Candida Goulden

Experience

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  London Borough of Sutton

  Jan 1999 - Jan 2012

  Project manager for the Smarter Services Sutton review of commissioning in Children’s Services - established a contracts register and commissioning guidance for service managers; and developed proposals for a Children’s Services commissioning team.Lead responsibility for strategic planning – overhauled the Children and Young People's Plan, underpinned with a comprehensive needs analysis and an extensive consultation phase.Undertook a fundamental review of partnership working and introduced new governance arrangements for the Children’s Trust in Sutton. Show less Led the Council’s work to develop a three year corporate strategy (the Sutton Plan) and lead officer for the Local Strategic Partnership - responsible for the annual review of the Local Area Agreement, developing delivery plans and negotiating new targets with Government officials; refreshing the Sutton Strategy; organising an annual partnership conference; developing and implementing new governance arrangements; and devising a process for distributing performance reward grant.Designed and set up a new scrutiny process for the Council and worked closely with councillors on scrutiny investigations.Project manager for the Joint Area Review inspection of children’s services – responsible for the self-assessment document which included evidence showing how the Council had delivered against its objectives; and led team of staff during preparation and on-site phases. Show less

  • Children's Services Project Manager

    Jan 2010 - Jan 2012

  • Senior Policy and Performance Officer

    Jan 2006 - Jan 2010

  • Head of Leadership Office

    Jan 1999 - Jan 2006
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  Sutton Centre for the Voluntary Sector

  Jan 2012 - Jan 2015

  Trustee

  Sutton Centre for the Voluntary Sector is the key voluntary sector infrastructure support organisation in the London Borough of Sutton with a vision to develop a strong, diverse and vibrant voluntary and community sector. Ensured the organisation complied with legal regulations and pursued its charitable objects; giving strategic direction to the organisation, setting overall policy, defining goals, setting targets and evaluating performance.

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  Mole Valley District Council

  Oct 2013 - now

  Developed the Mole Valley For Business offer from scratch which now includes a new website dedicated to providing advice and guidance for local businesses, plus popular business support initiatives including jobs fairs, one-to-one business advice, networking lunches and workshops on various topics.Established the Mole Valley Employment and Skills Hub in 2021 located in Leatherhead's shopping centre, in partnership with Surrey Lifelong Learning Partnership and DWP. Working with local Jobcentres, local employers, training providers and third sector partners, it was initially set up to address rising unemployment across all ages throughout the pandemic. From 2022, the Hub pivoted its focus to helping employers with skills, training and recruitment, as well as supporting residents from the most disadvantaged communities. The service has recently been described by the Department for Work and Pensions as an ‘outstanding programme’.Working with various partners, particularly in East Surrey, to promote the sub-region’s economy, secure investment and take advantage of opportunities to attract additional funding.Distributed Government grants during the Covid-19 pandemic, helping small and medium enterprises in Mole Valley to claim more than 6,000 grant payments totalling over £34m. Show less

  • Economic Development Manager

    Oct 2018 - now

  • Senior Policy and Performance Officer

    Oct 2013 - Sept 2018