The person appointed to the role will work alongside St Helier Constable Simon Crowcroft and take on some of the responsibilities that he has held since being sworn in as Constable in 2001, when he went on to remove the position of chief executive to save money.
Mr Crowcroft has now decided that the parish would be better off with someone to oversee key areas such as parish finances and budgets.
The Constable, who last month was re-elected unopposed, added that the new appointment would not mean parish rates would need to increase.
And he added that he hopes that the new chief executive will actually find ways for the parish to save money, potentially even helping to lower parish rates.
‘Over the years I used to announce how much money we saved as a parish by not having a chief executive but I recently began to ask myself how much more could we have saved if we actually hired someone who would solely manage the finances and budgets. I believe there will be better management of the parish’s finances now that I won’t have to manage all areas,’ Mr Crowcroft said.
Some of the major responsibilities of the role include managing a turnover of more than £15 million annually as well as the 258 full-time staff who are employed by St Helier.
Mr Crowcroft said that he hopes the new post will also allow him to better focus on the ‘political battles that are still there to be fought’ on behalf of St Helier, including getting a better deal for the parish from the States.
‘When I first became Constable the parish wasn’t in a good place and there was a real lack of trust among parishioners who were unhappy with the high rates at the time. And I had to make the decision to introduce reforms which meant removing the position of the chief executive officer back in in 2001 along with approximately 15 other managerial roles to balance out the ratio of chiefs and indians and lower costs.
‘However, I feel the parish is in a much better place and would benefit hugely by having someone solely managing the business and finances while I get to focus on representing St Helier politically as there is a lot more work to do in that respect.’
Applicants can apply by visiting gov.je. The closing date for applications is 29 June and the salary is negotiable depending on skills, qualifications and experience. Interviews will be held in St Helier on 20 July.
