Principal Programme Officer - Social Value

Why Southwark?

This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced Social Value professional to lead the implementation of Social Value across Southwark council, shaping how £650 million of annual spend is used to create opportunities for local people, strengthen communities and contribute to a more sustainable borough.

Here’s why this role stands out:

• Influence social value strategy and decision making across the whole council, not just reporting
• Deliver visible, real-world impact for Southwark’s diverse communities
• Grow and develop your leadership skills within a senior, strategic role

What You'll Be Doing

Your Mission: Deliver Social Value with Purpose

• Manage a team responsible for delivering the council's Social Value approach and Living Wage programme
• Provide Social Value advice to commissioners and procurement managers across the organisation.
• Lead a high-profile, growing Social Value programme with strong organisational backing.
• Work directly with government departments, cabinet members, suppliers, community organisations and partners to turn commitments into tangible outcomes.
• Strong understanding of local government context, including procurement and Social Value policies
• Drive high-quality delivery and ensure that Social Value initiatives achieve measurable impact across our borough.

What We're Looking For

We need a dynamic and experienced Social Value professional who is passionate about putting communities at the heart of everything you do and will bring a blend of the following:

• Strategic leadership, embedding frameworks, strategies or policies across complex organisations
• People management, setting objectives and driving team performance
• Programme and project management across multiple workstreams, governance and delivery milestones
• Strong influencing and advisory skills with senior officers and decision-makers
• Monitoring and reporting using Social Value frameworks (e.g., TOMs)
• Analytical skills, working with complex data to assess impact and improve outcomes
• Attention to detail, ensuring accuracy, compliance and consistency
• Partnership working with suppliers, VCS organisations and other stakeholders
• Flexibility to blend home working with on-site collaboration at our vibrant London Bridge HQ.

Additional Information

About Southwark Council

Southwark Council is the largest local authority social landlord in London, managing 55,000 homes lived in by 40% of Southwark’s residents. We are home to over 18,300 businesses including iconic London venues such as The Shard, The Tate Modern and Borough Market along with many social enterprises and we have a young, diverse, and growing population.

At Southwark we are committed to making our borough just and fair and are taking positive action to tackle inequalities. Our residents and communities are our greatest asset and the passion we have for Southwark is shared by millions of Londoners who enjoy our outstanding cultural offer, use our hospitals and attend our universities.

Our refreshed borough plan and focus on Southwark Stands Together, (which is our work with Southwark’s communities and the council’s staff to tackle racism, injustice and inequality) underpins all that we do.

Benefits and more information:

https://jobs.southwark.gov.uk/why-us/

Salary Range: £54,360 - £61,686

Recruitment timetable:

Application Closing Date: 11.59pm on 15th of February 2026

Interview Date: 11th of March 2026

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 initiative. We particularly welcome applications from members of the black, Asian and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management level in the Council.

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

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Attachments

• Job Description & Person Specification