Head of Street Cleansing
Permanent
Location: Birmingham
Grade 7 - £66,627 - £85,845
Reports to: Street Scene Director
Shape the Future of Environmental Services in the UK's Second City
Birmingham City Council is seeking an exceptional and commercially minded Head of Street Cleansing to lead one of the city's most visible and vital frontline services.
This is a high-profile leadership role responsible for delivering safe, efficient, and customer-focused street cleansing services across Birmingham. Leading a large operational workforce through four regional Operations Managers, you will drive service excellence, operational resilience, performance improvement, and transformation programmes that have a direct impact on residents, businesses, and visitors.
As a key member of the City Operations leadership team, you will contribute to the strategic direction of environmental services while ensuring the delivery of a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable Birmingham.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
Lead the strategic direction, operational control and continuous development of Birmingham's Street Cleansing Service.Develop and implement service plans aligned to corporate priorities and environmental objectives.Drive innovation, transformation and modernisation programmes to improve efficiency, productivity and value for money.Provide expert advice and recommendations to senior leaders, elected members and key stakeholders.Operational Excellence
Lead the delivery of street cleansing services across Birmingham through a dedicated senior management team.Monitor and improve operational performance against agreed targets, KPIs and customer satisfaction measures.Develop resilient and responsive service models that meet changing community needs.Use customer insight, complaints data and performance information to drive service improvement and innovation.Financial, Commercial and Resource Management
Lead the planning and management of significant revenue and operational budgets.Deliver approved savings targets and identify opportunities for efficiencies and service enhancements.Ensure effective allocation and utilisation of workforce, fleet, equipment and other resources.Lead the commissioning, procurement and contract management of services and suppliers, ensuring compliance, value for money and effective performance management.Workforce Leadership
Lead, motivate and develop a diverse workforce through strong people leadership and succession planning.Foster a high-performance culture focused on accountability, wellbeing, development and inclusion.Build positive industrial relations and maintain productive engagement with recognised Trade Unions.Compliance, Safety and Resilience
Ensure full compliance with relevant legislation, environmental standards, health and safety requirements and Council policies.Oversee risk management, business continuity planning and emergency response arrangements.Lead service responses to severe weather events, civil contingencies, public events and other operational incidents.Partnership and Stakeholder Management
Build strong relationships with internal services, contractors, partner organisations, regional bodies and community stakeholders.Work collaboratively with Waste Services, Highways, Enforcement, Neighbourhood Teams, Fleet Services and external partners to optimise citywide service delivery.Represent Birmingham City Council at regional and national forums relating to environmental and public realm services.About You
We are seeking an experienced senior leader who combines strategic vision with strong operational delivery expertise and a passion for public service.
Essential Experience
Significant leadership experience within a large, complex operational environment.Proven success in strategic service planning, performance management and service improvement.Experience delivering organisational change, transformation and workforce modernisation programmes.Strong experience managing substantial budgets and delivering financial efficiencies.Experience of procurement, commissioning and contract management.Experience leading operational risk management, business continuity and emergency response arrangements.A track record of building successful partnerships and influencing senior stakeholders.Essential Skills
Outstanding leadership, communication and people management skills.Excellent strategic thinking and problem-solving capabilities.Strong influencing, negotiation and relationship-building skills.Ability to manage competing priorities and make sound decisions in high-pressure environments.Demonstrable commitment to customer-focused service delivery.Political awareness and the ability to operate effectively within a public sector environment.Qualifications
Degree-level qualification or equivalent relevant experience.Relevant management qualification or substantial equivalent leadership experience.IOSH, NEBOSH or equivalent Health & Safety qualification and/or professional accreditation.Knowledge
Strong understanding of legislation, regulations and environmental standards relating to public realm and operational services.Extensive knowledge of strategic planning, performance management and continuous improvement.Proven expertise in budget preparation, financial management and resource optimisation.Understanding of public sector procurement, contract management and commercial governance principles.Why Join Us?
At Birmingham City Council, you'll have the opportunity to make a real and lasting difference to the communities we serve. As part of one of the UK's largest local authorities, you'll help shape the future of essential frontline services while leading a talented and committed team.
This is a rare opportunity to lead a highly visible service at significant scale, influence strategic decision-making and drive meaningful improvement across the city.
In return, we offer:
Competitive salary and progression opportunities.Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme.Generous annual leave entitlement.Flexible working arrangements where service requirements allow.Employee wellbeing support and assistance programmes.Access to employee discounts and travel benefits.Ongoing professional development and leadership opportunities.An inclusive working environment where everyone can thrive and reach their full potential.Join us and play a leading role in delivering cleaner, safer and more sustainable neighbourhoods for Birmingham's residents, businesses and visitors.
Please upload your up-to-date CV via the attachments part of your application, this is required for shortlisting. Unfortunately, we cannot consider any applications without a CV attached.
We encourage applications from people of all backgrounds and aim to have a workforce that represents the communities we serve. Our data tells us that for this level of role, ethnic minorities are underrepresented and therefore we will use positive action to support us to achieve diverse shortlists. This may mean that recruitment times are a little longer, but we think this is worth it to achieve our aim.
Birmingham City Council is an accredited Disability Confident Leader employer, and we are committed to employing, retaining and developing all of our people.
We want to ensure your recruitment journey with us is a positive and equitable one, so please let us know if there are any reasonable adjustments, additional support, accessibility needs, or if there is any way in which we can support you through your application.
Proof of Right to work in the UK will be required for all applicants in accordance with UK Home Office requirements, before any employment offer can be confirmed.
Birmingham City Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our citizens and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. You can view our Corporate Safeguarding Policy | Birmingham City Council here.
Sponsorship is not available for this post. Applicants must have the right to work in the UK that does not require employer sponsorship for the duration of the appointment.
Job Description and Person Specification
