Delivering an Executive Search to Strengthen Community Outcomes for a Local Government Council
The Brief
Following the successful appointment of the Chief Executive Officer, Future Leadership was engaged by a metropolitan local government council in Victoria to appoint a Director Community Services. The role held strategic responsibility for a division of more than 300 FTE and an operating budget of approximately $50 million, spanning portfolios such as aged care, early years, youth services, libraries, arts and culture, community engagement, customer experience and advocacy.
The council sought an experienced senior leader capable of shaping a renewed vision for community services, driving service excellence, uplifting organisational capability and ensuring community needs were met with innovation, accountability and empathy. The incoming director would play a crucial role in aligning community outcomes to the Council Plan, sustaining high-quality service delivery, and leading a high-performing, values‑driven workforce.
The Process
Future Leadership undertook a comprehensive national executive search tailored to the council’s community-facing portfolio and strategic expectations.
- Briefing and Strategy Development: The Future Leadership team led by David Baber and Alexandra Deng attended a briefing with the CEO and executive leaders establishing a deep understanding of divisional requirements, organisational culture, strategic priorities and the aspiration to build a more connected and responsive community services function.
- Targeted Candidate Search: The search focused on leaders across local government, health, community services, human services and not‑for‑profit sectors. Outreach included Future Leadership’s proprietary networks, referral partners, targeted research and advertising via the Future Leadership website, LinkedIn and the LG Directory.
- Candidate Assessment: Candidates were assessed for strategic leadership, financial acumen, community engagement capability, experience leading multidisciplinary teams, and the ability to deliver measurable service outcomes.
- Final Evaluation: Shortlisted candidates completed a multi‑stage evaluation including panel interviews and psychometric assessments. Final deliberations reflected leadership capability, divisional vision, advocacy strength and demonstrated impact in community‑facing environments.
Future Leadership Capability Framework
Stakeholder Relations
Establishes rapport with stakeholders, builds and sustains trusted and collaborative relationships. Identifies and draws on relevant and diverse perspectives and integrates them to support productive interactions.
Culture and Engagement
Fosters a positive culture, creating a sense of belonging and inclusiveness. Creates an environment that encourages diverse perspectives and facilitates a psychologically safe environment.
Governance and Compliance
Establishes, champions and measures the effectiveness of an organisation’s regulatory and reporting systems. Identifies and evaluates risks, develops strategies to mitigate risk
Commercial Acumen
Provides a deep understanding of relevant industry, marketplace and business drivers as applicable to the organisation. Leverages the application of commercial tools and frameworks to manage opportunities, conflicts and trade-offs.
Strategy and Purpose
Develops and leads strategy for the function/organisation, taking a broad and long-term perspective. Understands and considers context. Communicates and gains buy-in to the function/organisation goals, direction and vision, promoting change initiatives.
Systems Thinking
Views situations in their entirety, understanding all the parts at play. Identifies the interconnected factors and how they influence each other, impacting the whole system. Takes a strategic perspective.
The Outcome
The process resulted in the appointment of a highly experienced senior community services leader with more than 30 years of experience in local government. The successful appointee brought deep sector knowledge, a demonstrated record of leading multidisciplinary teams and a strong foundation in evidence‑based service improvement. Their background included securing significant recurrent Commonwealth funding, expanding critical community programs, and creating high‑performing workforce cultures through constructive leadership and strong engagement practices.
