Principal Licensing Officer

Why Southwark?

Southwark is a vibrant, diverse, and ambitious borough at the heart of London. As the capital’s largest social landlord, we manage 55,000 homes, home to 40% of our residents. We're proud to support over 18,300 businesses, from landmark venues to local enterprises, and serve a young and growing population.

At Southwark, our work is underpinned by a strong commitment to equality, fairness, and community-led change. Our Southwark Stands Together initiative brings residents and staff together to address racism, injustice and inequality and our Borough Plan ensures we deliver for all communities with integrity and ambition.
This is your chance to join a council that is bold, forward-thinking, and driven by social impact.

What You'll Be Doing

An exciting opportunity has arisen in our Licensing Team for a Principal Enforcement Officer to lead the delivery of our commercial licensing service covering applications, enforcement, and policy implementation.

You’ll be responsible for a wide range of licensing areas, including:
• Sale of alcohol and public entertainment
• Gambling premises
• Special treatment premises
• Civil wedding venues
• Animal welfare licensing
• Fireworks and explosives

You’ll manage a skilled team of officers, oversee complex enforcement cases, and work closely with internal departments, external agencies, and community stakeholders. This is a senior role where your regulatory knowledge, leadership and judgement will shape how we support local businesses and protect public safety including overseeing the Nighttime Economy Police and Council service.

What We're Looking For

We’re looking for an experienced and driven regulatory professional with significant expertise in licensing law, policy and enforcement. You’ll be confident managing contentious issues, interpreting complex legislation and working across services to deliver high standards of customer care.

Key qualities and experience we’re seeking:
• Substantial knowledge of licensing legislation and regulatory frameworks
• Experience managing or supervising staff and supporting their development
• Proven ability to handle legal documentation and enforcement casework
• Skilled in partnership working, decision-making and problem-solving
• A clear communicator with confidence to represent the council at hearings and meetings

This role, ideal for someone ready to make a strong, immediate impact. If you thrive in a fast-paced regulatory environment and are passionate about public service, we’d love to hear from you.

Additional Information

Closing date: Sunday 10 August 2025

Interviews: W/c 25 August 2025

Guaranteed Interview Scheme:

As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role, and identify with one of the below criteria:

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care, or have previously been in care
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition

We are an organisation who is passionate about our people and understands that richness of diversity is a requirement to provide the best possible services to our communities. This is demonstrated through our council-wide ambitious commitment to tackle racial inequality in our communities and workforce through our Southwark Stands Together programme. We particularly welcome applications from members of the Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management level in the Council.

Attachments

• Click here to view the Job description and Person specification