The Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee (LARAC) is seeking a new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to take over the running of the organisation when current Executive Officer, Colin Kirkby MBE, retires in May next year.
Kirkby has been Executive Officer of LARAC since 2001, and was this year recognised by the Queen for his services to the environment and his community in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.
Aside from his role at LARAC, Kirkby has previously set up a recycling scheme in his home town of Presteigne, Wales, in 1987, which saw the area reach a recycling rate of 30 per cent in 1994 and put £40,000 back into the community. Kirkby has also been Mayor of the town on five separate occasions.
Writing in the Autumn issue of the Loop (LARAC’s magazine), LARAC Chair Joy Blizzard, said: “It has been a privilege for me to work with Colin for over a decade and LARAC has been extremely fortunate to have snapped up his services when we had the chance.”
Speaking to Resource, Kirkby said: “I’ve had great fun looking after the organisation since 2001, but it’s now time to retire. This is an exciting moment for the organisation because the role will be slightly enhanced to not only cover what I do, but will see the new CEO also represent the organisation to government as well.”
Kirkby said that the reason for this ‘upgrade’ of the job specification is that “increasingly, it gets more difficult for the Executive to get to key meetings”.
Kirkby added that once has retired, he plans to walk to Spain over the course of just three weeks.
CEO position details
Established in 1985, by Local Authority Officers, LARAC’s mission is to provide ‘quality representation’ for Local Authorities on Recycling and Waste Management issues. The organisation plays an active role to inform and lobby key opinion formers and policy makers on its members’ behalf.
The position of CEO, according to the advert running on the LARAC website, calls for ‘somebody with Local Authority Waste Management experience, who is comfortable with representing members to the leaders of the industry and has the relevant experience to back that up’. Ideally, LARAC is looking for someone with ‘previous experience of working within waste & recycling in a local authority context, with excellent people skills and good contacts with key players in the waste industry’.
Specifically, the role will involve ‘representing the organisation to stakeholders and partners’, working closely with the LARAC Executive, being responsible for LARAC’s administrative, financial and membership services and ‘ensuring the organisation is appropriately and professionally managed in accordance with its constitution’.
The post is offered on a contract basis for a minimum of three years with a possible two-year extension. The salary has not been disclosed.
The closing date for applications is Wednesday 2 October 2013.
It is expected that interviews will take place in November, with the successful candidate notified by the ‘end of November’. The new CEO is scheduled to begin work on 1 April, with Kirkby helping with the handover before his retirement in May.
Read more about the LARAC CEO vacancy.
Get our weekly digest
resource.co article ai
How will the government and DMOs address the challenges of including glass in DRS while ensuring a level playing field across the UK?
There's no easy solution to include glass in the DRS while maintaining a level playing field. Potential approaches include a phased introduction of glass, potentially with higher deposits to reflect its logistical challenges. The government and DMOs could incentivise innovation in glass packaging design and subsidise dedicated return points for glass-handling. Exemptions for smaller businesses unable to handle glass might also be necessary. Any successful solution will likely blend several approaches. It must address the differing priorities of devolved administrations, balance environmental benefits with logistical and cost implications, and be supported by robust consumer education campaigns emphasizing the importance of glass recycling.