*Photograph: Eamon Ward.
CLARE COUNTY COUNCIL’s next Chief Executive will be an external candidate, The Clare Echo has learned.
Interviews are ongoing to fill the role of Chief Executive which has an advertised starting salary of €172,849. Pat Dowling stepped down from the post at the end of December after eight and a half years. The competition to appoint his successor is managed by the Public Appointments Service (PAS).
Neither Leonard Cleary or Liam Conneally, both of whom have taken on roles as Chief Executive of Galway City Council and Galway County Council from their former posts as Directors of Service with Clare County Council did not apply for the Chief Executive post in Clare. The deadline for applications closed at the end of January.
Director of Economic Development and the Ennis Municipal District, Carmel Kirby has been serving as Interim Chief Executive since the beginning of December. The Kinsale native was among the applicants for the vacancy and while she passed the initial phase of interviews, the former Limerick Chief Fire Officer is no longer in the running to become Chief Executive.
From 2017 to April 2023, Carmel was Director of Physical Development in Clare but was appointed Director of Economic Development in April 2023, all the while remaining as Director of Services in the Ennis Municipal District and serving as a member of the board for the Ennis 2040 DAC.
The Clare Echo understands that the extensive recruitment and interview process is now down to the final three. “publicjobs cannot provide specific information or comment regarding a recruitment competition while it is active and ongoing,” a spokesperson for PAS said when questioned on the amount of applicants and when a successful candidate will be announced.
Of the last three left standing, two have strong links to Clare but none of the trio are working with Clare County Council. Liam Hanrahan and Gordon Daly are both in contention for the vacancy while it is understood Patricia Philbin is also in the shake-up.
Lahinch native Hanrahan is currently Director of Services with responsibility for Planning & Economic Development with Galway County Council.
Tuamgraney based Daly is currently Deputy Director General & Director of Corporate Services, Human Resources & Organisational Development with Limerick City and County Council.
Philbin is former CEO of Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture and is currently Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Services for Infrastructure Development, Planning & Climate Change at Galway City Council. She holds a MA in Public Management.
The Chief Executive has the lead role in developing and overseeing the organisational structures and resources needed to deliver an extensive range of services to the public in Clare. Paramount among the Chief Executive’s duties is to maximise the county’s social, economic, cultural and physical development to the benefit of communities and citizens throughout the County and wider area. The Chief Executive will have responsibility for the day-to-day management of the local authority, including staffing matters, and the discharge of executive functions within the policy parameters as determined by the elected council. The Chief Executive will also have a specific responsibility to advise the elected members in the determination of policy in accordance with national policy and in relation to the exercise of reserved functions while, in turn, implementing decisions.
In the advertised posting for the job, listed requirements for the successful candidate include a proven track record as a strategic leader and senior manager in a complex environment, proven experience in the management of teams and resources of significant scale.
Other sought characteristics include a demonstration of excellent interpersonal and relationship management skills and the capacity to work effectively with a broad range of stakeholders in a constructive manner.
