Daniel at Leeds City Council

Daniel talks about his post-ngdp experiences.


After studying Government and Politics and European Politics at Dundee University I applied for the ngdp in its first year.  I knew I wanted to work in government but didn't know exactly what I wanted to do, so the ngdp was perfect for me as it gave me the opportunity to see different aspects of local government before deciding on a career.

After the ngdp I secured a job as a Principal HR Officer, based in Corporate HR at Leeds City Council, mainly working on a large scale pay and grading review.

In 2006 I moved sidewards to do operational HR, supporting Environmental Services (Refuse collection etc.) working out of a industrial depot on the outskirts of Leeds.  That was a culture shock but a valuable learning experience.

I gained my CIPD qualification at Leeds Metropolitan University in 2005/6 and in 2008 got a job as HR manager in the newly formed Environments and Neighbourhoods Directorate.

At the start of 2010 I became the Head of HR supporting the Environment and Neighbourhoods directorate, whilst leading on Pay and Reward issues for the Council. I currently lead two teams; the local HR team – 15 people providing HR support to the Directorate (1,800 employees) and the Pay and Reward team – 20 people delivering job evaluation and other pay and grading work to the whole Council (approx 32,000 employees).

I really enjoy this dual role as I am involved in lots of things, have a good mix of strategic responsibility whilst needing to deliver a service to a wide range of customers and am continuing to grow professionally. I am working closely with the Leadership team to drive real improvements.

What's next? Well, I don't plan to sit still for too long so I expect that my next move will be to a Chief Officer HR role with a smaller local government or public sector employer. I'm not sure what's in store for me after that but I do know that the ngdp gave me and my career a great start and would recommend it to anyone interested in local government.