The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has launched the recruitment process to find and appoint a chief executive for the new body to help councils better use information

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has launched a recruitment campaign to find a senior data leader to serve chief executive for the newly-launched Office for Local Government.

It is offering up to £149,000 a year to the successful applicant, who will work alongside interim Oflog chair – and former National Audit Office head – Lord Amyas Morse in creating the new body. Oflog’s core mission is to provide “an authoritative source of information” about the performance and health of England’s local government sector so that councils are supported to “learn from one another, be user-focused, and self-identify areas for improvement”.

DLUHC’s advertisement says Oflog’s main function means the new chief executive will need to be a “data expert” or someone with a “proven track record” of processing and intelligently leading on work that utilises data.

Related content

• ‘Wreaking havoc’ – local government bodies call for law change to support remote participation
• Will local government transformation be set back by coronavirus?
• Analysis: how has coronavirus impacted local government IT spending?

“The chief executive will oversee the delivery of a highly effective data offer that is both credible and independently derived to drive understanding of local-government sector performance, conducting gap analysis to understand the long-term requirements of Oflog,” it said.

“They will steer teams of analysts and data technicians, particularly in identifying the data best suited to analysing local authority performance, as well as the development of technical data dashboards and interactive visualisations for use across Oflog.”

The advertisement also states that the SCS Pay Band 2 chief exec will need “outstanding leadership skills” and the ability to ensure that Oflog has the “right people, processes and culture” needed to deliver its strategic objectives.

“This will include establishing a high-performing multidisciplinary leadership team, overseeing the development and operation of Oflog’s governance model and driving operational excellence and efficiency in service delivery through evolving the body’s operating model,” it said.

The chief executive can be based at DLUHC’s offices in London, Wolverhampton, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Darlington, Bristol or Nottingham.

However the advertisement stresses that regular attendance will be required at the Wolverhampton office – which is the department’s second headquarters.

The applicant pack for the job also notes that while Oflog will function as an office of DLUHC initially, it may become an arm’s-length body in the future.

The chief executive role is open to applications until 11.55pm on 13 August.