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Search for Orkney’s new council chief executive finally reaches interview stage

Orkney chief executive
Candidates to succeed John Mundell (pictured) will be interviewed at the end of the month. Image: Andrew Stewart / DC Thomson & Orkney Islands Council

A number of applicants vying to become Orkney council’s next chief executive have made it through to the interview stage for the first time since the search began over two years ago.

The council confirmed that candidates are progressing to a two-day selection process taking place on October 31 and November 1.

An announcement is expected in the following days.

This is the fourth time the council has sought to fill permanently the chief executive role.

The job is currently held on an interim basis by former Inverclyde council chief John Mundell.

While the council has confirmed that some of the applicants have made it through to the next stage, it remains tight-lipped on any further details.

The isles council previously confirmed, via an FOI request, that during the previous three rounds of recruitment, none of the 58 previous candidates made it through to the interview stage for the £113,694 role.

The same FOI revealed that, at the time of writing, £20,037 had been spent on the recruitment campaigns so far.

According to the council’s timetable for the currently underway fourth recruitment process, a shortlist of candidates was finalised last Friday.

Candidates were then informed a few days later.

This will lead to professional interviews and stakeholder sessions being held on October 31.

Six months became three years

Mr Mundell came on as Orkney council’s chief executive in June 2019, replacing the long-serving Alistair Buchan.

It was thought he would be in the post for around six months.

However, his time at the head of Scotland’s smallest council has been drawn out to more than three years.

This has been due to the pandemic and the series of unsuccessful recruitment rounds.

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