Chief Executive LBHF625262

Hampshire Shared Services Partnership; Greater London; On-site; GBP 209,000 - 232,000; Full time

Job summary

Hammersmith & Fulham Council is seeking its next Chief Executive to lead the organisation and realise ambitious plans for the borough. The role demands strategic vision, strong financial stewardship and a collaborative approach with elected members, officers and external partners.

You will drive modernisation, service improvements and a culture of inclusive, evidence-based decision making to benefit residents and local businesses.

Qualifications

• Deep understanding of local government and public accountability.
• Ability to lead complex organisations and drive financial efficiency.
• Proven track record in building partnerships and delivering priority outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership to the council and senior officers.
• Strengthen services, modernise operations and deliver continuous improvement.
• Influence policy across government levels and build new opportunities for the borough.
• Ensure resident and business satisfaction informs service design and delivery.

Skills

Local government leadership

Strategic planning

Stakeholder engagement

Public-sector diplomacy

Job description

Job Details:

Salary range: £208,596 - £232,184 per annum
Work location: Civic Campus, 1 Unity Square, King Street, Hammersmith W6 9JU
Hours per week: 36
Contract type: Permanent
Vetting requirements: Enhanced DBS Check
Closing date: 5 November 2026
Contact details for an informal discussion: [e-mail]

About the role

Our next Chief Executive will share our ambition for H&F and bring the leadership needed to turn that ambition into results.

For some people, being told that something is “impossible” is the galvaniser for finding a way to make it happen. In Hammersmith & Fulham, that innovation mindset is the foundation of our council’s leadership culture.

If you share that attitude and have the skills and experience to deliver, you could be our next Chief Executive.

About H&F

H&F is a remarkable and beautiful place. Our council is ambitious to shape a better borough for all its citizens, with a determination to tackle the causes of deprivation in a borough ranked the 120th most deprived of England’s 296 local authority districts.

Despite a 54% real-terms government austerity cut between 2010 and 2024, the council’s “Ruthless Financial Efficiency” programme (introduced in 2014) has delivered a record £156 million in savings. Together with our approach to securing new resources through cooperative partnerships, this has enabled us to achieve some extraordinary results:

• Co-opting hundreds of employers to support local young people with H&F Pathway Bond career knowhow.
• Being a UK leader tackling the climate emergency.
• Winning record investment in youth facilities.
• Having the most CCTV in Britain and being the 1st to introduce cutting edge AI.
• Building some of the highest numbers of affordable homes in Britain.
• Becoming England’s only council to provide free adult home care.
• Curating London’s fastest-growing economy through our unique inclusive “Upstream London” Industrial Strategy, working in partnership with Imperial College London and other innovation districts around the world.

All that has been achieved is a consequence of a strong, collegiate and effective working relationship between the administration, our Chief Executive and the senior leadership team.

We are very grateful to Sharon Lea, who has spent the past eight years at H&F – five of those as our accomplished Chief Executive – as part of her 50-year career in public service. We are now looking for an equally exceptional successor who will build on these strong foundations and take H&F into its next chapter.

Our next Chief Executive

With the world changing faster than ever, our residents and businesses face new opportunities and new threats. Our next Chief Executive will share our ambition for H&F and bring the leadership needed to turn that ambition into results.

You will:

• Bring a comprehensive understanding of local government and lead our talented officers to strengthen H&F’s services, modernising the council to deliver continuous improvement and financial efficiencies.
• Maintain a relentless focus on the satisfaction of H&F’s residents and businesses, ensuring their experience shapes how we improve our services.
• Be a skilled ambassador for H&F, able to influence policy at all levels of government and build relationships that bring new opportunities to our borough.
• Work closely with H&F’s cooperative partners and political leadership, bringing fresh thinking and sound judgement to finding new ways to tackle the challenges ahead.

We already have a strong foundation of service delivery to build upon including:

• A top ‘C1’ rated Housing service (2026) with 99% of homes meeting the Decent Homes Standard.
• Children’s Services rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted (2026) for SEND and Youth Justice Service teams.
• An “ambitious and financially well-run organisation with a strong track‑record in commissioning and contract managing external services” as reported by a LGA Finance Peer Review team in 2025.

Twelve years ago, H&F set out to become Europe’s innovation-campus borough. A place where our citizens can access some of the best opportunities in the world with a council acting to curate rapid, inclusive economic growth across the careers of the future. Our ‘Tomorrow Made Here’ mission informs everything we do.

If you have the right blend of attributes to help us move to the next chapter, we would like to hear from you.

Please refer to the Role Profile for more information.

Our People Values:

How we act defines who we are. At the heart of our organisation is a common approach to defining ‘who we are’. We are looking for people who can build this into everything they do.

We are fair
We treat everyone with compassion, dignity and fairness. We value the views and opinion of others, and promote benefits and opportunities for all.

We are caring
We care about our borough and doing things well. We focus on standards and continuous improvement; learning from our mistakes and celebrating success.

We are collaborators
We work together for a better society. We work with our residents, businesses, schools, third sector and others for better outcomes for everyone.

We are driven
We will only settle for the very best. We seek to continually improve and put our residents, customers and businesses at the heart of everything we do.

Our commitment to you:

At H&F you will have access to a comprehensive total reward package as well as joining a flexible working employer and as such all staff can request flexible working Click HERE to find out more.

We believe an inclusive workplace is about the visibility and representation of our local diverse community - it is about open and transparent decision making co‑produced with staff and residents.

It is about respect for diversity and a shared identity that seeks to encourage fair and transparent recruitment, retention, and career progression. We take a proactive approach to equity, diversity, and inclusion so that it is part of the fabric of the Council with a shared understanding of the role all colleagues play in realising the inclusivity of the workplace. At H&F, our workplace ensures that everybody has equitable access to opportunities.

In order to combat discrimination, no unnecessary conditions or requirements will be applied which could have a disproportionately adverse effect on any one group. All sections of the population will have equitable access to jobs. No applicant or employee will receive less favourable treatment because of their age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage or civil partnership and pregnancy or maternity, unless a Genuine Occupational Qualification (GOQ) applies.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We expect all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment.

To explore more about the work we do towards being an inclusive employer and our commitments to achieve this please click HERE .

Asking for Adjustments

We are committed to removing barriers in the workplace and this includes adjustments throughout the recruitment process.

If you would like to discuss any adjustments or request the application form in a different format, please contact us at [e-mail] or by post to Civic Campus, 1 Unity Square, King Street, Hammersmith W6 9JU.

Hammersmith & Fulham Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We expect all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment.

Corporate Equalities Employment Policy: In order to combat discrimination, no unnecessary conditions or requirements will be applied which could have a disproportionately adverse effect on any one group. All sections of the population will have equal access to jobs. No applicant or employee will receive less favourable treatment because of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage or civil partnership and pregnancy or maternity, unless a Genuine Occupational Qualification (GOQ) applies.

We are a Disability Confident Employer – committed to ensuring that our recruitment and selection process is inclusive and accessible.