An interim finance director starts at Brighton and Hove City Council on Monday (24 November).
Rachel Musson has been appointed to the post while the council recruits a permanent replacement for Catherine Vaughan who leaves on Friday 12 December.
Mrs Vaughan is to become the finance director at the Land Registry in Croydon, south London. The quango is part of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
She has been with the council for 13 years and has worked as a director for 10 years, rising to her current position as executive director of finance and resources.
She also stood in as chief executive after John Barradell left and before current boss Penny Thomspon took up her post.
Ms Musson was until September the chief operating officer of the Future Cities Catapult, an urban innovation centre set up by Innovate UK, formerly the Technology Strategy Board.
She was previously the interim chief operating officer at Cheshire East Borough Council, having served as chief financial officer at Shropshire Council and assistant finance director at Birmingham City Council.
Before that she was the deputy director of strategic finance for the Metropolitan Police, having been principal accountant for Kent Police.
During her 17 months at Shropshire Council she helped to set up a private company called IP&E (Inspiring Partnerships and Enterprise) to run council services. She left in January last year after 17 months.
Penny Thompson sent an email to council staff on Thursday (20 November) announcing the new appointment and paying tribute to Catherine Vaughan. It said: “Catherine has provided strong leadership in the council while the public sector has experienced difficult circumstances.
“She has been a capable and dynamic director for the last 10 years. I wish her every success in her new role.
“I am pleased to tell you that a cross-party panel of councillors and I have made an interim appointment to the role of executive director of finance and resources.
“Rachel Musson will be joining us from 24 November as interim executive director to see the council through the forthcoming budget for 2015-16 and council elections next May.
“Rachel is a very highly regarded public sector finance professional with a wide portfolio of experience.
“I very much hope that you will offer her every support to enable us to manage our budget, modernisation and culture change agendas.”
So does that mean that the Council has to pat 2 Salaries for 3 weeks?