Assistant Director – Resourcing & Operations

SMG2: Salary starting at £85,175 pa incl. LW rising in yearly increments to £101,934 pa

Full time/Permanent

Location: London (Hybrid Working)

About Us:

Located in the heart of South London, Lambeth Borough is a vibrant community of over 317,600 residents. Stretching from the dynamic neighbourhood of Streatham in the South to the iconic landmarks of Waterloo in the North, we are proud to be the 9th largest borough in London. Our diversity is our strength, with more than 130 languages spoken, making Lambeth the home of the Windrush generation, London's largest LGBTQ+ community, and a thriving Portuguese-speaking community.

It is an exciting time to join Lambeth Council, we have bold ambitions for the future of Lambeth’s communities and residents through our Lambeth 2030 Plan ‘Our Future, Our Lambeth.

With exceptional schools, lush green spaces including Brockwell Park, cultural gems like the Black Cultural Archives, and world-renowned institutions such as St Thomas's Hospital, Lambeth offers an enriching and dynamic environment.

Please have a look at our dedicated One Lambeth Values and Behaviours page.

About the Role

We are looking for an exceptional senior HR leader to join our organisation as Assistant Director – Employment Services, a key role within the Human Resources and Organisation Development leadership team.

This is a high-impact leadership position responsible for shaping and delivering a modern, efficient and customer-focused Employment Services function. You will lead HR operational delivery across the full employee lifecycle, ensuring services are accessible, compliant and aligned to organisational priorities.

Reporting to the Director of HR & Organisation Development, you will play a critical role in enabling workforce sustainability, organisational performance, and positive employee experience through high-quality HR operations.

Key Responsibilities

Provide strategic leadership for Employment Services, driving a modern and digitally enabled HR operations function
Lead the delivery of the HR “digital front door” and tiered service model, ensuring consistent and high-quality service across the organisation
Oversee recruitment operations, employment lifecycle services, and statutory checks, ensuring compliance and excellent candidate experience
Act as the organisation’s Lead DBS Counter-Signatory, ensuring safeguarding and compliance standards are met
Own and develop HR systems (including Oracle HCM), ensuring data integrity, system performance and continuous improvement
Lead the use of workforce data and insights to inform decision-making, workforce planning and organisational performance
Manage key contracts and suppliers, including agency workforce provision, ensuring value for money and robust governance
Provide corporate assurance on employment legislation, safeguarding, and HR governance
Lead and develop a high-performing team, promoting a culture of accountability, continuous improvement and service excellence
Contribute to organisation-wide transformation, digital modernisation and change programmes

About You

We’re looking for a strategic and collaborative leader with a strong track record in HR operations within large, complex organisations.

Essential Experience

Senior leadership experience delivering and transforming HR operational or employment services
Leading HR systems, workforce analytics and data insight functions
Managing high-value contracts and procurement (ideally within the public sector)
Overseeing recruitment and employment lifecycle operations, including governance and compliance
Strong knowledge of employment legislation, safeguarding and DBS requirements
Experience leading high-performing teams and contributing at senior leadership level
Chartered CIPD qualification (or equivalent experience at a similar level)

What You’ll Bring

Strategic thinking with the ability to translate vision into operational delivery
Strong expertise in HR systems, service design and digital transformation
Advanced skills in data-driven decision making and workforce planning
A collaborative and inclusive leadership style
A commitment to equity, fairness and high-quality public service outcomes

Why Join Us?

This is a rare opportunity to shape the future of HR operations in a forward-thinking organisation. You’ll be part of a senior leadership team driving transformation, innovation and better outcomes for our workforce and communities.

Please click here to view: Lambeth Staff Benefits

Contact information

If you would like a confidential conversation about this role please contact Sherene Russell-Alexander – Director of Human Resources & Organisation Development – at SRussellAlexander@lambeth.gov.uk.

Apply Now

If you’re a visionary HR leader ready to make a significant organisational impact, we’d love to hear from you.

Job Description & Person Specification

We operate an anonymised application process, so be sure to remove personal details when uploading your CV or personal statement.

Closing date: 1^st July 2026 at 11:59pm

You will be required to undertake a Cifas check. Further information about Cifas can be found here Cifas

At Lambeth, we are dedicated to providing quality services and equal opportunities for all. We are committed to safer recruitment and are proud to be a Stonewall diversity champion, a Living Wage Employer, and to guarantee interviews for all disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria of the role. For a full list of our accreditations, please click here.