Head of Civil Contingencies and Organisational Resilience in London

About The Role

Are you passionate about protecting communities, building resilience and leading emergency preparedness?

We are looking for an exceptional Head of Civil Contingencies and Organisational Resilience to lead Islington Council’s approach to emergency planning, business continuity and organisational resilience.

This is a unique opportunity to make a direct impact on the safety and resilience of one of London’s most diverse and vibrant boroughs. As part of the Environment and Public Safety Senior Management Team, you will lead our statutory responsibilities under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, ensuring the council is prepared to respond effectively to emergencies, major incidents and emerging risks.

In this role you will be responsible for:

• Leading the council’s emergency planning, resilience and business continuity functions.
• Delivering our statutory duties as a Category 1 Responder under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004.
• Managing the council’s 24/7 corporate emergency response arrangements and supporting members of the Corporate Emergency Response Team.
• Leading multi-agency resilience partnerships and the borough’s resilience arrangements.
• Ensuring the council can effectively operate and manage during major incidents.
• Providing expert advice to senior leaders, elected members and partners on resilience, emergency response, business continuity and crisis management.
• Leading the council’s approach to counter-terrorism preparedness, including the Protect and Prepare agenda.
• Driving organisational learning through exercises, audits, testing and lessons learned activities.
• Developing community resilience programmes and supporting residents, businesses and partners to prepare for emergencies.
• Leading and developing a high-performing team responsible for civil contingencies and organisational resilience.

About you

You will have significant experience in emergency planning, disaster management, organisational resilience or business continuity, alongside a strong track record of leading teams and working effectively across complex partnerships.

You will bring:

• Extensive knowledge of emergency planning, business continuity and resilience legislation.
• Experience of incident management, exercising and testing emergency plans.
• Strong leadership, communication and influencing skills.
• The ability to build effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience of managing and developing teams in a complex operational environment.
• Excellent strategic thinking, risk assessment and project management capabilities.
• The ability to remain calm, decisive and focused during incidents and emergencies.
• A commitment to public service and keeping communities safe.

This role forms part of the council’s strategic response arrangements and requires participation in an out-of-hours emergency response rota, with the ability to attend incidents within the borough when required. The successful candidate will be required to obtain Non-Police Personnel Vetting (Level 2 Counter Terrorism Clearance).

At Islington, we are committed to challenging inequality, strengthening communities and creating a more resilient future for everyone who lives, works and visits our borough. If you are ready to lead in a role that truly makes a difference, we would love to hear from you.

For more information please contact:

Besserat Atsebaha, Director of Environment and Public Safety

Closing date:

Wednesday 28th October 2026 at 23:59

Company: Islington London Borough Council

Salary: £78,195 – £82,257

Location: London (Greater), London (Greater)

Sector: Corporate Services

Sector: Corporate Management Team

Sector: Regeneration and Local Economies

Job Role: Head of Service

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