Kiama Council is to appoint executive recruitment consultant Judith Carpenter & Associates to assist it in its hunt for a new General Manager, following the departure of Kerry McMurray from the role.

The process is being run by the Mayor Mark Honey, who will be joined on the selection panel by Councillors Kathy Rice, Matt Brown and Neil Reilly, with the independent position being filled by the specialist recruitment consultant.

Once the shortlist of candidates has been decided by the panel, the final round of interviews will be conducted with all councillors before an appointment is made.

“The number of candidates interviewed in the final round with be up to the panel,” says the Acting General Manager, Jessica Rippon.

A facilitated workshop is to be held with councillors once the recruiter is formally appointed, ‘to provide background information on the needs and challenges facing Kiama Council’. This information will be used by the recruiter to develop the position description.

One thing that has been decided is that the new appointee will hold the title of Chief Executive Officer Kiama Municipal Council, rather than the title until now of General Manager & CEO Blue Haven. The role will still encompass the Blue Haven responsibilities.

Ms Rippon will be Acting in the GM role until the end of March, when the baton will be passed on to the Director Engineering & Works, Mike Dowd.

“We are very much working as a combined leadership team during this interim period,” says Ms Rippon.

“The focus is on developing the budget and the delivery plan and operational plan, and all of the required things we need to do before now and June.”