local government finance.

You are likely already to be operating in a senior finance leadership position and, given the scale, breadth and complexity of Nottinghamshire, possess experience from within a large and complex organisation would be particularly valuable.

You will need strong technical foundations across strategic financial management, financial planning and budgeting, statutory accounting and the wider local government finance framework. But technical expertise alone won't be enough.

We are particularly interested in your ability to communicate, influence and exercise judgement. You will be comfortable explaining complex financial issues to people who are not finance specialists, including senior officers and elected Members. You will know when to support and when to challenge, and you will have the confidence and professional credibility to speak truth to power when required.

As a leader, you will be collaborative, supportive and able to get the best from a talented professional team. We are looking for someone with ambition and drive, but also the interpersonal skills and judgement to build trusted relationships across the organisation.

You don't necessarily need to have been a Deputy S151 Officer already. What matters is that you have the technical grounding, leadership capability and organisational credibility to operate at this level – and the potential and ambition to develop further.

Why Nottinghamshire?

There are many senior finance opportunities across local government at present. What makes this one different is the platform you will inherit and the opportunity that comes with it.

You can join a financially sound organisation and a capable team; work directly alongside an experienced Section 151 Officer; lead a significant finance function; help modernise the service through new technology; operate at the heart of some of the Council's most important decisions; and further develop the breadth of experience required to become a Section 151 Officer yourself.

For the right person, this is both an opportunity to make an immediate contribution to one of the country's largest councils and an excellent next step in a senior local government finance career.

Next Steps

If you are an ambitious senior finance professional and this opportunity sounds like the right next step for you, we would be very pleased to hear from you.

For further information about Nottinghamshire County Council, the role and the recruitment process, please visit https://nottinghamshireseniorleadership.co.uk/.

For a confidential discussion about the opportunity, please contact Andrew Tromans at Penna on 07805 226301 or andrew.tromans@penna.com

Recruitment Timeline:

• Closing date: 11:59pm on Sunday 18th October 2026
• Technical Interviews: W/C 26th October 2026
• Final Interviews: TBC

How to Apply:

1. Upload your CV under “Please select one of the options below.”
2. Complete the short mandatory fields on the next page.
3. Use ‘Add Attachments’ to upload your Supporting Statement and any other documents.
4. Please ensure that the file name of your CV and supporting statement includes your full name.
5. Ensure both CV and Supporting Statement are uploaded before submitting your application.
6. If you have a long-term health condition or disability and would like your application to be considered in accordance with a Disability Confident Scheme, please email: execapplications@penna.com to inform the Penna team.

Salary: £60,573 to £62,766

Market Supplement: £7,437 (annually reviewed)

Golden Hello: £3,000 (external applicants)

Working Pattern: Hybrid working

Location: We expect you to attend the Merton offices once a week on the team day which for this team is every Tuesday. Beyond that, there is considerable flexibility with the option of remote working and/or hot desking across partner boroughs

Optional: 9‑day working fortnight available for those that choose it – this is a compressed hours scheme where you work your full two-week contracted hours over nine working days instead of ten.

If you are an experienced procurement or contracts lawyer considering a move that offers high quality work, professional autonomy and a healthier work life balance, the South London Legal Partnership (SLLP) could be the right next step.

SLLP is the shared in-house legal service for the London Boroughs of Merton, Richmond upon Thames, Sutton, Wandsworth and the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, providing legal advice at scale across South West London.

What does this “shared service” role mean for you?

Instead of working within the in-house legal team of just one council, you will join a centralised ‘partnership’ team which acts as the internal legal department for all five local authorities. As a SLLP lawyer, you are employed by our host borough (Merton) but advice is delivered to all five partner councils. This partnership model offers you the stability, work/life balance and public sector purpose of a supportive in-house local authority, combined with the fast-paced, well-resourced and highly diverse caseload of a commercial practice, including the opportunity to work on complex and high-profile matters.

This is a newly upgraded role, designed for an expert level procurement lawyer. You will join a small specialist team within the shared service, reporting to a Principal Lawyer, and you will not have any line management duties. The role is advisory focused and non-contentious, allowing you to concentrate on delivering high quality legal advice including on complex, cross-team and high-profile cases.

Main areas of the role include:

• Acting as a trusted expert in public procurement law, including on the Procurement Act 2023, PCR 2015 and Subsidy Control Act 2022.
• Managing a diverse and extensive public procurement law caseload with autonomy and responsibility.
• Drafting, reviewing and advising on a wide range of commercial and public sector contracts, including for frameworks, services, concessions and construction contracts.
• Advising officers and elected members on a wide range of issues impacting local government procurement, including decision-making and governance, contract standing orders, subsidy control and contractual risk.
• Supporting and deputising for the Principal Lawyer and Head of Law as required.
• Contributing to knowledge‑sharing across the service, including acting as a training principal / PSL style resource.
• Providing clear, effective and pragmatic legal advice within a public facing environment.

This role does not involve litigation, so you will not be expected to attend at court, but you will be expected to advise on procurement challenges and work collaboratively with Litigation colleagues at short notice, as and when needed.

About You

You must be a qualified Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive (or have equivalent experience) with solid experience in public procurement law.  Your background may be in-house at a local authority or other public sector body or from private practice acting for such bodies; prior in-house experience is not essential.

You will have a minimum of 3 years PQE experience in public procurement law and will be proficient at running your own caseload without supervision. You will have excellent drafting, communication, and client care skills and demonstrate that you have built excellent working relationships with clients and colleagues. You will be approachable, supportive, comfortable working closely with others and willing to share your expertise within a collaborative team.

What We Offer

• A wide and varied public procurement law workload with an opportunity to work on complex and high profile matters
• Hybrid working with only one team day per week in the office
• A supportive, experienced team
• The opportunity to do meaningful legal work that directly impacts residents

·        SLLP offers hybrid working, a 9‑day working fortnight (i.e. a compressed hours scheme where you work your full two-week contracted hours over nine working days instead of ten), one team day per week in the Merton office, flexible use of offices across partner boroughs, and a genuine commitment to good work life balance while maintaining high professional standards.

For a confidential discussion contact: brian.gallagher@penna.com or 07716 098175

Closing date: 11:59pm, Sunday 11th October

How to Apply

1. Upload your CV under “Please select one of the options below.”
2. Complete the short mandatory fields on the next page.
3. Use ‘Add Attachments’ to upload your Supporting Statement and any other documents.
4. Please ensure that the file name of your CV and supporting statement includes your full name.
5. Ensure both CV and Supporting Statement are uploaded before submitting your application.
6. If you have a long-term health condition or disability and would like your application to be considered in accordance with a Disability Confident Scheme, please email: execapplications@penna.com to inform the Penna team.

Director of Strategy and Development

Luton Rising

Shape the future of one of the UK's most ambitious growth programmes.

Luton Rising is a unique commercial organisation with a public purpose. As the owner of London Luton Airport and other strategic assets, we're driving sustainable growth, creating economic opportunity and delivering long-term benefits for our communities. With major expansion plans underway, this is a pivotal moment in our journey.

We're looking for an exceptional Director of Strategy & Development to lead our strategy, commercial development, sustainability, PMO and procurement functions. Reporting to the Managing Director, you'll play a key role in shaping our future growth, overseeing major development programmes and ensuring our investments deliver commercial success alongside social value.

This is a rare opportunity to influence programmes worth up to £2 billion, lead teams and help deliver the ambitions of the Luton 2040 Vision.

We're looking for someone who:

• Has a proven track record leading complex programmes and major infrastructure or construction projects
• Brings strong commercial and strategic leadership experience
• Can build effective partnerships across public and private sectors
• Inspires teams and drives performance through change
• Combines commercial success with a commitment to sustainability and community impact.

If you're a visionary leader who wants to create lasting impact while shaping the future of a growing organisation, we'd love to hear from you.

Join Luton Rising. Lead growth. Deliver impact. Create a legacy.

For a confidential conversation, please contact Fizza Islam on 0141 220 6460 or email Executive@LHH.com or Charles Wilson on 07801 880420 or email: Charles.Wilson@penna.com

For further information, please download the Candidate Briefing Packs:

Candidate Briefing Pack A

Candidate Briefing Pack B - Broader Responsibilities

Closing date: 23:59, Monday 5th October 2026

How to Apply

1. Upload your CV under “Please select one of the options below.”
2. Complete the short mandatory fields on the next page.
3. Use ‘Add Attachments’ to upload your Supporting Statement and any other documents.
4. Please ensure that the file name of your CV and supporting statement includes your full name.
5. Ensure both CV and Supporting Statement are uploaded before submitting your application.
6. If you have a long-term health condition or disability and would like your application to be considered in accordance with a Disability Confident Scheme, please email: execapplications@penna.com, to inform the Penna team.

Director of Finance

Luton Rising

Lead financial strategy. Enable growth. Deliver lasting impact.

Luton Rising is a unique organisation with a commercial focus and a public purpose. As the owner of London Luton Airport and other strategic assets, we're driving growth, investment and economic opportunity for Luton and its communities. With significant expansion ambitions ahead, we're looking for an exceptional finance leader to help shape our future.

As Director of Finance, you will be a key member of the Executive Leadership Team, providing strategic financial, commercial and governance leadership across the organisation. Reporting to the Managing Director, you will lead our Finance, Aviation, Risk and Audit functions, ensuring financial resilience, supporting sustainable growth and maximising value for our shareholder, Luton Borough Council.

You will play a pivotal role in major investment decisions, funding and treasury strategy, commercial partnerships, airport concession performance, risk management and future infrastructure development.

We're looking for someone who:

• Is a qualified accountant and member of a CCAB professional body
• Has a strong track record in senior financial leadership and organisational transformation
• Brings commercial acumen and strategic insight
• Can influence at Board level and build strong stakeholder relationships
• Has experience leading teams through growth and change
• Combines financial excellence with a commitment to delivering wider social and economic impact.

This is a rare opportunity to lead finance at the heart of one of the UK's most ambitious growth and regeneration organisations.

Join Luton Rising. Shape strategy. Drive growth. Create a lasting legacy.

For a confidential conversation, please contact:

Anna Black on 0141 220 6460 or email Executive@LHH.com

Charles Wilson on 07801 880420 or email: Charles.Wilson@penna.com

For further information, please download the following Candidate Briefing Packs:

Candidate Briefing Pack A

Candidate Briefing Pack B - Broader Responsibilities

Closing Date: 23:59, Monday 5th October 2026

How to Apply:

1. Upload your CV under “Please select one of the options below.”
2. Complete the short mandatory fields on the next page.
3. Use ‘Add Attachments’ to upload your Supporting Statement and any other documents.
4. Please ensure that the file name of your CV and supporting statement includes your full name.
5. Ensure both CV and Supporting Statement are uploaded before submitting your application.
6. If you have a long-term health condition or disability and would like your application to be considered in accordance with a Disability Confident Scheme, please email: execapplications@penna.com, to inform the Penna team.

Head of Pension Fund, Nottinghamshire Council

Salary: £Competitive

Contract: Permanent, Full Time

Location: Hybrid Working

About Nottinghamshire County Council

We’re Nottinghamshire County Council, and we’re a community – inside and out. As we proudly serve a population of over 800,000 people across our county, we support each other, empower each other and respect each other. Our mission is to improve lives across Nottinghamshire. And we do that by providing top-quality, vital services for our residents, working closely together, and with people in the wider community, to do it. It means that when you join us, you’ll feel part of something bigger than yourself. And you’ll feel the impact of your work every day, because it’ll happen right on your doorstep.

The Role

This is an exciting opportunity to lead a critical public service that supports thousands of members and pensioners. You will play a pivotal role in ensuring the long-term success of the pension service while delivering positive outcomes for scheme members, employers, and stakeholders.

We are seeking a pensions professional to lead the strategic and operational delivery of our Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) administration service at Nottinghamshire.

As Head of Pensions, you will provide strategic leadership for all pension administration, encompassing investments, governance, compliance, and service improvement activities, ensuring the Fund meets its statutory responsibilities while delivering an outstanding service to members, employers, and stakeholders.

Reporting to the Director of Finance, you will lead a professional team and play a key role in shaping the future direction of the pension service, driving innovation, performance, and continuous improvement.

If you’re ready to join us in our goal to create a better, more prosperous county for everyone in Nottinghamshire, apply now.

For more information please visit: https://nottinghamshireseniorleadership.co.uk/

For a confidential discussion, please contact our retained consultant at Penna: Andrew Tromans at andrew.tromans@penna.com or on 07805 226301.

Recruitment Timeline:

• Applications Closing Date: 23:59pm on Sunday 4^th October 2026
• Preliminary Interviews: TBC
• Final Panel Interviews: TBC

How to Apply:

1. Upload your CV under “Please select one of the options below.”
2. Complete the short mandatory fields on the next page.
3. Use ‘Add Attachments’ to upload your Supporting Statement and any other documents.
4. Please ensure that the file name of your CV and supporting statement includes your full name.
5. Ensure both CV and Supporting Statement are uploaded before submitting your application.
6. If you have a long-term health condition or disability and would like your application to be considered in accordance with a Disability Confident Scheme, please email: execapplications@penna.com to inform the Penna team.

Executive Director Adults, Health & Integration

London Borough of Hackney

Salary: £177,435 - £189,995

Hackney is looking for a senior leader who can do more than run a major service. We need someone who can bring Adult Social Care and Integrated Health closer to the heart of the council, strengthen its place across the health and care system and focus the organisation on better outcomes for residents.

As our statutory Executive Director of Adult Social Services and Integrated Health, you will lead Adults, Commissioning, Integrated Learning and our work with health partners. As a key member of the council’s executive leadership team, you will help steer corporate priorities and share accountability for Hackney’s overall success.

The mandate is clear. We want to move from “Requires Improvement” to “Good” when CQC returns. This involves modernising point-of-entry access, minimising assessment delays, and ensuring individuals obtain appropriate support when needed. It also means reshaping commissioning, strengthening performance and delivering significant savings without losing sight of quality, prevention or people’s independence.

You will not do this from inside a service silo. Strong partnerships with Homerton Healthcare, the North East London ICB and other system partners will be central to the role in delivering successful outcomes to our residents. You will work closely with the Executive Director of Children’s Services, particularly around transition, and the council’s finance leadership as we make difficult choices and build a sustainable service.

Hackney’s new administration has put equality and equity firmly at the centre of its ambitions. You will turn that commitment into practice: in how services are designed, how decisions are made and how the directorate develops a leadership team that better reflects the borough it serves.

We are open-minded about where you have built your experience. You will need a strong record of leading Adult Social Care and Public Health at scale, sound professional judgement and the credibility to fulfil the statutory DASS role. Just as important will be your ability to connect with residents, elected members, staff, partners and colleagues across the council.

You will be a visible and collaborative corporate leader. You will set clear standards, face difficult issues early and create the conditions in which people can perform at their best, leading from the front and upholding the council’s values. You will combine strong operational grip with humanity, understanding that lasting improvement is built with people, not done to them.

This is a demanding role with a substantial agenda. It is also a chance to shape the future of care in one of London’s most distinctive boroughs, supported by a Chief Executive and political leadership who are clear about the change they want to see. If you believe Adult Social Care should be central to how a council improves lives and you can bring a system together behind that purpose, we would like to hear from you.

For more information on the role, please see the candidate pack linked below:

Candidate Pack - Executive Director Adults, Health & Integration

For a confidential discussion please contact Kelly Ridley at kelly.ridley@penna.com or on 07709 512415

Recruitment Timeline:

• Applications Closing Date: 23:59pm on Wednesday 30^th September 2026
• Longlist Meeting (candidates not required): Wednesday 14^th October 2026
• Preliminary Interviews: Monday 19^th or Tuesday 20^th October 2026
• Shortlist Meeting (candidates not required): Monday 2^nd November 2026
• Final Panel Interviews: Monday 9^th November 2026

How to Apply:

1. Upload your CV under “Please select one of the options below.”
2. Complete the short mandatory fields on the next page.
3. Use ‘Add Attachments’ to upload your Supporting Statement and any other documents.
4. Please ensure that the file name of your CV and supporting statement includes your full name.
5. Ensure both CV and Supporting Statement are uploaded before submitting your application.
6. If you have a long-term health condition or disability and would like your application to be considered in accordance with a Disability Confident Scheme, please email: execapplications@penna.com to inform the Penna team.

Director of Adult Social Care and Health (Operations)

Salary: £Competitive / Kent County Council / Hybrid

Lead at scale. Improve lives. Shape the future.

The Role

This is an opportunity to lead at significant scale, deliver tangible improvement and help shape the future of adult social care in Kent.

Reporting to the Corporate Director of Adult Social Care and Health, you will be a key member of the Directorate’s senior leadership team, providing strategic and operational leadership across a substantial portfolio of adult social care services. You will lead services that support some of Kent’s most vulnerable residents, while working across the Council and with health and other partners to improve outcomes, manage demand and ensure consistently high-quality practice.

There is a clear and immediate improvement agenda. A particular priority will be reviewing and strengthening Kent’s approach to adult safeguarding, ensuring that referrals are assessed and triaged effectively, that the right policies, processes and systems are in place and consistently followed, and that resources are focused where they can have the greatest impact.

You will also help reset Kent’s approach to hospital discharge, working closely and constructively with NHS partners to establish effective pathways, clarify expectations and ensure the right arrangements are in place for residents moving from hospital into appropriate care and support.

This is therefore much more than a role maintaining existing services. It offers the opportunity to lead change at scale and pace, improve performance and practice, strengthen partnerships and translate Kent’s ambition for person-centred, preventative adult social care into consistently excellent delivery.

The Organisation

Kent County Council operates one of the largest and most complex adult social care systems in the country, serving a county of around 1.6 million residents. It is an organisation where the scale of the challenge is matched by the opportunity to make a significant difference.

Kent’s ambition is clear: to support people to lead the lives they want to live, putting people at the heart of decision-making, promoting independence and preventing, reducing or delaying the need for care and support. Its Adult Social Care Strategy is built around three principles: putting the person first, improving all the time and measuring what matters.

And the wider context makes this an especially interesting time to join. Local Government Reorganisation will reshape local government across Kent. For the successful candidate, that creates a rare opportunity: to gain experience leading services at the scale and complexity of one of England’s largest county councils while contributing to the improvement and development of services that will ultimately transition into new organisations.

For an ambitious adult social care leader, this is an opportunity to make an impact now while helping shape what comes next.

Candidates

We are looking for an experienced and credible adult services leader who combines strong operational leadership with the ability to lead significant and sustained improvement.

You might already be operating at Director level, or you could be an accomplished senior leader ready to take on a broader and more complex leadership role. You do not necessarily need to be a qualified social worker. What matters is that you bring relevant leadership experience within adult social care and a strong understanding of areas such as safeguarding, referrals, assessment and/or front-door services.

For those aspiring ultimately to a DASS role, or considering a future interim career, the scale, visibility and complexity of this appointment also offer exceptional professional development.

Next Steps

If you are excited by the opportunity to lead adult social care at scale, deliver meaningful improvement and play a part in shaping the future of services across Kent, we would be delighted to hear from you.

To download a job description, click here.

For a confidential discussion about the opportunity, please contact Andrew Tromans at Penna on 07805 226301 or andrew.tromans@penna.com.

Closing date: Midnight 27 September, 2026.

How to Apply

1. Upload your CV under “Please select one of the options below.”
2. Complete the short mandatory fields on the next page.
3. Use ‘Add Attachments’ to upload your Supporting Statement and any other documents.
4. Please ensure that the file name of your CV and supporting statement includes your full name.
5. Ensure both CV and Supporting Statement are uploaded before submitting your application.
6. If you have a long-term health condition or disability and would like your application to be considered in accordance with a Disability Confident Scheme, please email: execapplications@penna.com, to inform the Penna team.

Assistant Director – Assurance & Partnerships

(Chief Audit Executive)

Salary: £98,303

Location: Ashton-under-Lyme / Hybrid (circa 2 days onsite per week, on average)

The Opportunity

This is a rare opportunity to join an ambitious local authority at a pivotal stage in its transformation and play a leading role in shaping how assurance, governance and risk support the delivery of better outcomes for residents.

Reporting to the Strategic Director of Finance (Section 151 Officer), you will act as the Senior Assurance Lead and Council's Chief Audit Executive leader, providing strategic leadership across, internal audit, risk, counter fraud, insurance, business continuity and corporate assurance, whilst overseeing key strategic partnerships including SWAP (South West Audit Partnership) who we partner with for our Internal Audit function..

Far more than a traditional internal audit role, you will help redefine the way assurance supports the organisation – moving from compliance and assurance in isolation towards a modern, enabling function that acts as a trusted adviser and critical friend to services, supporting innovation whilst ensuring effective governance, proportionate control and informed decision-making.

Working closely with the Chief Executive, Members and senior leaders, you will influence corporate decision-making, strengthen the Council's assurance framework, oversee major transformation programmes and help drive continuous improvement across governance, risk management and organisational resilience.

The Organisation

Like many local authorities, Tameside faces financial and service pressures. However, the Council also has a clear vision for the future, underpinned by ambitious plans for transformation, innovation and improved outcomes for residents.

Significant investment has already been made in strengthening the Council's audit and assurance arrangements, creating an exciting platform from which to develop a genuinely modern assurance function that enables transformation, supports better decision-making and strengthens organisational resilience.

Candidates

We are interested in speaking with experienced Chief Audit Executives, Assistant Directors, Heads of Internal Audit, Heads of Risk, Governance or Assurance, together with other ambitious senior assurance professionals who have experience across multiple assurance disciplines.

You will combine strong professional credibility with outstanding leadership, relationship-building and influencing skills. Whether your experience has been gained within local government or another large, complex public sector organisation, you will be confident operating strategically, managing partnerships, constructively challenging senior stakeholders and enabling positive organisational change.

Next Steps

To find out more, please visit the role microsite:

https://leadingtameside.com

For a confidential discussion, please contact Andrew Tromans at Penna at andrew.tromans@penna.com or on 07805 226301.

Applications should consist of a CV and supporting statement setting out how you meet the requirements of the role.

Applications Close: 23:59 Sunday 27th September 2026

How to Apply

1. Upload your CV under “Please select one of the options below.”
2. Complete the short mandatory fields on the next page.
3. Use ‘Add Attachments’ to upload your Supporting Statement and any other documents.
4. Please ensure that the file name of your CV and supporting statement includes your full name.
5. Ensure both CV and Supporting Statement are uploaded before submitting your application.
6. If you have a long-term health condition or disability and would like your application to be considered in accordance with a Disability Confident Scheme, please email: execapplications@penna.com, to inform the Penna team.

Salary: £60,573 to £70,203 (including annually reviewed £7,437 Market Supplement)

Golden Hello: £3,000 for external applicants

Working Pattern Hybrid working, minimum monthly in the office

Location: Merton (team day Thursday) with attendance at partner boroughs as required

Team Structure: Advocates have no management responsibility and report to Assistant Head of Law and/or Head of Law.

The South London Legal Partnership (SLLP) are recruiting an experienced childcare advocate to join its Social Care and Education Team. This role is aimed at advocates who want to focus on high quality public law advocacy and child protection decision‑making, without the commercial pressures of private practice.

SLLP provides inhouse legal services to the London Boroughs of Merton, Richmond upon Thames, Sutton, Wandsworth and the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames. The scale of the partnership offers exposure to complex and challenging care proceedings, while maintaining a supportive and collegiate inhouse environment. See what the team has to say Here

The Role

This is an advocacy focused role, reporting to an Assistant Head of Law within a small specialist team, with no line management responsibilities. You will act as an inhouse advocate in public law childcare proceedings and contribute as a trusted subject matter expert across the service.

Main areas of the role include:

• Acting as an in-house advocate in public law childcare proceedings, representing local authorities in the Family Court
• Conducting advocacy at all stages of proceedings, including CMHs (Case Management Hearings), IRHs (Issues Resolution Hearings) and final hearings
• Preparing, analysing, and progressing cases from issue through to conclusion, with a strong focus on child protection and risk management
• Advising social workers and managers on the application of the Children Act 1989 and related public law frameworks
• Working closely with legal colleagues and frontline professionals on case strategy and decision‑making
• Sharing expertise and good practice across the service and contributing to a strong advocacy culture
• Managing a substantial advocacy caseload while maintaining high professional and ethical standards
• Promoting robust public law outcomes that safeguard children and support families
• Deliver training to social work clients and legal colleagues, supporting continuous professional development.

·        Deliver training to social work clients and legal colleagues, supporting continuous professional development.

About You

You will be:

·        A qualified as a Solicitor, Barrister or Chartered Legal Executive (Fellow of CILEX) with rights of advocacy

·        Solid experience in public law children’s work. Experience may be from local government or private practice; prior in-house experience is not essential.

·        Excellent drafting, communication, and client care skills

What we offer

• Strong management support within a clearly structured team

·        This role offers sustained advocacy work, realistic case ownership, hybrid working and a genuine focus on work-life balance, while doing work that has a direct and lasting impact on children’s lives.

For a confidential discussion contact: brian.gallagher@penna.com or 07716 098175

Please see the Job Description for the role Here

How to Apply

1. Upload your CV under “Please select one of the options below.”
2. Complete the short mandatory fields on the next page.
3. Use ‘Add Attachments’ to upload your Supporting Statement and any other documents.
4. Please ensure that the file name of your CV and supporting statement includes your full name.
5. Ensure both CV and Supporting Statement are uploaded before submitting your application.
6. If you have a long-term health condition or disability and would like your application to be considered in accordance with a Disability Confident Scheme, please email: execapplications@penna.com, to inform the Penna team.

Salary range: Grade 17 (£68,571 - £71,055 p.a.) plus fantastic benefits

Contract: Permanent

Hours of work: 36 hours per week

Location: Croydon

Croydon Council has faced significant challenges in recent years in terms of its financial position. The financial challenge is steep, but the Government has noted our strong progress, with an Executive Mayor, Cabinet, Chief Executive and Corporate Management Team, who all share a commitment to the task ahead and putting Croydon’s people first.

This is a very exciting time to join Croydon as we move from the recovery and improvement phases to the transformational phase of our journey to bring the Council back to financial sustainability.

Croydon is a fantastic place; a vital part of London’s growth story with a strong identity in its own right and this is a rare chance to make genuine change in a place of great opportunity. What we do together over the next four years will help shape the future of one of London’s most diverse and exciting boroughs.

As a Finance Manager, you will be supporting the Director of Finance (Deputy S151 Officer) and Head of Strategic Finance, deputising when required. You will have finance business partner responsibility for overseeing financial planning, monitoring and coordination of financial arrangements for both revenue and capital finance. You will also lead your team of two Principal Accountants and an Accountant.

To be suitable for the role, you will ideally hold a CCAB/CIMA accountancy qualification or have relevant financial management experience. Experience within local government finance, particularly in education services, is desirable but not essential. You should be able to demonstrate experience of key financial processes, including budgeting, financial monitoring, year-end accounting, and the completion of grant and statistical returns. Experience of working collaboratively as part of a professional finance team to provide effective financial management advice and support to managers, schools, or other stakeholders would be advantageous.

To view the Finance Manager (Education) role profile please click here.

About Us

Croydon Council’s priorities:

• The Council balances its books, listens to residents, and delivers good sustainable services.
• Get a grip on the finances and make the council financially sustainable.
• Become a council which listens to, respects and works in partnership with Croydon’s diverse communities and businesses.
• Strengthen collaboration and joint working with partner organisations and the voluntary, community and faith sectors.
• Ensure good governance is embedded and adopt best practice; and
• Develop our workforce to deliver in a manner that respects the diversity of our communities.

Key business plan outcomes:

• Croydon is a place of opportunity for business, earning and learning.
• Children and young people in Croydon have the chance to thrive, learn and fulfil their potential.
• Croydon is a cleaner, safer and healthier place, a borough we’re proud to call home.
• People can lead healthier and independent lives for longer; and
• Croydon Council’s new ways of working.

Our values

We are committed to excellence in all we do. Our values reflect the attitude and approach we take to working together to deliver services to our borough.

• One team - Crossing boundaries to work together towards shared goals with colleagues, partners and communities.
• Proud to serve - Striving to always do our best for the community, getting the most from limited resources and using taxpayers’ money wisely.
• Honest and open - Working hard to build trust by treating everyone with honesty and integrity.
• Taking responsibility - Encouraging and supporting each other to take responsibility and show what we can do, learning together and recognising all of our contributions.
•  Valuing diversity - We make the most of the many perspectives that make Croydon distinctive.

Staff Benefits

Benefits and personal development

We want Croydon Council to be a place where our staff enjoy their jobs and are proud to be here. We reward talent and excellence with our flagship benefits scheme, Croydon Options, allowing you to enjoy a healthy work life balance.

• Generous paid Annual Leave of up to 31 days (eligibility criteria applies)
• Provision to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave per year (eligibility criteria applies)
• Flexible and Agile working
• Generous sick leave, maternity leave and family leave provisions
• Unbeatable benefits of being in the Local Government Pension Scheme; which includes employer contributions of 20% (average); “life assurance” (3 years’ salary) and benefit provisions for dependants
• Discounted season tickets for parking in local car parks or an option to cap the daily cost to less than £6
• Interest free travel loans for season tickets
• Confidential and free employee assistance programme and access to staff network groups - BAME, Working Carers, LGBT+, Women’s and Mental Health & Wellbeing

Popular benefits

Discounted parking with NCP, Q-Park and Council Car Parks for Council Employees

The Council has negotiated various corporate rates with NCP and Q-Park. Employees can also avail a negotiated daily parking rate of £5 per day with these car parks.

Employee assistance programme

With ever increasing pressures at work and at home, there are times when we all need some extra support, this is why we have an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) in place to support your total well-being.

Benefits of the EAP

• Free of charge
• Available24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year
• Confidential
• Accessible by phone, email, our website and via instant messaging
• Information on a range of work, family and personal issues
• Up to 6 face-to-face counselling sessions per issue. Topics need not be work related
• Independent from your employer and completely unprejudiced

Your development

At Croydon we believe that a skilled and committed workforce is crucial to our future success. To deliver council outcomes successfully we need to equip our people with the knowledge and skills they need to operate in a fast paced, ever evolving environment.

We provide a range of learning activities including inductions for new colleagues, management skills development and personal effectiveness training. We continue to develop different options for you to access the learning you need, whether through face-to-face workshops, e-learning or online content.

Equal Opportunities Statement

Croydon Council is an inclusive employer and welcomes applications from all sections of the community. Subject to business needs, we will be pleased to consider applications from candidates seeking flexible working arrangements and support hybrid working, whereby staff attend the workplace for part of their working week and work from home, or elsewhere, remotely for the rest of the time.

As users of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the advertised role.

Croydon council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all staff to share this commitment.

The successful candidate will be subject to a DBS check, if the role requires one.

Further Information

Strategic Structure Chart: Strategic Finance structure for recruitment

Executive Mayor’s Business Plan: Mayor's Business plan 2022 - 2026

2026-27 Budget agreed at Full Council:  Agenda item - The Council's Budget 2026-27 | Croydon Council

2025-26 Period 9 Financial Performance Report:  2025-26-period-9-financial-performance-report.pdf

2024-25 Annual accounts: Financial accounts | Croydon Council

For a confidential discussion contact: Andreas.Efthymiou@penna.com or 07546 415 794.

How to Apply

1.    Upload your CV under “Please select one of the options below.”

2.    Complete the short mandatory fields on the next page.

3.    Use ‘Add Attachments’ to upload your Supporting Statement and any other documents.

4.    Please ensure that the file name of your CV and supporting statement includes your full name.

5.    Ensure both CV and Supporting Statement are uploaded before submitting your application.

6.    If you have a long-term health condition or disability and would like your application to be considered in accordance with a Disability Confident Scheme, please email: execapplications@penna.com, to inform the Penna team.

Join Our Finance Team - Build your career. Shape our borough. Grow with us.

Tameside Council is transforming its Finance Service to create a modern, ambitious and highly skilled function. We are building a team that is strategic, forward‑thinking and committed to continuous improvement, and we are looking for talented people who want to grow with us.

We are looking for an ambitious and strategic Senior Finance Manager to lead financial support across our high-profile regeneration, commercialisation, and capital investment programmes. This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in shaping the future of our borough by providing expert financial insight into major development projects, commercial ventures, and long-term capital planning.

Working at the centre of our place-shaping agenda, you will partner with senior leaders, project teams, and external stakeholders to ensure robust financial management, innovative funding solutions, and sustainable investment decisions. You will bring strong experience in capital finance, business case appraisal, and commercial models, helping to maximise returns while managing risk and delivering value for money for our communities.

This is a critical leadership role for a finance professional who thrives in a fast-paced, commercially focused environment and is passionate about driving growth, regeneration, and long-term financial sustainability.

If you're passionate about high‑quality financial management and want to work in an organisation where your development truly matters, this is your opportunity to apply for a key role in the finance team.

Why Choose Tameside?

A culture of learning, growth and progression

A cornerstone of our People Plan is Learning & Growth, and our Finance Development Pathway is designed to support every colleague—from Apprentice to Head of Finance—to build a meaningful and fulfilling career.

Here, your career progression is not left to chance. We provide:

• Clear development pathways showing how your role can evolve over time—from exploring and expanding your skills, to moving sideways for broader experience, to progressing into more senior positions.
• Supported qualifications, including AAT, CIPFA and leadership & management programmes.
• A strong culture of development through My Performance conversations, shadowing, mentoring and structured skills-building.

Opportunities to move up—and move across

Career development isn’t always linear. Our Finance Development Pathway supports:

Moving Up

Progress to the next career step with the right experience and qualifications—supported by a wide range of learning and development options.

Moving Sideways

Voluntary rotational opportunities (every two years) let you broaden experience, expand your knowledge across finance disciplines and build a stronger professional profile.

Growing in Your Current Role

Take on new learning opportunities, join employee networks, become a Wellbeing Champion, shadow colleagues, or develop specialist interests.

A supportive, value‑driven organisation

Our STRIVE values—Supportive, Team‑focused, Respectful, Innovative, Valued, Empowering—shape how we work.

We offer:

• Competitive salary and Local Government Pension Scheme
• 36‑hour working week and flexible working
• Access to eLearning, leadership programmes, coaching and a wide array of short courses
• A culture where your contribution is valued and your ideas are heard

Senior Finance Manager

The Role

As a Senior Finance Manager, you will be an existing CCAB/CIMA Qualified Accountant with sustained membership who will lead a professional team delivering strategic financial planning, governance, assurance and value‑for‑money outcomes. You will influence major decisions across the Council, strengthen financial integrity, and support organisational transformation. 

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, motivate and develop your finance team, embedding a high‑performance culture.
• Oversee the annual revenue budget, MTFS, financial planning and year‑end accounts.
• Provide strategic financial advice to senior officers and elected members.
• Drive improvements, transformation and innovation in financial management.
• Provide objective challenge and ensure strong financial governance.
• Build strong relationships across services and support long‑term planning.
• Provide expertise in dedicated roles that support a number of functions including Treasury Management, Capital Finance, VAT, PFI, Financial Systems Improvements, All Age Commissioning, Adult Services including Client Finance, Public Health, Neighbourhood and Operational Services, Growth and Regeneration

Development & Progression

The Development Pathway provides a structured route to becoming a future Head Of Finance including:

• Leadership & management qualifications
• Strategic leadership development
• Opportunities to mentor future finance professionals
• Exposure to policy and regulatory interpretation
• Projects linked to innovation and service transformation

Our Commitment to Your Progression

To support genuine progression opportunities, all vacancies up to Senior Finance Manager level are initially ringfenced to the Financial Management service, giving internal colleagues priority to step up when ready.

We also recognise that many internal colleagues study alongside their role—so vacancies remain open for up to six months to allow near‑complete qualifications to be achieved.

At Tameside, your growth matters—and we back it with real opportunities.

** This post is classified as being in a professional job category. As such the grade for the job has a professional grade development bar which employees can progress through subject to meeting the following criteria:

1. Relevant professional qualification for the job role at Level 6 or above AND a management qualification, AND

2. Minimum of 2 years post qualification experience in the role, AND

3. Maintained membership of a regulated body where this is a requirement to practice in the role where applicable, AND

4. Professional standards practised to the highest expected level

For more information on this and other roles we are currently recruiting for, please visit: https://www.leadingtameside.com/ 

You can find the full Job Description for the role Here

For a confidential discussion please contact brian.gallagher@penna.com or 07716 098175

Interview Date: TBC

Please note we reserve the right to close this advert early should a suitable candidate be found.

How to Apply

1.    Upload your CV under “Please select one of the options below.”

2.    Complete the short mandatory fields on the next page.

3.    Use ‘Add Attachments’ to upload your Supporting Statement and any other documents.

4.    Please ensure that the file name of your CV and supporting statement includes your full name. - Please DO NOT upload a copy of any certificates or qualifications instead of your supporting statement.

5.    Ensure both CV and Supporting Statement are uploaded before submitting your application.

6.    If you have a long-term health condition or disability and would like your application to be considered in accordance with a Disability Confident Scheme, please email: execapplications@penna.com, to inform the Penna team.

Executive Director of Resources

Oldham Council | c. £150,000

Help shape the organisation that will deliver Oldham's ambitions.

The opportunity

Oldham Council is looking for an exceptional Executive Director of Resources to join our Executive Management Team at an important point in our development.

Reporting directly to the Chief Executive, you will lead a broad portfolio encompassing Finance, Legal, Digital & IT, HR & Organisational Development, Democratic Services, Internal Audit, Risk & Assurance, Governance, Performance, Transformation, Customer Experience, Procurement, and Revenues & Benefits.

But this is about much more than leading corporate services.

We want our enabling functions to become the organisational capability that drives transformation across the Council – bringing together our people, technology, resources, governance and performance to enable innovation, accelerate improvement and deliver better outcomes for residents.

As one of the Chief Executive's principal strategic advisers, you will work collaboratively across the Executive Management Team, helping shape organisational strategy, strengthen financial and corporate resilience, accelerate digital innovation and ensure we have the capacity and capability to deliver our ambitions.

Oldham and our organisation

Oldham is an ambitious metropolitan borough of almost a quarter of a million people, with one of the youngest populations in Greater Manchester and enormous potential for the future.

Our ambitions are significant. Through our Corporate Plan, we are focused on three core missions: creating Healthier, Happier Lives, making Oldham a Great Place to Live, and building a Green and Growing economy.

We are investing in our town centres, creating new homes, jobs and public spaces, and working with our communities to improve services, reduce inequalities and create opportunities for everyone who calls Oldham home.

We are also part of something bigger. As one of Greater Manchester's ten local authorities, we are working within one of the country's most developed models of regional collaboration and devolution, creating opportunities to influence public service reform well beyond Oldham.

Our organisation has made considerable progress in recent years, strengthening leadership, rebuilding corporate capacity and improving resilience. Our next challenge is to build on that progress and accelerate the pace of transformation.

About you

We are deliberately keeping an open mind about where our next Executive Director comes from.

You may already be an Executive Director of Resources, Corporate Services Director, Chief Operating Officer or Deputy Chief Executive. Alternatively, you could be an exceptional director ready to take the next step in your career, with a background in transformation, digital, organisational development, finance, governance or another relevant corporate discipline.

Your professional background matters less to us than what you have achieved and how you lead.

You will bring a track record of leading significant organisational improvement and transformation within a complex environment, together with the strategic judgement to bring multiple professional disciplines together behind a common purpose.

You will be an outstanding relationship builder: credible with senior colleagues, elected members and partners; comfortable influencing through collaboration rather than hierarchy; politically aware; resilient; and confident operating through complexity and change.

Above all, you will be ambitious for Oldham and excited by the opportunity to create a high-performing Resources Directorate that becomes a catalyst for transformation across the whole organisation.

Next steps

If you are excited by the opportunity to help shape the future of Oldham Council, we would be delighted to hear from you.

For further information, please download the Candidate Briefing Pack

For a confidential discussion about the role and your suitability, please contact Andrew Tromans at Penna on 07805 226301 or Kelly Ridley on 07709 512415.

Closing date: Midnight, Sunday 20th September 2026

Oldham Council is committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation and welcomes applications from candidates from all backgrounds.

How to Apply

1. Upload your CV under “Please select one of the options below.”
2. Complete the short mandatory fields on the next page.
3. Use ‘Add Attachments’ to upload your Supporting Statement and any other documents.
4. Please ensure that the file name of your CV and supporting statement includes your full name.
5. Ensure both CV and Supporting Statement are uploaded before submitting your application.
6. If you have a long-term health condition or disability and would like your application to be considered in accordance with a Disability Confident Scheme, please email: execapplications@penna.com, to inform the Penna team.