Establishment Control Officer
Southwark Council
Do you see yourself playing a key role in ensuring accurate and compliant workforce data across a large organisation?
Can you use your experience to maintain robust governance and control of establishment data, ensuring compliance and accuracy?
Does the idea of joining a collaborative and supportive team focused on continuous improvement and service excellence appeal to you?
If yes, we have the perfect role for you!
Our Establishment Control Service is looking for a passionate and dedicated Establishment Control Officer to join our amazing team and help make a difference today!
About the role:
We are looking for a skilled and detail-focused Establishment Control Officer to join our HR Governance & Assurance team at Southwark Council.
In this role, you will play a key part in maintaining the integrity of the Council’s workforce data and ensuring strong governance across our establishment control processes. You will support managers across the organisation, helping to ensure workforce structures are accurate, compliant, and aligned to financial controls.
This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to strategic workforce planning, strengthen data quality, and support the delivery of robust audit and assurance processes.
As an Establishment Control Officer, you will:
- Maintain accurate establishment data within HR systems (e.g. SAP), including organisational structures, cost centres and positions
- Ensure compliance with governance and control processes for all changes to the establishment
- Work closely with Finance colleagues to validate funding for new posts and monitor establishment spend against budgets
- Produce high-quality reports, dashboards and analysis to support senior decision-making
- Act as a key point of contact for HR, Finance and service managers, providing expert guidance on establishment processes
- Support workforce planning activity, including restructures and scenario modelling
- Prepare documentation to support internal and external audits
- Identify opportunities to improve processes and contribute to continuous improvement initiatives
- Support system enhancements and testing relating to establishment functionality
- Deliver training and guidance to managers across the organisation
About You:
We are seeking someone with:
- Experience of working with HR systems (such as SAP or other ERP systems) and managing workforce data
- A strong understanding of establishment control, governance and financial alignment
- Advanced Excel and data analysis skills, including reporting and dashboard creation
- Experience supporting workforce planning activities and organisational change
- Confidence producing audit-ready documentation and working within compliance frameworks
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
- Strong problem-solving abilities and attention to detail
- The ability to manage competing priorities and deliver to deadlines
You will be:
- Analytical, organised and highly detail-oriented
- Comfortable working with complex datasets and translating them into meaningful insights
- A collaborative team player who can build strong relationships across HR, Finance and services
- Committed to continuous improvement and delivering high-quality outcomes
- Passionate about supporting effective workforce planning and governance
About the Team:
The role sits within a newly created team, who will be focused on delivering accurate and well-governed establishment control services that support organisational efficiency and financial accountability. We work collaboratively with managers to ensure workforce data is robust, compliant, and aligned with strategic priorities. The team promotes a culture of continuous improvement, offering opportunities to develop skills in workforce planning, data analysis, and governance within a supportive and professional environment.
For detailed qualifications and requirements, please review the job description and person specification located at the bottom of the advert.
Contact Information:
For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Sana Kamani at sana.kamani@southwark.gov.uk.
Additional Information:
- X 1 permanent position
- Hours of work, 36 hours per week Monday - Friday
Benefits and more information:
https://jobs.southwark.gov.uk/why-us/
Recruitment Timeline:
Advert close date: 11:59pm on Wednesday 29th July 2026.
Shortlisting date: to be confirmed.
Interview date: to be confirmed.
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.
Guaranteed Interview Scheme:
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
About Southwark:
We are the largest local authority social landlord in London, managing 55,000 homes lived in by 40% of Southwark’s residents. We are home to over 18,300 businesses including iconic London venues and social enterprises, and we have a young, diverse and growing population.
At Southwark we are committed to making our borough just and fair and are taking positive action to tackle inequalities. Our residents and communities are our greatest asset and the passion we have for Southwark is shared by millions of Londoners who enjoy our outstanding cultural offer, use our hospitals and attend our universities. Our refreshed borough plan and focus on Southwark Stands Together, (which is our work with Southwark’s communities and the council’s staff to tackle racism, injustice and inequality) underpins all that we do.
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