POSITION:
PROGRAM MANAGER, LOCAL GOVERNMENT REGIONAL
COLLABORATION
Please find the following together
with my CV in support of my application for the above position.
SELECTION
CRITERIA
1. Sound knowledge (or ability to
rapidly acquire) of the system of local government in
I have 35
years experience in local government. During that time I have worked at all levels except CEO.
My experience ranges from being a cost clerk (1969) to departmental manager
(2005). During my career I have worked as an employee for 8 different local
governments ranging in size from a very small rural Council to a large major
city. As a consultant I had a further 5 more councils as clients.
I have from time
to time worked in a range of technical area of local government including
building, planning, pubic health and project management.
At a senior level
I have negotiated with the private sector for joint development projects and
service contracts. I have exercised budget management of council projects
and have negociated joint venture projects ranging from property development
to construction of waste disposal infrastructure.
I have developed
policy, drafted planning schemes and local laws. I have inaugurated community
organizations and represented local government in a plethora of forums.
I have an
intimate knowledge of the dynamics of local government governance both
vertically and horizontally and the relationship between politics and corporate
performance.
2. Demonstrated high level ability
to (individually and as a leader) conceptualise, analyse and develop innovative
solutions for complex and unstructured issues.
I specialize
in innovative approaches to vitalize traditional practice. In 1970 I restructured Main Roads job costing
to remove duplication. In 1980 I pioneered regional approval for itinerant
vendors. In 1984 I pioneered compulsory owner builder education as a method
of addressing building project failure. In 1986 I pioneered the use of computer
technology in regulatory management. In 1990 I pioneered the use of trained
technical officer to meet professional short fall in regulatory enforcement.
In 1997 I pioneered regional project delivery by local governments with the
CQ Regional Waste Strategy. In 1999 I pioneered web technology as an information
vehicle for local governments and facilitated one of the first council web
sites in
I am by
nature an innovator and risk taker.
I developed
and managed my own consultancy business from 1996 to 2005. My Business motto
is as you will have seen- Reliable Advice and Practical Solutions
3. Sound understanding of models
for partnerships, joint ventures, resource sharing and strategic alliances and
their applicability to the local government sector.
Much of my
experience in local government has been in smaller councils were resource
sharing and strategic alliances where the only way to achieve objectives.
These
alliances often embrace the community, private business, adjoining or regional
councils, research or educational organizations and state government.
Project
almost always required the interrelationship of several of these entities in
circumstances that were often less than optional. The ability to identify and
engage relevant players and shepherd passage was always crucial to achieve
desired outcomes.
Several
decades of constructing and implementing such partnerships has a way of imbuing
such skills into every day operational practice.
4. Demonstrated high level
interpersonal skills including advisory, oral and written communication and
negotiation skills.
The distinct
advantage of serving in smaller organizations is the opportunity to experience
and hone a wide range of skills in a broad cross section of settings.
These skills
range from the selecting and supervising of staff, providing verbal and written
advice to local governments in a range of circumstance stretching from investments,
development assessment and litigation and representing council at forums and
project meetings and negotiating contracts with service provide. To cite but
a few.
In the case
of my consultancy business I represented client in a range of circumstance from
development applications to litigation and project viability assessments.
All these
circumstances called for the delivery of the above skills at a very high level.
5. Proven ability to manage
political, organisational and commercial relationships to achieve outcomes and
change.
In 1994 I
developed and implemented a community based CES scheme that embraced 15 different
community organizations, within a local government area. The scheme was required to meet the expectation of each organization
while being delivered within a prescriptive frame work and completed within
an 18 month period.
In 2003 I
negotiated with a mining company on behalf of a local government, the establishment a considerable construction camp in a CQ town.
The presence of the camp in the town caused concern for some of the residence
regarding security. The council was a partner in the project and I was required
to under take the project so as to facilitate the project but only with the
support of the community.
The camp was established in 2004 and no community concerns endured past the project development position.
Warren Bolton