Corporate Director of Resources (S151 Officer)

We are looking for an exceptional Corporate Director of Resources to play a crucial role in delivering one of the most ambitious agendas in local government.

Tower Hamlets is like a city within a city. Our workforce of over 7,000 people serve more than 320,000 residents in the most densely populated and fastest growing place in the UK.

Millions of visitors come to our borough from across the world to see our iconic destinations. We deliver the third largest economic output in the UK with areas such as Canary Wharf and our borough borders The City, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and the River Thames.

Our population is one of the most diverse in the UK, and we face the challenges of significant contrasts in wealth and poverty across the borough.

As Corporate Director of Resources, you will be our Section 151 Officer, leading a wide-ranging portfolio including Finance, Procurement, Human Resources, Organisational Development, Corporate Business Support, Revenues, Benefits and IT.

Your leadership will be crucial in ensuring that the council delivers high-quality, enabling and customer-focused services that provide value for money, safeguard public assets and underpin the council’s wider ambitions.

This role includes:

• Financial leadership and governance: ensuring statutory responsibilities are met, delivering a robust Medium-Term Financial Strategy, and embedding strong corporate governance and transparency.
• Driving organisational improvement: playing a pivotal role in procurement improvement, HR transformation, and digital service redesign.
• Supporting cultural change: working closely with the Chief Executive, Executive Mayor, Members and colleagues, you will help to accelerate delivery of the Ministerial Directions and strengthen alignment across the council.
• Strategic collaboration: engaging with partners, regulators and stakeholders – including the Ministerial Envoys and Transformation and Assurance Board (TAB) Leads – to ensure progress, resilience and long-term impact.

This is a career-defining role where your expertise will shape not only the directorate, but also the council’s overall capacity to deliver on its promises to residents.

About You

We are seeking a senior leader with:

• Expert knowledge of local government financial management, including the General Fund, Housing Revenue Account (HRA), capital and revenue programmes, and statutory and regulatory requirements.
• Substantial senior leadership experience in a large, complex local authority, with a proven track record of delivering high-quality finance, procurement and corporate services.
• Professional qualification and credibility: relevant degree and full membership of CIPFA (or equivalent ACA, ACCA or CIMA), with significant commercial awareness and highly effective budgeting and financial management skills.
• Strategic leadership and transformation expertise, including delivery of a robust Medium-Term Financial Strategy, leading major change and digital transformation programmes, and introducing innovative working practices.
• Excellent influencing, partnership and stakeholder management skills, with political acumen, strong customer focus, and the ability to negotiate and collaborate across complex internal and external environments.
• A personal commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion with experience of embedding inclusive practice and workforce culture change, aligned to our TOWER values.

You will be visible, collaborative and ambitious for Tower Hamlets, ensuring our Resources Directorate is modern, resilient and trusted.

You will also be politically sensitive and have a strong commitment to our values, behaviours and equal opportunities policy, and be ready to demonstrate personal leadership on the importance of diversity.

Our council is a beacon for diversity and inclusion. We want a borough where everyone feels valued and included, and we want a council that collaborates to deliver excellence.

That’s why we look for people with our TOWER values of Together, Open, Willing, Excellent and Respectful.

Closing date: midnight on Sunday 5^th October 2025

Final interview date: w/c 17^th or 24^th November 2025

For more information or a confidential discussion, please contact our retained consultants at Penna:

Julie Towers – 07764 791736
Andrew Tromans – 07805 226301

 

Statutory Audit recommendations from EY: Tower Hamlets Council - Agenda item - EY External Audit Report - Council Accounts Year End 31st March 2024)

Link to budget papers: Tower Hamlets Council - Agenda for Council on Wednesday, 26th February, 2025, 7.00 p.m.