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Sark is on the hunt for someone to move to the island and take on the very top job in return for £55,000 per year in tax-free cash – and there's just one day left to apply.
The role of Senior Executive Officer, which has been advertised in national publications including The Times and Guardian, will be responsible for delivering the strategic direction of the island as set by the island's government, Chief Pleas.
The role is a new one, and the chosen individual will be responsible for leading the transformation of the civil service and engaging with the community at a pivotal time for Sark.
"The Senior Executive Officer is a new role which combines responsibility for all public employees, acting as a clerk to the legislature and its principal committees and leading public communications on the island," explained a spokesperson.
"It is expected that the successful candidate will be based in the beautiful Island and play an important role within Sark's community."
The applications process is being overseen by Simon Nash, who is part of the Jersey Appointments Commission – an independent panel which oversees the appointments of the island's most senior civil servants and senior figures in other public bodies.
Jersey is the only Channel Island to have a permanent and well established appointments commission. Mr Nash also acted as an independent chair for the selection process for the States of Alderney CEO in 2023 and for Guernsey's Head of Public Service in 2022.
"While I am indeed a Jersey Appointments Commissioner, and one of the most senior ones at that, the JAC is not regulating this appointment," said Mr Nash.
"It could not, as its statutory remit under Employment of States of Jersey Employees (Jersey) Law 2005, does not extend beyond Jersey.
"But the Chief Pleas of Sark have invited me to act as the independent chair and convenor of their selection process and to report on its good governanceand public ethics."
He said his work in Alderney, Guernsey and now Sark, coupled with a forthcoming role in the selection of Jersey's next CEO "is probably a unique combination of roles to be held by one person".
"In each role I seek to apply general principles of public ethics in a way that is appropriate to each jurisdiction's constitution and character. I am informed by the JAC standards, the UK Civil Service Commission standards and other jurisdictional documents.
"At the end of these independent processes I write a letter to the President of P&R, the Lieutenant-Governor or the President of Alderney as the case may be, and these are publishable documents that put on record the approach to ethics and governance that has been observed."
The current Acting Chief Secretary of Sark is Dianne Marshall. She was preceded by Zanette Bougourd who left a year ago, and before that Kath Jones who made the jump to be Alderney's CEO instead. While not SEOs, they held a similar position as the future SEO.
The window for applications for the job of SEO closes tomorrow (24 January).
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