Head of Service – Community Safety in Oldbury

Sandwell Council’s Environment & Public Protection Division is seeking a Head of Service – Community Safety to join its established team. As Head of Service, you will provide strategic and operational leadership for designated service areas, ensuring delivery aligns with the Council Plan and wider corporate priorities. You will lead service planning, performance improvement and transformation, manage significant budgets, and provide high‑level professional advice to senior officers, Cabinet Members and elected members.

Working collaboratively across the organisation, you will contribute to corporate strategy, lead cross‑council initiatives, and deputise for the Service Director as required to ensure effective, efficient and customer‑focused service delivery.

In this role you will:

• Provide high‑level professional advice to the Council, Cabinet Members and senior leaders on community safety, resilience and public protection, preparing and presenting clear, evidence‑based reports.
• Act as the Council’s lead officer for the statutory Community Safety Partnership, coordinating effective multi‑agency working with key partners including West Midlands Police, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, and the Violence Reduction Partnership.
• Lead the Council’s response to antisocial behaviour, ensuring effective operational delivery and joined‑up planning with partner agencies.
• Manage the effective deployment of the Borough Patrolling Service, supporting public protection and community safety across the borough, including enforcement activity relating to untaxed and abandoned vehicles.
• Develop and deliver a range of community safety initiatives that raise awareness, strengthen prevention and support safer communities.
• Lead the development and delivery of the Safer Sandwell Partnership Community Safety Strategy, addressing key areas including antisocial behaviour, hate crime, modern slavery and exploitation, extremism, domestic abuse and sexual violence, and serious violence.
• Manage the Council’s CCTV and Concierge services, working closely with Housing and enforcement colleagues to support community safety outcomes.
• Ensure delivery of a comprehensive emergency planning and resilience function, including training, exercising and on‑call arrangements, enabling the Council to meet its duties as a Category 1 responder under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004.
• Discharge the Council’s statutory Prevent duty, ensuring compliance with Home Office requirements and best practice.
• Provide expert advice on new and emerging community safety and public protection legislation and policy.
• Lead and support managers through effective performance management, adopting a high‑support / high‑challenge approach that drives accountability and improvement.
• Ensure robust financial and resource management, delivering agreed outcomes and performance targets on time and within budget.
• Represent the Council externally, building strong partnerships and enhancing the Council’s profile regionally and nationally.
• Champion health, safety, wellbeing, equality, diversity and inclusion, consistently modelling the highest standards of professionalism and public service leadership.

Attributes that you would bring to the role:

• Senior leadership experience within community safety, public protection, emergency planning or a similarly complex, partnership‑driven environment.
• A strong understanding of community safety legislation and policy, including antisocial behaviour, Prevent, serious violence and safeguarding‑related agendas.
• Proven ability to lead and coordinate multi‑agency partnerships and statutory boards, influencing effectively across organisational boundaries.
• Experience of developing and delivering strategic plans and initiatives that improve community outcomes and reduce risk.
• Confidence and credibility in advising elected members and senior leaders on complex, sensitive and high‑profile issues.
• Strong operational leadership capability, including oversight of enforcement, CCTV, emergency planning or response‑based services.
• Sound financial and performance management skills, with experience of delivering outcomes within agreed budgets and governance frameworks.
• A people‑centred leadership style, with a track record of engaging, motivating and developing managers and teams.
• High levels of integrity, resilience and sound judgement, reflecting the standards expected of senior public office holders.
• A clear commitment to the Council’s values, the ‘One Team’ culture and being a visible champion for change, collaboration and continuous improvement.

Why Sandwell Council? At Sandwell Council, our work has a real impact. We are proud to be a values‑led organisation that supports its employees with excellent benefits, a competitive remuneration package, and a strong focus on development. By joining us, you’ll play a key role in delivering services that make a real and lasting difference to thousands of people across the borough.

We place equality, diversity and inclusion at the core of who we are and how we lead, where every voice matters. At Sandwell, we recognise and value the richness that comes from diverse lived experiences, perspectives, backgrounds and identities. This diversity makes us a stronger and more effective council. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and are committed to building a workplace where everyone feels they belong, are treated fairly, and have the opportunity to thrive.

Creating an environment where colleagues feel respected, supported and able to contribute fully is central to our culture and the way we work. We are committed to ensuring that all applicants and employees have equitable access to opportunities. Reasonable adjustments are available throughout the recruitment process and within the workplace so that everyone has the support they need to perform at their best and succeed in their role.