Ref: 001686

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.

Please visit the Penna website by clicking the following link to apply for this role,: Penna | Jobs

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: Sunday 20 September 2026

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

About Us:

We want Oldham to have vibrant, safe neighbourhoods where people are proud to live with opportunities for healthier, more fulfilled lives; and a sustainable, thriving economy. As we look to the future, the challenges may be significant, but so are the opportunities. We’ve identified three missions with our residents and partners, focusing on what will deliver the biggest impact:

A Great Place to Live, Healthier, Happier Lives, and Green and Growing.

We’re looking for candidates who will support us to achieve our ambitions and we encourage you to download our Corporate Plan: Ready for the Future and our Oldham Plan for further information.

Our Values and Behaviours:

By driving innovation, investing in our people, and championing our communities, we will ensure that Oldham continues to be a place where everyone can live their best life. To support this, we have three core values which define who we are and how we operate. These are ‘Proud, Ambitious, and Together’, and they shape our culture, inform our decisions, and inspire us to deliver on our commitments to the people of Oldham.

We have translated these values into five behaviours which guide our actions and are the standards we hold ourselves to, day in and day out:

• Work with a resident focus
• Support local leaders
• Committed to the borough
• Delivery high performance
• Take ownership and drive change

You can find out more about our values and behaviours on our greater.jobs Oldham page

Our Benefits Package:

At Oldham Council we offer a great benefits package for our employees, which includes the following:

• 25 days annual leave which increases after 5 and 10-years’ service
• The option to purchase additional annual leave.
• An attractive LGPS benefit pension scheme with the option to make shared cost additional voluntary contributions.
• Discounted gym membership with Oldham Active.
• Staff discount scheme for shopping, entertainment, eating-out, eating-in, travel, motoring and more.
• Salary sacrifice scheme for home and electronics and Cycle to Work.
• Wellbeing support, including a Mental Health First Aider network and an Employment Assistance Programme that provides 24 hours access to advice and support.
• Staff recognition and celebration events.
• Peer support groups

Inclusive Recruitment:

We work closely with employees to help them work at their best, including making adjustments such as flexible working, describing available working patterns, providing equipment or making changes to the workplace.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and therefore expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you have lived or worked abroad for 3 months or more in the last 5 years or 12 months or more (whether continuously or in total) in the last 10 years whilst aged 18 or over, please refer to the link below for details for how to obtain your Certificates of Good Character. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants

Unfortunately, at this time we are not able to offer sponsorship.

If you have completed the GM Elevate (Leadership Development) Programme please indicate this within the ‘About You’ or ‘Supporting Statement’ section of your application.

If you’re an applicant with disabilities and have previously been in or currently in care, a carer, someone who has served in the Armed Forces, or you’ve participated in the GM Elevate Programme, and you meet the essential criteria of the role, you are guaranteed to reach the first stage of assessment under our Guaranteed Assessment Scheme.

Data and Privacy:

For details of how we use your data please see our Privacy Notice

Important Information:

Please note that should a vacancy that has been released for internal or external recruitment be deemed suitable for a current employee at risk of redundancy, it can be pulled back at any point, up to the post being formally offered to a candidate who is not at risk of redundancy.

Right to Work in the UK from 1st July 2021.doc