Location
London Borough of Hackney

Hours
Full Time - Fixed-Term / Secondment Opportunity – 24 Months

Salary
£69,660 per annum

About the Role
Hackney is one of the most dynamic and progressive local authorities in the UK. We are a resilient, vibrant, and creative borough in the heart of London, with strong, diverse communities and a powerful set of shared values. Over the past twenty years, the Council has built up first-class services, outstanding public infrastructure, and a reputation for excellence, innovation, and ambition. We are leading the way on essential work such as our fight for equity in Hackney with a particular focus on becoming an actively anti-racist borough. We are proactive in our approach to bringing fairness to all aspects of life including gender, neurodiversity, and across the poverty divide.

Hackney Council is looking for an experienced and ambitious Operations Manager to build and lead the operational delivery of our Private Sector Housing and Property Licensing service. This is a significant leadership opportunity at the heart of one of London’s largest and most ambitious Private Sector Housing and Property Licensing programmes. You will lead a multi-disciplinary operational function responsible for licensing, inspections, enforcement, and wider Private Sector Housing Regulation, helping to ensure that residents across Hackney have access to safe, secure, and well-managed homes.

Hackney has recently introduced new Selective and Additional HMO Licensing schemes across much of the borough. We are now building the operational service required to deliver the next phase of this programme – establishing new teams, recruiting and developing our workforce, implementing new processes and ways of working, and creating a high-performing inspection, compliance, and enforcement function.

As Operations Manager, you will be at the centre of this transformation. You will establish and lead the operational structure, develop a team of managers, and build the capability needed to deliver a substantial programme of licensing, inspections, compliance, and enforcement.

You will provide operational leadership for the Council’s Private Sector Housing & Property Licensing teams, working within the service’s strategic direction to establish and deliver a new operating model across property licensing, compliance, enforcement, and wider Private Sector Housing. You will lead a team of managers and oversee key operational areas including licensing processing, compliance, and enforcement, both for non-licensable properties in the Private Rented Sector (including Registered Housing Providers) and targeted initiatives like Tall Building Fire Safety and Empty Properties, alongside high-quality customer service delivery.

This is a key role in establishing the new service. You will be responsible for turning the agreed operating model into effective day-to-day delivery, building team capability, embedding processes and standards, and ensuring that the service delivers consistently against its objectives.

This role offers the opportunity to build a service, lead change, shape operational practice, and make a real difference to housing standards and outcomes for Hackney residents.

Experience
- Well developed experience of Private Sector Housing, Housing Regulation, Public Health, Property Licensing or Environmental Health
- Strong technical knowledge of housing legislation, licensing, inspections, compliance, enforcement, and special projects related
- Proven experience of leading operational teams within a complex regulatory or public service environment
- Experience of managing managers and building high-performing multidisciplinary teams
- A track record of designing or improving services, implementing new operating models or leading significant organisational change
- Experience of developing operational processes, performance frameworks and quality standards
- Strong experience of managing budgets, resources, risk and performance
- The confidence and professional credibility to provide technical direction on complex regulatory matters
- Excellent judgement and the ability to make proportionate, evidence-based decisions in complex and sensitive situations
- Strong communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills
- The ability to build effective relationships with senior officers, elected Members, residents, landlords and partner organisations
- A genuine commitment to developing people and creating an inclusive, supportive and high-performing workplace.

About you
This role is for an experienced Private Sector Housing, Environmental Health or Regulatory Services professional who is ready to take on a significant operational leadership role. You will have the technical knowledge and operational experience to establish a new service, lead managers and ensure that regulatory activity is delivered effectively and consistently.

You will be committed to Hackney’s values of Purpose and Respect, Ownership, Unity and Diversity, fostering belonging through active inclusion, kindness, open dialogue, and championing anti-racist behaviour.

Qualifications
A relevant professional qualification in Environmental Health, Housing or a related discipline is essential.