Strong, inclusive, transformational leadership is at the heart of our change-making vision to build a better Merton - and to ensure it is properly realised for the people who live and work here.
We’re on the look-out for ambitious leaders to engage and motivate teams across the council and take forward our set of genuinely exciting plans for the borough – some of the most inspirational and aspirational in the region.
In return, we offer strong salaries; good rewards; as well as a development package.
On this page
Welcome message from Hannah Doody, Chief Executive of Merton Council
It couldn’t be a more exciting time to come and work as a leader at Merton Council, and we’re searching for the very best people to join us.
I have formed a brand-new senior leadership team who bring diversity of thought and experience to reinvigorate an organisation that has some of the boldest transformation plans in south London.
We are driven by a set of shared goals: to generate civic pride, to build a sustainable future and to create a Borough of Sport. And we will also now coalesce around a set of new values to make sure we are truly working as Merton united.
We’re looking for leaders who are passionate about the transformative value of excellent public service; who are creative and bold in thought and action; and who have the dynamism and vision to take forward and build on the ambitions of a council determined to unlock the best of the borough.
With the right team in place, I know we can continue to make Merton a great place to live and work in.
And in return I promise that we will nurture your talent: we will give you the space to create and innovate; and we will work hard to support and develop you in what promises to one of the most exciting jobs in local government today.
Welcome message from Cllr Ross Garrod, Council Leader
Merton has always been my home and I know just how special this borough in south-west London is – home to a growing population of 215,000 residents.
I’m proud of our diverse communities and safe neighbourhoods; I love our expanse of award-winning parks and green spaces; I’m delighted that our schools are some of the very best in the country; and I am excited by the growing cultural scenes taking root in all corners of our borough.
But there is work to be done to turn great into exceptional. It’s what Merton, the place, and Merton, the people, want and deserve. That’s why my administration has some of the most ambitious plans in the region – designed not only to improve the lives of our residents but to truly put Merton on the map.
My vision is to build a better Merton. I want to invigorate some of the borough’s tired high streets with multimillion regeneration and placemaking plans; I’ll be investing in sporting infrastructure for all and crafting ground-breaking policy – to create London’s first and only Borough of Sport – so everyone can benefit from the legacy of the national and international tournaments that take place here; and I’ll be building a new generation of eco council homes to ensure the borough’s future is sustainable.
We now need the best and brightest talent in local government to push the boundaries, to challenge the status quo, and help make this vision a reality.
Current senior leadership vacancies
Director of Children’s Social Care and Youth Inclusion (Children, Lifelong Learning and Families) - circa £116,319
Merton Council serves our communities to create a place where children and young people feel they belong, stay safe and can thrive.
Now the council is seeking an exceptional children's social care professional to lead and transform a portfolio of critical services to deliver this vision for our children and young people.
You will shape the Social Care and Youth Inclusion division to ensure Merton is a place where children and young people feel they belong, stay safe and can thrive.
You will seek to transform service and make continuous improvements to a portfolio that includes child protection and safeguarding; adoption and fostering; looked-after services; specialist family support services; and integrated youth services.
You will:
- Lead the transformation of our social care service so that it continues to build from a strong base of high performance
- Support delivery of strategic plans and priorities as well as council, departmental and service business plans.
- In conjunction with partners across the public and voluntary sectors, shape and deliver child centred services that keep children and young people safe.
- Work closely with the Council’s political leadership, opposition and scrutiny to develop, improve and report on service performance
- Provide inspirational leadership of staff, partnerships and projects that secure delivery of Merton’s priorities for residents.
You will need to show you are able to bring strategic leadership, operational grip and professional expertise to a complex and broad set of services that carry significant political visibility and contribute to vital organisational priorities.
A qualified social worker, you will bring a track record of successful leadership of a comparable range of services in complex public sector organisations, either at Head of Service or Assistant Director level. You will be able to demonstrate how you have used your expertise to improve services and partnerships that help keep children and young people safe.
You will be a leader in an authority with a history of long-term and sustained improvement at a time when the organisation is taking forward some of the most inspirational and aspirational plans in South London.
Director of Strategy, Commissioning and Partnerships (Children, Lifelong Learning and Families) - circa £116,319
Merton Council is looking for an exceptional individual to lead its Children’s Strategy, Commissioning and Partnerships portfolio at a time of rapid change and in an increasingly challenging children’s portfolio policy environment.
You will lead and shape the division, transforming and continuously improving, to ensure the council’s high-achieving children’s and family service maintains its sustained improvement trajectory and continues to give the very best life to the borough's children and young people.
You will:
- Ensure the effective delivery of all operational services under your line management, including commissioning, policy performance and partnerships, school’s organisation and contracts, SEND transport and the administrative functions of the Merton Safeguarding Children's Partnership
- Ensure oversight of reporting and monitoring of the council’s Safety Valve Plan and lead for CLLF on all the statutory reporting and inspection planning for all statutory returns and inspection frameworks
- Support delivery of the MSCP’s and council’s strategic plans and priorities; the council’s Children’s and Young People’s (CYP) Plan; the Safeguarding Partnership Business Plan; and council and departmental and service business plans.
- Develop and deliver joint working with health, including the Integrated Care Board and health providers and be the department’s lead contact with health partners.
- Develop and deliver national and local performance measures to improve the impact of and services for children and young people in line with the local CYP Plan and partnership arrangements, including the delivery of relevant statutory requirements.
In this role you will need to show you are able to bring strategic leadership, operational grip and professional expertise to a complex and broad portfolio of services that carry significant political visibility and contribute to vital organisational priorities including delivering the council’s Safety Valve Programme and delivering greater integration with children’s health commissioning.
This is a significant leadership role in an authority with a history of long-term improvement, grounded in successful collaboration across our partnerships. Your ability to quickly build trusted relationships, based on your professional credibility and personal integrity will be essential.
Director of Adult Social Care Operations – circa £116,319
Merton Council is looking for an exceptional individual to lead its Adult Social Care Operations portfolio.
You will put the borough’s vulnerable residents front and centre of everything you do: ensuring they are able to live their lives in the way that they want to.
This is a time of rapid change in Merton Council but also significant ambition, and we’re looking for a leader who can motivate, inspire and drive transformation at pace and with passion - but always with care and empathy.
You will lead and shape the Adult Social Care division, transforming and continuously improving a portfolio that includes: adult social care; adult safeguarding; hospital discharge and provider services.
This role is pivotal in enabling the council to meet its commitment to securing quality services for residents and supporting choices for people to live independently in the community.
You will need to show you are able to bring strategic leadership, operational grip and professional expertise to a complex and broad portfolio that carries significant political visibility and contribute to vital organisational priorities.
You will create and lead a five-year transformation and change plan for your directorate, ensuring it reflects national best practice, prepares for the care quality assurance process, and propels service improvement, while working within a challenging financial environment.
You will:
- Ensure that the council meets its statutory responsibilities for adult social care.
- Lead the process of responding to people’s needs, including assessment, review, safeguarding, brokerage, financial assessment and the allocation of a personal budget.
- Ensure professional practice complies with required national standards.
- Provide senior management leadership to discussions and negotiations with the local integrated care.
- Lead on negotiations about pooled budgets including the Better Care Fund.
You will have significant experience of managing a complex social care and health front line service within a local authority - or equivalent organisation - and will understand how operations, commissioning and partners need to work together to deliver sustainable services.
Your ability to quickly build trusted relationships, based on your professional credibility and personal integrity, will be essential.
Director of Commercialisation – circa £116,319
Merton Council is looking for an exceptional director to develop and deliver an innovative commercial programme, to help build a council and borough that’s fit for the future.
Merton is embarking on a programme of significant and ambitious investment, from building the first council houses in a generation to re-imagining our town centres. To reach these goals, Merton needs a sector-leading procurement service, a team that you will lead to forge new partnerships, provide expert counsel and help shape strategies at both a council and department level.
While you’ll be directly responsible for a gross revenue expenditure budget of £1.4m, you will also influence the Council’s spend of around £650m. You’ll embed a commercial culture at Merton, that ensures value for money, rigorous procurement and enables services to achieve their strategic aims.
From shaping delivery models in high-profile frontline services, to acting as a trusted advisor within our council-wide change programme – you will have the extensive commercial knowledge and relationship-building skills to guide strategic decision-making at all levels of the council.
You will:
- Develop a commercial strategy to meet the ambitions of the council, and the borough.
- Embed a commercial culture across the organisation using a suite of innovative interventions and engagement techniques
- Identify new investment opportunities and realise them
- Work collaboratively to help realise the council's ambitious Housing and Regeneration ambition
- Be the strategic lead for procurement and optimise third-party spend
- Lead the modernisation of transactional services
You will have experience of delivering results through organisation-wide commercial programmes in large and complex organisations.
Your track record will show how you’ve previously leveraged innovative procurement and contract management solutions to meet organisational needs and demonstrate value for money.
You’ll be an excellent relationship builder, as adept at managing a team of multi-disciplinary procurement experts as you are working shoulder to shoulder with operational leaders and fellow directors.