Chief Executive
Sue Bruce profile
As Chief Executive for the City of Edinburgh Council, Sue is responsible for managing the second largest council in Scotland and the eighth largest unitary council in the United Kingdom.
The Chief Executive is the senior officer who leads and is accountable for the work of the over 17,000 paid staff of the Council, who run the local authority on a day to day basis, and a budget of nearly a billion pounds. (For more about the Council see our page on key facts and figures.)
As head of the paid service, the Chief Executive works closely with elected members to:
- ensure strong and visible leadership and direction, encouraging and enabling managers to motivate and inspire their teams
- ensure all staff understand and adhere to the strategic aims of the organisation and follow the direction set by the elected members
- act as the principal policy adviser to the elected members of the Council to lead the development of workable strategies which will deliver the political objectives set by the councillors;
- lead and develop strong partnerships across the local community to achieve improved outcomes and better public services for local people; and
- oversee financial and performance management, risk management, people management and change management within the Council.
Additional responsibilities
- Chief Executive of Lothian and Borders Police Board (with a budget of £239 million);
- Chief Executive of Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Board (£55 million budget);
- Chief Executive of Lothian Joint Valuation Board (£7 million budget);
- Chief Executive of Forth Estuary Transport Authority (FETA) (£12 million budget); and
- Honorary Secretary of the Edinburgh International Festival Council.
She is also accountable for the Council's commercial ventures and trust enterprises, which include:
- CEC Holdings Ltd, which includes the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, the property development and investment business EDI Group and its 11 joint venture subsidiaries;
- non-shareholding companies such as the Edinburgh Convention Bureau and Edinburgh International Science Festival Ltd; and
- companies limited by guarantee and/or trust, including Edinburgh Leisure and Edinburgh City Theatres Trust.
The Chief Executive also fulfills the separate role of Returning Officer for elections.
Career summary
Sue joined the City of Edinburgh Council on 1 January 2011 as its Chief Executive, where the immediate challenges of the Edinburgh tram project and service performance were high on the agenda.
She started work in local government in 1976, beginning her career in the education field. She was appointed to the role of Director in East Dunbartonshire covering Education, Social Work, Housing and Cultural Services in 2000 and then Chief Executive in 2004. Sue was the Chief Executive of Aberdeen City Council from December 2008, where she focussed on a complete review of structure, governance, financial management and service performance. The Council satisfied the requirements of audit and inspection bodies in July 2009 resulting in the removal of special measures status.
Qualifications
- Diploma in Youth Work and Community Service, Jordanhill College of Education
- MPhil in Government, University of Strathclyde
- LLB, University of Strathclyde
- Certificate in Strategic Public Sector Negotiation, JFK School of Government, Harvard
- a Fellow of the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce)
- a member of the Institute of Directors
- a member of the SCDI board
- a member of the 20/20 climate change group
- a member of the Young Scot board.
In June 2010 she was the first public sector leader to receive the Prince's Ambassador in Scotland Award, and was awarded this again in 2011 leading to another year in the role of ambassador.
In October 2010 she received the Scottish Business Insider Public Sector Leader of the Year Award.
She is 56 and married. Her interests include the arts, reading and gardening.
Remuneration
Salary
The Chief Executive is paid a fixed-point salary of £158,553*
The Chief Executive may reclaim legitimate business expenses.
Working arrangements
The Chief Executive works such hours as are necessary to ensure the job gets done. This routinely involves working evenings and weekends as well as the standard Monday to Friday business week. The postholder is 'on call' at all other times, particularly to cover emergency planning requirements. No extra payments are made for such extended hours.
The postholder is subject to annual appraisal and review by a panel consisting of the Council Leader and other senior elected members.
*Set in August 2010 and adjustable only by cost of living increases, which are currently frozen.
Contact
Chief.Executive@edinburgh.gov.uk
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