Assistant Director of Resident Experience

This is a rare opportunity to provide strategic leadership for how residents access, experience and engage with Southwark's services. Southwark is a dynamic London borough serving over 300,000 residents with diverse needs and as Assistant Director of Resident Experience, reporting to the Director of Digital and Resident Experience, you will lead the Council's resident experience, digital access and channel strategy, ensuring services are accessible, inclusive and responsive while aligning to wider organisational priorities.

You will shape and lead the Council's digital channels and resident facing platforms, lead service design and resident insight activity, and ensure technology enabled services improve access, satisfaction and outcomes. You'll lead the development of a Transformation Programme to support a more connected, personalised and proactive service to residents, businesses and visitors, working alongside the Assistant Directors for Innovation and Change and for Technology Operations and Security to ensure the resident perspective shapes digital, data and technology decisions.

External candidates: If you are interested in applying for this position, please apply via our recruitment partner, Allen Lane, using the microsite link below.

Please do not use the 'as external applications are being managed by Allen Lane and applications submitted through this button will not be accepted.

Internal candidates: If you are a current council employee, please continue to apply using the ' on this page.

Southwark's Digital and Resident Experience service is newly formed, and this is a genuinely exciting opportunity to shape and build the structure of this function.

In this role, you will:

• Lead the Council's resident experience and digital channel strategy, ensuring residents can access services through inclusive, user-centred and effective channels that align with corporate priorities.
• Own the design, development and continuous improvement of resident facing digital channels and customer platforms, ensuring they are accessible, effective and responsive to resident needs.
• Lead resident engagement, insight and service design activity, embedding user research, co-design and evidence-led improvement into service transformation.
• Develop and govern a Council wide approach to measuring resident experience and customer satisfaction, using insight, feedback, analytics and service data to inform continuous improvement.
• Shape the Council's digital access model across web, mobile and face-to-face contact channels and emerging AI-enabled interfaces, ensuring consistent and accessible resident experiences.
• Lead and develop multidisciplinary teams across resident experience, digital channels, engagement and service design, with delegated responsibility for significant operational and capital investment programmes and approval authority for substantial expenditure.

We're seeking a strategic, resident focused leader who brings:

• A deep understanding of resident experience, digital engagement and service design principles, sufficient to set strategic direction and standards across resident facing services.
• In-depth knowledge of digital channels, web platforms, contact models and emerging digital interaction technologies, including how to deliver accessible, inclusive and effective services.
• A passion for innovation and a track record of putting it into practice, including the responsible use of AI, chatbots, virtual assistants and automation to improve how residents get help, underpinned by strong service design and user research so that new technology makes services simpler, more accessible and more personal for residents.
• Significant experience leading resident experience, digital channels, customer access or resident engagement functions in a complex organisation and leading digital transformation or service redesign programmes that deliver measurable benefits.
• Significant experience of senior level leadership of multidisciplinary teams, setting direction, standards and expectations across resident facing services.
• Extensive experience managing significant budgets, programmes or service investments with strong financial control and measurable outcomes; experience within local government or the public sector is desirable.
• Strong leadership, communication, stakeholder engagement and influencing skills, with a collaborative and inclusive leadership style that promotes accessibility and innovation.

To be considered for interview, you will be asked to submit your CV and a supporting statement (no more than two sides of A4) demonstrating how you meet the key criteria outlined in the attached Job Description and Person Specification.

• Internal Staff: For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Naseem Golamgouse via email at Naseem.Golamgouse@southwark.gov.uk
• External Candidates: For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Chris Hatcher via email at chrishatcher@allenlane.co.uk
• Working Hours: 36 hours per week (Monday to Friday)
• Location: 160 Tooley Street, London SE1 2QH
• Type of contract: Permanent

https://jobs.southwark.gov.uk/why-us/

• Advert close date: 11:59pm on Monday 19th October 2026
• Shortlisting date/s: week commencing 2nd November 2026
• Interview date/s: week commencing 9th November 2026

The closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy once a sufficient number of applications has been received. We strongly advise you to complete your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

We are an organisation who is passionate about our people and understands that richness of diversity is a requirement to provide the best possible services to our communities. This is demonstrated through our council-wide ambitious commitment to tackle racial inequality in our communities and workforce through our Southwark Stands Together initiative. We particularly welcome applications from members of the black, Asian and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management level in the Council.

As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role, and identify with one of the below criteria:

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care, or have previously been in care
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition