Location
London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham

Hours
Full Time

Salary
£111,514 per annum

About the Role
Protecting residents. Raising standards. Leading effective enforcement.

Hillingdon Council is seeking an accomplished and forward-thinking regulatory leader to become our new Head of Public Protection and Enforcement. This is a significant leadership opportunity at the heart of the Council’s Community Safety and Enforcement Service.

You will lead regulatory and enforcement functions across Environmental Health, Trading Standards, Licensing, Imported Food, Environmental Protection, and Private Sector Housing, ensuring these teams provide excellent services to residents and businesses in the Borough while meeting statutory responsibilities.

You will shape policy, strengthen operational delivery, and lead an intelligence-led, proactive service that protects residents from harm and maintains high standards across the borough. Working closely with elected members, senior officers, partner agencies, businesses, and residents, you will ensure enforcement is fair, proportionate, effective, and focused on achieving positive outcomes.

Reporting to the Director of Community Safety and Enforcement, you will provide strategic and operational leadership for a large, multidisciplinary service, with up to 10 direct reports and up to 125 indirect reports.

Your responsibilities will include:
- Leading and coordinating the Council’s Public Protection and Enforcement functions, identifying and controlling risks and ensuring compliance with statutory obligations.
- Developing and reviewing regulatory strategies, policies, service plans, and operational procedures.
- Providing authoritative advice to the Director, chief officers, and elected members on strategic, statutory, and operational matters.
- Maintaining a fair, robust, and effective approach to complex and specialist enforcement activity.
- Ensuring enforcement investigations, legal case files, and evidence meet required legal and professional standards.
- Leading service transformation and improvement programmes that deliver better outcomes for residents while responding effectively to financial and resource pressures.
- Establishing strong performance, quality-assurance, and risk-management systems that demonstrate compliance and support continuous improvement.
- Managing service budgets and identifying opportunities for efficiencies, sustainable income generation, and new ways of working.
- Building a skilled, resilient, and engaged workforce, with a clear focus on professional development, succession planning, and high performance.
- Representing the Council with government departments, regulators, emergency services, partner agencies, and regional and national professional networks.

The postholder will also oversee key statutory policy frameworks, including licensing and gambling policies, the Council’s Enforcement Policy, and relevant service delivery plans.

Experience
You will be an experienced senior leader with a successful track record managing diverse or multidisciplinary regulatory services, ideally within the public sector. Experience interpreting complex legislation and translating it into effective policy, operational practice, and measurable outcomes is essential. Experience of complex enforcement investigations involving legal frameworks such as RIPA and PACE, leading public consultations, or managing procurement and tender exercises would be advantageous.

About you
You will demonstrate continuous professional development and a commitment to leadership growth. You are comfortable making well-considered decisions, constructively challenging others when standards are at risk, and taking responsibility for delivering results. You combine professional credibility with a strong commitment to resident-focused services, equal access, continuous improvement, and collaborative working.

The role requires flexibility to work evenings and weekends when necessary, travel across the borough, and a valid UK driving licence with access to a vehicle.

Qualifications
Relevant professional qualifications and evidence of continuous leadership development are expected.