Supporting Cherwell District Council’s transformation through executive search

Sellick Partnership was successfully appointed on a retained basis, following competitive proposal, to manage four senior and executive appointments within corporate leadership as part of Cherwell District Council’s transformation programme: 

• Executive Director of Neighbourhood Services
• Head of Chief Executive’s Office 
• Head of Biodiversity & Climate Resilience  
• Futures Director  

Dedicated recruitment team 

Given the nature of the campaign, we assembled a delivery team of Board and SLT level recruiters with proven expertise and established networks to source, engage and select the right talent for these roles. This included: 

• Nikki Kinsey, Group Director, over 20 years’ experience working with executives across the public sector, leading our professional services and housing specialisms 
• Greg Jones, Group Director, over 20 years’ experience, leading our Technology and Digital specialism 
• Daniella Pye, Associate Director, over 15 years’ experience, specialising within Local Government 

Recruitment approach 

A comprehensive attraction and sourcing strategy was delivered, targeting active and passive candidates, including: 

• Clear recruitment strategy and defined timescales with advertisement and sourcing strategies running for a period of four weeks, Sellick Partnership two stage interview process completed in weeks 5 and 6, and final interviews with Cherwell executive team in week 8. 
• Designed and hosted a dual branded microsite on the Sellick Partnership website, including content to promote the organisation as an employer of choice as well as links to all the current vacancies with details on how to apply. 
• Designed and delivered a full content and social media campaign, planned and executed by our Marketing team.  
• Developed a bespoke candidate attraction pack to share with candidates to promote the opportunities available and provide more context and information. 
• Well written, inclusive adverts were created and posted across broad and specialist job boards including CV Library, Reed, LinkedIn.com, LinkedIn Recruiter, Sellick Partnership website and the Cherwell Council microsite. As well as an additional paid campaign on the MJ, which ran across XXXXXXXXXXXXXX AW.  
• Comprehensive searches across our established talent pools, including requests for referrals and recommendations.  
• Extensive market mapping, LinkedIn Recruiter searches, and direct headhunting to engage passive talent, drawing on the team’s extensive market knowledge and specialist networks. 
• First stage interview with Sellick Partnership’s delivery team assessing candidates against key criteria of the person specification, competencies, key skills and achievements.  
• Second stage interview held with the Sellick Partnership’s delivery team and ex-local authority chief executive and strategic advisor to fully assess candidates against competencies, values, behaviours and technical skillsets.  
• Completion of psychometric testing and reporting. 
• Providing status updates to reassure elected members about the progress of the process. 
• Presentation of detailed candidate application packs, including psychometric reports, interview matrices, CVs and our recommendations.

Outcome 

Following an extensive selection process, with candidates completing two stages of interviews with Sellick Partnership, we submitted shortlists of just 2-3 fully vetted candidates for each of the vacancies. We have received offer and acceptance on all four positions:  

• Head of Chief Executive’s Office, successful candidate sourced from a recommendation from an Executive Director within our network. 
• Head of Biodiversity & Climate Resistance, successful candidate generated via the social campaign and applied through the microsite. 
• Executive Director of Neighbourhood Services, successful candidate generated via the social campaign and applied through the microsite. 
• Futures Director - Digital Transformation Programme, generated via market mapping and passive engagement.

Client testimonial  

"Sellick Partnership supported Cherwell District Council with a retained executive search campaign to appoint four senior leaders as part of our corporate transformation programme, including the Executive Director of Neighbourhood Services, Head of the Chief Executive’s Office, Head of Biodiversity and Climate Resilience, and the Transformation Programme Director (Futures Director).  Alongside the permanent search, Sellick Partnership also secured high-quality interim appointments for both the Transformation Director and the Head of the Chief Executive’s Office. This provided continuity and leadership during the transition period while the permanent recruitment was under way, helping maintain delivery momentum across the transformation programme. 

From the outset, Sellick Partnership demonstrated a clear, structured, and highly professional approach. The campaign ran to a defined project plan, with clear timescales, strong communication, and consistent senior oversight. Their market knowledge and search methodology gave us access to strong candidates from across the public sector and beyond.  They also managed internal candidates as part of the permanent process in a fair, transparent, and well-structured way, ensuring existing talent was properly assessed alongside the external market.  The assessment process was particularly strong. The combination of structured interviews, technical assessment, and psychometric testing gave us confidence in the capability, leadership style, and cultural fit of each shortlisted candidate. The insight provided through candidate packs and recommendations supported robust, informed decision-making at every stage. 

Sellick Partnership’s aftercare was also a real strength. They stayed closely engaged with both us and the appointed candidates through offer, notice period, and onboarding, helping to manage expectations, maintain momentum, and resolve any issues early.  We also received very positive feedback from candidates on their experience of the process. They consistently commented on the clarity of communication, the professionalism of the assessment, and the level of support they received from Sellick Partnership throughout, which reflected well on the Council as an employer. 

We were extremely pleased with both the process and the outcomes, with successful appointments made across all four roles. Sellick Partnership were a trusted partner throughout, and we would not hesitate to recommend them for complex, senior-level recruitment campaigns.” 

 Gordon Stewart, Chief Executive, Cherwell District Council 

Candi testimonial Head of Chief Executive’s Office role 

"I recently worked with Daniella at Sellick Partnership on an application and subsequent appointment to a senior position, in local government. The recruitment process was exceptionally well managed throughout. Daniella’s communication and responsiveness were excellent, and I felt well-briefed, supported, and always clear on the next steps and how to prepare. 

I would highly recommend Daniella and Sellick Partnership to senior leaders in local government. She is professional, thoughtful and genuinely invested in finding the right match for both candidate and employer."  

Kaimi Ithia, placed in the role of Head of Chief Executive’s Office role