Kirklees Council “jargon” advert for £119,000-a-year post critcised

Jun 22 2009 Huddersfield Daily Examiner

ARE you “a leader with presence, passion and panache”?

Could you “play a key role in ensuring the effective integration of national, regional and local drivers”?

Then you – especially if you understand all this – could be just the person Kirklees Council is looking for to fill a new £119,000-a-year post.

The council’s advertisement for a new director of organisation development has come under fire for mangling the language with phrases like “cross functional experience” and “people effective”.

Plain English Campaign spokeswoman Marie Clair said: “This is typical of the council waffle that leaves people stunned.Š

“It’s not for the Plain English Campaign to say whether ‘presence, passion and panache’ are essential for this job as we can’t make out what the job is about.”

She added: “The advertisement contains many examples of typical government jargon that is perfect for confusing, hiding and misleading the reader.ŠIf this is a serious job at a senior level with a super salary, the least they could do is make sure that the details are absolutely clear.

“Waffle leaves room for excuses and misinterpretation.ŠLet’s have some clarity and honesty, particularly Šat senior levels.”Š

TaxPayers’ Alliance chief executive Matthew Elliott also attacked the wording of the advert – and the salary of up to £119,000 a year.

“This is a classic example of management gobbledegook,’’ he said. “It is bad enough that Kirklees is spending so much money in the middle of a recession, but at the very least the job description should make some sense.

“Unfortunately, Kirklees has joined the trend in local government for building up top-heavy organisations full of overpaid senior managers with apparently purposeless jobs.”

But the council’s human resources director, Cliff Stewart, justified the language used in the advert.