Director of Transformation - Corp / Digitial

 

Pay rate is negotiable for the right candidate

Must have local authority experience

 

DEPARTMENT: Strategy and Communities

REPORTS TO: Assistant Chief Executive - Strategy and Communities

PURPOSE OF THE JOB

•  To lead and deliver the Council's corporate transformation agenda, ensuring the organisation is financially sustainable, digitally enabled, resident-focused and outcome-driven.
•  The Director of Change will design and implement large-scale organisational change programmes aligned to the Corporate Strategy, Council Delivery Plan and Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS), enabling modern, efficient services that respond to the needs of Southwark's communities.
•  The post holder will ensure that the Chief Executive, Cabinet and Corporate Management Team are supported to transform the organisation, using an array of programme and innovation tools to deliver, measure progress and realise benefits to the council and communities.
•  The postholder will provide strategic leadership across the organisation, operating within a complex political environment and contributing to whole-Council priorities, while reporting to and working under the strategic direction of the Assistant Chief Executive.

 

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES

1. Corporate Transformation Strategy

- Develop and deliver a comprehensive Transformation Strategy aligned to the Corporate Strategy and MTFS.

- Lead redesign of services to improve outcomes, reduce demand, and deliver sustainable savings.

- Ensure transformation programmes support the Council's priorities including prevention, climate resilience, equality and inclusive growth.

- Provide strategic advice on transformation to the Chief Executive and members of the Council's corporate management Team.

- To work in partnership with teams across the council to deliver lasting transformation.

- To be accountable for delivery of the transformation programme.

2. Programme Leadership & Governance

- Establish and maintain a robust corporate Programme Management Office (PMO).

- Ensure strong governance, risk management, assurance and benefits realisation across all transformation programmes.

- Lead major cross-cutting change initiatives (e.g. digital transformation, customer access redesign, data strategy, automation, workforce redesign).

- Ensure transformation programmes deliver agreed financial savings and service performance improvements.

3. Digital, Data & Innovation

- Provide strategic oversight of digital and technology-enabled change.

- Champion modern, accessible, digital-first services that reduce inequality and improve resident experience.

- Ensure cyber security, information governance and regulatory compliance are embedded in all programmes.

4. Financial Sustainability

- Deliver recurring MTFS savings through service redesign, demand management and innovation.

- Work closely with Finance to ensure transformation programmes are financially robust and deliverable, and benefits can be measured.

- Develop invest-to-save proposals and business cases for change.

5. Organisational Development & Culture

- Lead cultural and behavioural change to embed continuous improvement and high performance.

- Support workforce modernisation and new ways of working.

- Ensure effective engagement with staff and trade unions during change processes.

6. Political & Partnership Working

- Operate effectively within the political governance arrangements and decision making.

- Build strong relationships with Cabinet Members, Scrutiny, and Opposition Members as required.

Statutory & Corporate Responsibilities (JNC Chief Officer)

- Act in accordance with the Council's Constitution and governance framework.

- Uphold the highest standards of conduct and probity.

- Promote equality, diversity and inclusion in service delivery and employment.

- Ensure compliance with statutory duties, including Public Sector Equality Duty and data protection legislation.

- Contribute to corporate initiatives and cross-directorate working as required by the Assistant Chief Executive.

Accountabilities

- Is accountable to the Assistant Chief Executive.

- Leads corporate transformation programmes but does not hold statutory Chief Officer responsibilities.

- Is not a member of the Corporate Management Board but will attend as required.

- Exercises delegated authority in accordance with the Council's Constitution and Scheme of Delegation.

JOB CONTEXT

Southwark Council provides services to a diverse community of in excess of 300,000 people, in inner London. A dynamic and vibrant part of London, Southwark has challenges in terms of having areas of economic deprivation and social inequality alongside areas of large-scale physical, social and economic growth that has over the last quarter of a century revitalised significant parts of the borough.

The Council, in addition to being an organisation delivering a wide variety of services, many via its own 4,500 strong workforce utilising an annual revenue spend of over £300m, is also the largest landlord for social housing in London and one of the largest in the country.

The aim of the Council is to provide high quality, accessible, cost-effective services to all sections of the community, seeking to help each resident be able to realise their own potential, and seek to make Southwark as a place more equal, challenging within society all forms of discrimination and racism.

To achieve its aims the Council needs to communicate effectively with a wider variety of audiences on the work and plans of the Council for the community: this includes not only those who live and work in Southwark as a place but strategic partners, including the Mayor's office, GLA, the health service, business and commerce and central government to name a few.

The Leader and Cabinet form the political, strategic and civic leadership of the Council holding accountability to the electorate of Southwark for delivery of effective and efficient Councils services (including statutory services); allied with delivery of the majority groups political programme objectives for the benefit of the population of the borough.

To support the Councils objectives and service delivery the Council needs to develop a framework of policy to provide structure and direction for the organisation. This will cover the whole spectrum of Council work and will need to be flexible enough to allow for review, revision and creation of new policy as required.

Southwark 2030 and the Council Delivery Plan are informed by innovation, intelligence, strategy expertise and resident and community-led approaches to ensure there is a strong evidence base which to make decisions and to measure impact. This, alongside collaborative partnership working, will be critical to the successful delivery of local priorities.