Welcome from the Director
This is an exciting opportunity to join a service undergoing one of the most ambitious transformation programmes in local government. We are redesigning our services, reshaping our culture and building a new leadership team to create a sector-leading Housing Options and Homelessness Division that delivers outstanding outcomes for residents.
Our vision is to be a collaborative, trauma-informed and resident-focused service, working alongside housing, health, children's services, adult social care and community partners to deliver support that is compassionate, transparent and centred on resident needs. Our mission is to prevent homelessness wherever possible, end rough sleeping and ensure residents have access to suitable housing and support when they need it most. Our ambition is to be sector leading.
We are determined to move from managing the consequences of homelessness to preventing it. This means investing in upstream early intervention, strengthening partnerships, embracing innovation and autonomy, improving resident experience and creating a culture of learning, accountability and continuous improvement.
The scale of the challenge is significant. Tower Hamlets currently supports more than 3,100 households in temporary accommodation, manages a housing register of over 31,000 households and faces increasing demand for homelessness services alongside rising financial pressures.
Yet with challenge comes opportunity. Through our transformation programme, we have already delivered substantial savings, reduced administrative burdens, improved performance management and established the foundations for a new prevention-focused operating model.
The Strategic Lead roles are central to the next phase of this journey. We are looking for exceptional leaders who are ambitious for residents, passionate about public service and capable of leading large-scale change. You will help shape strategy, develop high- performing teams, strengthen partnerships and drive innovation across some of the most important services the Council provides.
In return, you will have the opportunity to influence the future of homelessness services in one of London's most diverse and dynamic boroughs, working with talented colleagues who share a commitment to improving lives and delivering lasting change.
If you are motivated by purpose, inspired by transformation and excited by the opportunity to make a genuine difference to residents and communities, we would be delighted to receive your application.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Jennifer Wynter
Director of Housing Options and
Homelessness London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Tower Hamlets
- At a Glance
69%
of residents say they trust Tower Hamlets Council.
2 million
Free secondary school meals delivered
1,492
Affordable rental homes completed since 2022
91%
Say people from different backgrounds get on well
8,000
New homes approved in the last year
83%
Satisfied with Tower Hamlets as a place to live.
Terms and Conditions
Position:
Strategic Lead
- Divisional Reporting and Assurance
- Homelessness, Rough Sleeping and Supported Accommodation
Salary & Reward Package:
The annual remuneration for the role is £87,249 to £95,382
Grade: P
We offer an excellent LGPS pension and contributions vary by grade. Full details of the pay bands and contribution rates are available on the LGPS member’s website.
There is a comprehensive support and wellbeing package that is available to all staff. This includes access to a virtual GP service 24/7. There is also a death in service scheme of three times annual salary linked to the pension scheme.
Flexible Working & Location:
Through its range of family-friendly policies, the council seeks to ensure that employees achieve improved work life balance. These include:
• Reduced hours
• Term time working
• Job sharing
• Part-time working
• Career break scheme
• Extended leave scheme.
The policies apply to all posts unless an assessment shows that there would be implications for service delivery.
Location: Tower Hamlets Town Hall, 160 Whitechapel Road,
London, E1 1BJ
Annual leave entitlement:
The following entitlements are based on a five day (35 hour) working week.
|
Grade |
Entitlement (days) |
Christmas days |
Total |
|
Grade F and above |
29 |
3 |
32 days |
No matter the length of service, staff are entitled to three days paid leave (known as Christmas days) which must be taken over the Christmas period. The council decides the dates of these Christmas days.
Staff who have completed five years’ continuous service with a public authority will receive an extra four days (28 hours) annual leave.
New entrants are entitled to annual leave in proportion to completed actual days worked during the leave year of entry.
Where staff work less than 35 hours per week, leave entitlements will be pro rata to the number of hours worked.
Probation & Notice
There is a minimum probationary
Key Dates
Closing date Friday 30th October 2026
The longlist will be agreed and we will be in touch to let you know the
outcome of your application from w/c 2nd November 2026
Interviews: Friday 13th November 2026 | in person at Tower Hamlets offices
Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed by a Tower Hamlets and
Campbell Tickell panel.
We will be in touch to let you know the outcome of the shortlist selection process w/c 9th November 2026.
The interview will be led by Jennifer Wynter, Director of Housing Options and Homelessness, and a Tower Hamlets panel, with Alice Morris from Campbell Tickell. If you cannot attend on any of the published dates, please speak to Campbell Tickell before applying.
How to apply
Thank you very much for your interest in the Strategic Lead role at Tower Hamlets. In order to apply, we will need the following from you:
- A CV. Make sure this confirms your current/most recent roles (you can sum up earlier roles, say before the last 15 years), tell us about your achievements so we get a picture of your skills
and experience, and try to keep it to two
pages or three at most;
- A personal statement. We want to hear about your motivation, why this role/organisation, and you will also want to evidence how relevant your offer is to the role specification; again ideally
in two to three pages; and - the declaration form, which you can access here and includes space to indicate if you cannot attend any of the interview dates.
- Please submit your completed application documents by uploading via the ‘Apply for this role’ button. You will receive an email confirmation and see an on-screen confirmation message after submitting your application, but if
you have any issues, you can
call 020 3434 0990.
The closing date is Friday 30th October 2026 (9am). Please ensure we receive your application in good time. If you have any questions about the role, please do not hesitate to contact me via email at alice.morris@campbelltickell.com