Tanya Miles: "Play your part in shaping the future of Shropshire"

Shropshire Council pulls no punches in the opening lines of its new corporate plan, declaring that it is ‘at a pivotal moment’ and must fundamentally change as an organisation.

But far from striking a negative tone, it describes how a more enabling, facilitating and influencing council that’s clear about its priorities, aligns resources and works collectively will deliver ‘a Shropshire that is sustainable, connected and resilient’.

For chief executive, Tanya Miles, it’s an opportunity to harness the county’s many assets while creating a council people can be proud of. It’s also something of a personal mission.

She became interim chief executive in 2025 before landing the role permanently in May. Having joined the organisation as a junior social worker at the turn of the century, she believes her own journey ‘resonates with staff’.

“I’ve been very fortunate to have worked in multiple roles in the organisation and now here I am as chief executive. Staff know I worked my way up and that I ‘get’ Shropshire in terms of its diversity and rurality. I live locally and feel grateful every day to live and work in this incredible, beautiful place. Leading my home county is an amazing privilege – the decisions we’re making affect the places and people I love.”

Tanya is now searching for talented people to join her newly restructured team and play a crucial role in reshaping the organisation and the ways it works with communities and partners. Ultimately, it’s about delivering on the corporate plan’s goal of Rebuilding Shropshire Together.

The council has effectively hit the reset button since declaring a financial emergency last year. It is stabilising its finances, backed by Government loans, strengthening governance and making real progress against an improvement plan.

Tanya believes the council has fi rm foundations for success.

“We have political stability via a majority Liberal Democrats administration that really understands the challenges involved in delivering services across a large rural area like Shropshire.

“We are on a clear and exciting journey of improvement and culture change – building a council that is financially sustainable, has clear priorities and purpose, and has a workforce that’s supported to excel.

“We need to work differently. It’s about being more connected, more confident and more focused on delivering for our communities. We have a strong, supportive and committed workforce and senior leaders but need to increase capacity and capability. This recruitment drive is about getting the right leadership team to take us into the next phase.

"We need bold, values driven leaders – people who will lead with integrity, be role models, bring creativity and courage, challenge where needed, and build confidence across the organisation.’

All three corporate director posts are new roles that go to the heart of the council’s agenda.

Whoever leads on growth and connected communities will bring greater focus to place shaping, working closely with public and private sector partners to maximise the county’s many economic strengths.

“There is so much more potential to be unlocked in this incredible county, particularly around green growth,” says Tanya. But the role is about more than leadership and vision, she says, adding: “Things have to be delivered. We need concrete impact.”

The corporate director for finance and governance will be “a confident leader who can build up trust with members and external stakeholders, support the council while offering robust challenge, and create long-term stability”.

The corporate director for change and improvement role has been created to build greater capacity in this vital area and the successful candidate will have a solid foundation to work from, says Tanya.

“We have made a lot of progress and need someone ready to move forward with pace and a real sense of purpose, working across the organisation to deliver long-term sustainable improvement. It will be someone with a strong track record of transformation and delivering lasting change – turning ambition into measurable results and who is able to take the workforce with them.”

The council has ‘outstanding’ rated children’s services and ‘good’ adult social care and now needs to bring an even greater focus to prevention and early intervention. The director of adult services, a role which Tanya has previously held, will be joining an organisation “that is investing in prevention to reduce demand and improve outcomes”.

Similarly, the service director for inclusive education, family help and skills will play a key part in the council’s longer-term focus, ensuring more young people are able to secure jobs locally.

Finally, the service director for housing, another newly created post, will help to shape the strategic direction around what Tanya describes as a “key element of people’s lives”, as the council deals with a growing and ageing
population.

She adds: “As our corporate plan says, this is a pivotal time for us, our staff and the people we serve. What I’d say to potential candidates is bring your proven leadership skills, your ability to inspire, your belief in public service and your ambition, and we’ll give you every opportunity to thrive within an organisation that’s just started its journey into the future.”

Tanya Miles is Chief Executive at Shropshire Council. For more information on all of the opportunities mentioned in the article, please visit www.faerfield.co.uk/shropshire for more information - closing date for all roles is Wednesday 8 July 2026.

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