Director of Public Realm

Tower Hamlets is a city within a city. As one of the most visited and high-profile places in the country, the experience of our residents, businesses and visitors is everything.

As our Director of Public Realm, you will be responsible for how clean famous streets like Brick Lane are; supporting markets and street trading in the places like the famous Columbia Road or Petticoat Lane markets and ensuring that our traffic and transportation, highways and engineering are efficient from Spitalfields to Stepney and Wapping to Westferry.

You will innovate to help us improve our recycling rate with the challenge of 87% of properties in Tower Hamlets being flats. And you will ensure that our thousands of restaurants and businesses offer safe custom to millions of visitors each year.

You will work with the Chief Executive and our Corporate Director for Communities Simon Baxter to ensure the development, implementation and regular review of these services. Importantly, you will have an eye for commercial opportunities to turn some of these services into income generators.

The role will require the effective procurement and management of all public realm contracts. This includes exploring the potential for shared services and third-sector involvement, where appropriate, to create efficiencies and develop the local economy.

You will deliver a timely and effective public realm capital investment programme aligned to our strategic priorities and including bids to external funding bodies.

And you will ensure that we have robust business continuity plans and contribute to responding to major disruption.

Most of all you will take pride in the stewardship of one of the most historic places in the UK where every resident, business and visitor experience matters to us.

Use your leadership skills to inspire and motivate your team

You will need to have the ability to balance strategic leadership and direction with effective operational management. This includes fostering an open and trusting culture with the ability to lead change through others and inspire high levels of performance.

We are looking for an individual with the ability to apply discretion and initiative in dealing with complex issues. You will be authoritative and influential, with highly developed relationship management and networking skills, and the ability to foster joint working across services.

You should be naturally engaging with an ability to inspire and command the respect, trust and confidence of colleagues, council members and other stakeholders.

Financial and commercial awareness, highly effective budgeting and financial management skills are essential. As one of the most visited places in the UK, there are significant opportunities to generate much-needed income.

You will be politically sensitive and have a strong belief in the value of local democracy and accountability. You will also have a strong commitment to our values, behaviours and equal opportunity 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 being Respectful.

Contact:

• Bruna Varante Bruna.Varante@penna.com 07539 070615
• Andrew Tromans Andrew.Tromans@penna.com 07805 226301

Please click the Apply now button below to apply for this role via Penna who are managing applications on behalf of the council.