Chief Executive

Chief Executive

Salary: £172,900 to £186,038

Inspire our vision. Drive our future. Make Halton thrive.

Our Story:

Halton is a vibrant local authority with a rich history and heritage, featuring two iconic bridges that connect communities across the River Mersey. Located in Cheshire, Halton boasts excellent transport links between Liverpool and Manchester, as well as close proximity to both Liverpool John Lennon and Manchester Airports.

Our progressive community strategy aims to bring about meaningful, long-term improvements that enhance lives. It’s an exciting time to join us as we develop new policies and transform the way people access services.

We are immensely proud that when asked what’s great about working for Halton, the most popular response from our workforce has been ‘our colleagues’.

Your Impact:

As our Chief Executive, you will be the driving force behind our future – ensuring Halton continues to be a place where people want to live, work, invest and visit. You will:

• Inspire and lead a talented workforce with strategic direction, clarity, ambition and purpose.

• Advise and support the Leader of the Council, Executive Board, and Members with clarity and purpose.

• Champion innovation and collaboration, building on strong partnerships across the Liverpool City Region, Cheshire & Warrington, and national government.
• Deliver transformation and foster a high-performing organisational culture that is aligned with the Council’s vision, values, and corporate priorities.

Your contributions:

We’re looking for a leader with vision, resilience and proven senior experience. Someone who can bring people together, navigate complexity, and turn ambition into delivery. You’ll be as comfortable building trusted relationships with regional leaders as you are motivating frontline colleagues.

Above all, you’ll share our passion for making a tangible difference in people’s lives.

For more information about this exciting opportunity, read our candidate information pack here

Our Offer:

Aside from working with a great team, our employees have access to a fantastic range of benefits, including:

• A generous annual holiday allowance of 44 days per year (including bank holidays), increasing with long service
• Membership of our defined benefit, salary-linked Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) with generous employer contributions
• 3 x Salary Life Cover via Local Government Pension Scheme
• Investment in your personal development
• Free Car Parking at HBC sites
• Flexible working arrangements
• Extensive employee benefits platform including discounted shopping, car leasing, gym memberships, wellbeing hub and Employee Assistance Programme.
• Essential Monthly Car User Allowance

Next Steps:

At Halton Borough Council, we want all of our candidates to feel well-informed so if you are ready to take on one of the most rewarding leadership roles in local government, and help shape the next chapter of Halton’s story – we’d love to hear from you.

For a confidential discussion with a Penna consultant please contact:

• Pete John on 07701 305617 or Pete.john@penna.com
• Julie Towers on 07764 791736 or Julie.towers@penna.com

Closing date: Sunday 5th October 2025

Assessment Centre: Thursday 23rd and Friday 24th October 2025

Appointments Committee Final Interviews: Thursday 27th November

At Halton Borough Council we want to ensure that our communities are represented across our workforce and a vital part of this is to encourage diversity in all respects. We are committed to making our recruitment practices barrier-free and tailored to best suit the needs and strength of the individual. This includes making adjustments for people with a disability, neurodiversity or with long-term health conditions. If you require accommodations, please reach out during the recruitment process so that we can make this the best possible experience for you – resourcing@halton.gov.uk

Please refer to the attached Job Profile for further information about the role and our values.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy earlier than the specified date should we receive sufficient applications. If you’re interested, please complete your application as early as possible.

We look forward to receiving your application!