Operational Manager Street Scene in Barry

About Us

At the Vale of Glamorgan Council, we’re not simply delivering frontline services, we’re reshaping how people experience the places they live, work and visit. As part of our ambitious Vale 2030 Strategy, we are transforming Street Scene services to create cleaner streets, greener neighbourhoods and stronger, more connected communities across the Vale. This is an exciting and pivotal time to join us. The next few years will shape how visible frontline services operate across the Vale for the next decade and this role will play a central part in that transformation.

We’re one of Wales’s top-performing local authorities, but we’re ambitious to go further; modernising services, embracing innovation and working differently with communities to improve local environmental quality, resilience and pride in place. The Vale of Glamorgan offers an exceptional quality of life, combining vibrant towns, stunning coastline and rural communities with a strong sense of identity and belonging. As a Council, we’re proud to support our workforce through flexibility, wellbeing, learning and a culture grounded in our values of Open, Together, Proud and Ambitious.

Few leadership roles offer the opportunity to shape communities in such a visible and immediate way. The services you lead will directly influence how residents, businesses and visitors experience the Vale every single day. If you want to lead visible change, build pride in place and help shape the future of neighbourhood services, this is your opportunity.

About The Role

This is a rare opportunity to influence a major transformation at an early stage and leave a visible legacy across the Vale. As Operational Manager Street Scene, you will lead one of the Council’s most visible and community-impacting frontline portfolios, helping shape how residents and visitors experience the Vale every day. You’ll provide strategic and operational leadership across Street Scene and related neighbourhood services, leading large, diverse frontline teams and driving transformation across waste and recycling, cleansing, highways and visible environmental operations.

This is a high-profile leadership role operating across complex frontline services and high public visibility. You’ll work closely with elected members, communities, Town and Community Councils and partners to help shape a more proactive, place-based and community-connected approach to Street Scene. Success in this role will depend as much on how you lead people, culture and relationships as your operational expertise. You’ll create an environment where teams feel trusted, valued and motivated to deliver visible improvements communities genuinely notice.

This role is about:

• Leading people through change
• Building pride, accountability and performance
• Strengthening trust with communities and elected members
• Driving innovation and smarter delivery
• Creating cleaner, greener and more welcoming places

You’ll balance operational excellence with long-term transformation and sustainability, helping shape what Street Scene becomes for the future.

About You

We’re looking for an emotionally intelligent, values-led and strategically minded leader who can inspire people, navigate complexity and deliver meaningful change. You will:

• Lead people exceptionally well
• Build trust with teams, communities and elected members
• Think strategically while delivering practically
• Bring resilience, adaptability and political awareness
• Lead transformation in complex operational environments
• Use emotional intelligence to motivate, coach and inspire others

You may already work within Street Scene, waste, highways, environmental or other frontline operational services — but we’re equally interested in leaders who bring transferable leadership experience, strong people leadership and the ability to modernise services in complex environments. We know great leadership can come from different sectors and backgrounds. If you’re excited by the opportunity to lead visible change and shape communities across the Vale, we’d encourage you to explore the role, even if your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every service area.

This role brings challenge, visibility and complexity but also the opportunity to make a lasting difference to communities across the Vale. If you’re ready to lead with purpose and help shape the future of Street Scene, we’d love to hear from you.

In Return

In return, we offer:

• A high-impact senior leadership opportunity
• Flexibility and hybrid working
• Professional development and leadership support
• A supportive and ambitious leadership culture
• Opportunity to influence future service models
• The chance to leave a visible legacy across the Vale

Contact

We would like an informal conversation about the role, we’d encourage you to contact Colin Smith, Head of Neighbourhood Services to discuss the opportunity further. Email: CCSmith@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk Mobile: 07980 276559

Application Guidance

When applying, we’d particularly welcome cover letters that help us understand your leadership approach, your experience of leading people and services through change, and the impact you have delivered within complex environments. We recognise that strong leadership and transformation experience can come from a wide range of sectors and service backgrounds, so we’d encourage you to highlight transferable skills, achievements and experiences that demonstrate your ability to succeed in this role, even if your background does not align perfectly with every aspect of Street Scene or local government services.