Deputy Chief Executive (Executive Director Corporate Services)
Salford Council
It's no Salfordinary City Salford is a bold, ambitious and values-led city, one that believes in the power of people, place and partnership to achieve extraordinary things. As our new Deputy Chief Executive, you will join a leadership team united by a shared passion for delivering real change, driving inclusive growth, and shaping a fairer future for our residents, families and diverse communities. This is a rare and exceptional opportunity to play a pivotal role at the heart of a council recognised for its innovation, progressive approach and commitment to social impact. Salford is a place where leaders are encouraged to be courageous, creative and purpose-driven, and where you can genuinely influence what a modern, high-performing local authority looks like, and how it delivers for its city. You will be a collaborative, reflective and authentic human leader: someone who leads with purpose, empowers others, values engagement and champions a positive, inclusive, people-centred culture. This is a role for a leader who can bring clarity, momentum and confidence, while developing talent, strengthening culture and driving transformation at scale. As Deputy Chief Executive, your strategic leadership will directly shape and strengthen the council’s enabling and corporate functions, including: You will deputise for the Chief Executive, contribute to the corporate leadership of the Council, and provide strategic leadership, direction and expert advice to the City Mayor and Elected Members in the development and delivery of the Council plan and priorities. As the lead for enabling strategic transformation and innovation across the Council, you will champion a culture where continuous improvement, inclusion, and genuine people centred co-production shape everything we do. You will strengthen governance, value for money, accountability, customer focus and effective risk management, ensuring Salford remains resilient, future-focused and capable of delivering ambitious change with, and for, our people and communities. Salford is a place leader and collaborator, so you will be confident in building trusted relationships with key partner organisations, including the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and a wide range of external stakeholders. You will provide strong systems leadership to drive a coordinated approach to service delivery and to ongoing change and transformation, focused on better outcomes, reducing demand, and embedding prevention and early intervention. This role offers the opportunity to broaden and deepen your leadership impact across a whole council portfolio, strengthening your professional experience in corporate leadership, systems change, digital and organisational transformation, governance, and high-performance culture. Join a city that is proud of who we are, and excited about where we’re going. If you share our ambition, energy and values, and want to play a leading role in shaping a fairer, greener, digitally enabled and more inclusive Salford, we would love to hear from you. The timetable below sets out the key dates in the recruitment process: Closing date for applications - Friday 10th April 2026
Deputy Chief Executive (Executive Director Corporate Services)
Salary: £136,854 - £153,276 (+£5,000)
Join a city that is proud of who we are and excited about where we're going!
For further information go to https://leadersinsalford.info/ or contact our consultants at Penna: Kelly Ridley on 07380 193 343, Julie Towers on 07764 791 736 or Nick Raper on 07715 690 463
Recruitment timeline
Longlist meeting- Monday 27th April 2026
Technical interviews - Thursday 30th April 2026 to Friday 30th May 2026
Shortlist meeting - Monday 18th May 2026
Assessment centre - Tuesday 19th May 2026 to Friday 29th May 2026
Final panel interviews - Monday 1st June 2026Supporting Documents
↗ Deputy Chief Executive (Executive Director Corporate Services) Role Profile
Location
Chorley Road, Swinton, Salford, M275DA, United Kingdom
Job ID
2754
Supporting You Through Every Step of Your Journey
We want every candidate to feel welcomed, informed and confident when applying for a role with us.
This section brings together everything you need to succeed - from guidance on writing an authentic application to and understanding how to use AI responsibly.
You’ll also find information about our Greater Manchester commitments, including our inclusive employment schemes and standards, as well as tools to help you explore your potential pay, benefits and entitlements. We’re here to ensure you have the support you need at every stage.
Working for a local authority in Greater Manchester
Local authorities across Greater Manchester are proud to be part of a shared commitment to widening access to employment and ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
These commitments span a number of long‑standing schemes and initiatives designed to open doors, remove barriers and ensure all applicants feel valued and respected throughout their employment journey.
Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter
Greater Manchester Good Employment Charter
Our Guaranteed Assessment Scheme
Our Guaranteed Assessment Scheme
Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment
Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment
Greater Manchester People Inclusion Standards
Greater Manchester People Inclusion Standards
Your Pay, Your Benefits, Your Future
Explore easy‑to‑use tools that help you understand your take‑home pay and how different employment situations may affect the financial support available to you and your household.
Calculate Your Take‑Home Pay
Use this salary calculator to estimate your net pay after tax, National Insurance, and pension contributions.
Estimate your Income Tax for the current year (Gov.uk)
Check Your Benefits Entitlement
See how changes in employment, hours or salary may affect your benefits and household income.
Turn2us Benefits Calculator
Applying Authentically With AI: Our Greater Manchester Approach
Across Greater Manchester’s local authorities, we want to hear your genuine experiences, skills and motivations, expressed in your own words.
To keep our recruitment process fair and inclusive, please complete your application personally and follow the instructions carefully. AI can be used to support you - for example, to help structure your answers or as a reasonable adjustment - but your application should still reflect your authentic voice. If you do use AI as a support tool, a brief explanation helps us ensure an equitable selection process.
Applications that depend too heavily on AI‑generated content may not progress to shortlisting.
This guidance outlines acceptable and unacceptable uses of AI, along with suggestions for using it in a way that supports you while keeping your application true to you.
What Is AI and How Do We Use It Across Greater Manchester?
AI refers to technology that can create or refine content, such as text, ideas, summaries, or planning. It can help improve productivity, problem-solving, and creativity.
We’re open to using innovative digital tools where they can help us work smarter and deliver better services for our residents. However, every use of AI is carefully considered to make sure it is ethical, responsible, and aligned with public-sector values.
When it comes to recruitment, we take a human-centred approach.
This means:
A trained hiring manager reads every application
Shortlisting is based on objective criteria required for the job
Interviews are conducted in person or via teams by the hiring manager for the role
All hiring decisions are made by hiring managers, not algorithms
AI does not make decisions in our recruitment process and our managers are being upskilled to spot AI in applications, particularly when this might have been used in a way that doesn’t feel genuine. If something in an application raises a question or concern, we will test this out with assessments or at the interview stage to confirm authenticity.
Our aim isn’t to catch anyone out but to make sure we’re getting to know the real you, giving every candidate a fair chance and finding the right person for the role.
Using AI in Your Application
When it comes to job applications, what matters most to us is you. We want to see your personality, your experience, and what excites you about joining our team.
We recognise that AI can be a helpful tool to support accessibility during the application process. If you choose to use AI for support, please read the instructions carefully and make sure your application is written in your own words, reflecting your genuine skills, knowledge, experience and enthusiasm.
We’re looking forward to hearing your story.
How to use AI Effectively and Responsibly
Your application is your chance to show us:
Who you are
What you can bring
The values you hold
Why you want to make a difference
AI can help you organise your thoughts or improve clarity but it cannot express your unique voice, experiences, or motivations.
AI is most helpful when used to:
Help you structure the information you are providing to evidence the criteria
Give examples of how to use STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result)
Proof-read to highlight grammar or spelling errors
Provide inspiration if you're finding it difficult to find the right words to explain something
But remember: your honesty, lived experience, and motivations are irreplaceable.
Do’s and Don’ts for Using AI in the Recruitment Process
Do:
Use AI as a supportive tool, not a replacement
Ask AI to help tidy up your writing or clarify structure
Use it to brainstorm examples, then rewrite them in your own voice
Reflect on AI suggestions and adapt them to match your experience
Use AI to help with research, but express your understanding yourself
Don’t:
Copy and paste AI-generated content directly into your application
Let AI exaggerate or invent experience you do not have
Rely on generic statements that don’t reflect the specific role requirements
Remove your individuality, we want to hear your voice
