The final interviews for a new senior officer post at Pembrokeshire County Council, which commands a salary of £91,000 to £101,000, took place on October 1, with four candidates in the running from 110 who initially expressed an interest.

Councillors approved the recruitment of a candidate to fill the vacant post of the Head of Children’s Services earlier this year, following the resignation of Darren Mutter, who has since gone on to another post.

The ‘Band 3’ appointment has a salary range of £91,884-£100,867, along with an £6,494 allowance toward the cost of a lease car and reimbursement for one subscription to a professional body.

At the October 1 meeting of the council’s senior staff committee, which later went into private session for final interviews, members were told the post had been advertised in The Guardian newspaper, and across social media platform LinkedIn and the council’s own social media account, with 110 expressions of interest, leading to 10 formal applications.

Those 10 were weaned down to six, later down to five during the interview process, with one candidate withdrawing leaving four to be considered, members heard.

The final interviews on the four were held in private session at the meeting.

A job description for the post’s criteria includes: “To lead and develop the transformation of the service to maximise early intervention and preventative approaches. To contribute to the corporate management of the organisation and to delivering services that safeguard children, improve educational attainment and focus on outcomes.

“Ensure that the ‘children’s voice’ is heard in all aspects of the department’s work. To provide a key link with the Chief Executive, Corporate Directors and work with other Heads of Service in ensuring that strategic and corporate objectives are effectively coordinated and implemented across all service areas.”