Assistant Director of Waste and Street Cleansing

Are you a commercially astute and inspiring leader with the experience to procure complex contracts, deliver major transformation and turn ambitious service plans into successful frontline operations?

Wandsworth Council is seeking an exceptional Assistant Director of Waste and Street Cleansing to lead a significant programme of contract procurement, service transformation and implementation across one of London's most visible environmental service portfolios.

This is a rare opportunity to shape the next generation of waste and street cleansing services in Wandsworth. You will lead complex procurement and mobilisation programmes, modernise operating models and oversee the rollout of new services, including garden waste, ensuring that change is commercially robust, operationally deliverable and focused on residents and businesses.

If you are an experienced senior leader with the commercial expertise, transformation experience and delivery focus to take complex services from procurement through to successful implementation, we would love to hear from you.

About the Role

Reporting to the Director for Waste and Street Cleansing, you will provide strategic leadership for a portfolio of major procurement and transformation projects. You will translate policy and service ambitions into clear commercial strategies, robust specifications, deliverable mobilisation plans and sustainable operating models, while maintaining effective oversight of existing services throughout the transition.

Key responsibilities include:

Leading the procurement of high-value, complex waste and street cleansing contracts from start to finish.

Maintaining high performing low costs services

The Team

You will lead a multidisciplinary service bringing together the commercial, strategic, technical and operational expertise needed to procure, transform and mobilise complex services, including:

Strategic Procurement and Commissioning

Contract Management and Commercial Assurance

Waste Strategy and Service Transformation

Programme Mobilisation and New Service Implementation, As Assistant Director of Waste and Street Cleansing, you will:

Deliver compliant, competitive procurements that secure high-quality services and demonstrable value for money.

Mobilise new contractual arrangements safely, on time and with clear operational accountability.

Successfully design and roll out new services, including garden waste, with strong resident take-up and a positive customer experience.

Realise agreed transformation benefits, efficiencies and environmental outcomes.

Establish robust performance, financial and risk controls across programmes and contracts.

Build trusted relationships with Members, staff, residents, contractors and strategic partners throughout change.

Why Join Us?

Wandsworth Council is ambitious about the future of its environmental services. This role offers the opportunity to lead high-profile commercial and transformation programmes that will shape how waste and street cleansing services are commissioned and delivered for Wandsworth's residents and businesses.

You'll have the opportunity to:

Shape and lead major contract procurements from strategy to successful mobilisation.

Design and implement new operating models and customer-focused services.

Lead the rollout of garden waste and other priority environmental service changes.

Deliver measurable improvements in quality, value for money, sustainability and customer experience.

Work for an ambitious council with talented teams, senior stakeholders and delivery partners.

Significant senior leadership experience within local government, environmental services, or a similarly complex public sector environment.

Proven experience leading major public sector procurements and mobilising high-value, operationally critical contracts.

Demonstrable experience delivering large-scale transformation programmes, from initial design through to implementation and benefits realisation.

Strong commercial, financial, programme and risk management skills, with the ability to manage complex, interdependent workstreams and challenging deadlines.

Excellent stakeholder management and political awareness, with the ability to influence and advise elected Members, senior leaders, contractors, staff and external partners.

Ability to balance strategic vision with operational delivery, demonstrating sound commercial judgement, customer focus, and attention to operational readiness.

Richmond & Wandsworth Better Service Partnership are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions to the Councils and can improve the way we deliver services.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer. If you require any reasonable adjustments

throughout the recruitment and selection process, please let us know.

We are also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Some posts may be exempted under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and as such appointment to these posts will be conditional upon the receipt of a satisfactory response to a check of police records via Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).

We offer a wide range of benefits designed to attract, develop, and reward our employees such as 40 days annual leave (including Bank Holidays), flexible working and a generous pension plan.

Richmond and Wandsworth Councils, Salary Salary From £85,878- £102,177 Depending on Skills, Knowledge and Experience