Why Southwark?

Southwark Council is 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 such as The Shard, The Tate Modern and Borough Market along with conservation areas, historic buildings, social enterprises and 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 2030 and Southwark Stands Together, underpins all that we do.

We particularly welcome applications from members of the Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management level in the Council.

Employee benefits:

You’ll join a motivated, driven, and supportive team that values each of its members and strives for excellence. You’ll also be part of a successful, high-achieving development team making a real difference to the lives of residents across the borough. In return for all your hard work, skills and experience, you will receive:

A competitive base salary (pro rata for part time staff)
Strong supportive senior management team
Regular one to one supervision
Professional development & training opportunities
Clear career development pathways
Agile and flexible working arrangements
Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
Season ticket and cycle loans
Annual Leave starting at 29 days per year, increasing to 37 (with length of service) (pro rata for part time staff)
Wellbeing programme
HSF Health plan and eye care scheme
EAP employee assistance programme, confidential counselling and support
Social clubs and staff groups

The role

We are looking for an experienced Cleaning Manager to join the Corporate Facilities Management team on a 12-month fixed term contract. You will be responsible for managing the in-house cleaning service across Tooley Street and Queens Road campus, the council's administrative headquarters, ensuring the highest standards of cleanliness and customer care are maintained at all times.

This is a hands-on management role. You will lead and manage a team of cleaners, set and maintain service standards, and ensure compliance with all relevant legislation and BICSc standards. You will be responsible for staff rostering and budget management, equipment maintenance, COSHH documentation and the day-to-day operational delivery of the cleaning service across the estate.

The Tooley Street campus is a high-profile, high-footfall workplace serving as the council's main office accommodation. The cleaning service operates early mornings, throughout the working day and into the evening, and you will be expected to manage the team flexibly to meet the demands of the building. You will work closely with the Building Manager and the wider CFM team to ensure the service supports the smooth running of the campus.

What you'll be doing:

Manage the in-house cleaning team across Tooley Street and Queens Road campus, ensuring consistent service delivery to the standards expected by building users, senior managers and elected members. You will coordinate inspections and safety tours, monitor quality in line with FM service delivery standards, and take a lead role in driving improvements to cleaning performance.

You will manage the cleaning team roster, control staffing spend within budget, produce monthly staffing returns for payroll, and ensure that equipment and machinery is properly maintained with records held on site. You will lead on COSHH documentation, audit compliance, and ensure the team operates in full accordance with regulations and council guidance at all times.

What we're looking for:

You will hold BICSc accreditation and an IOSH Managing Safely or equivalent qualification. You will have a strong working knowledge of commercial cleaning legislation, UK cleaning standards and their practical application in an operational environment.

You will bring proven experience of managing a front-line cleaning service in a demanding, customer-facing environment, ideally on a multi-tenanted or high-footfall estate. You will be comfortable producing reports and data analysis using Microsoft Office applications and will be able to demonstrate a professional understanding of innovation and good practice in the UK cleaning industry.

Additional details

This is a full-time, fixed-term position for 12 months, working 36 hours per week, Monday to Friday. We offer flexible hybrid working, with a combination of home and office-based working. Due to the nature of the role, you will occasionally be expected to work flexibly to meet service needs, which may include evening and weekend working.

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Jim Harrington, Head of FM Operations, on 07712 242 067 or by email at jim.harrington@southwark.gov.uk

Disability Confident (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.

Recruitment timetable

Closing date: 24 August 2026 at 23:39*

*We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role, in which case we will move the key dates for the process. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

Interview date: to be arranged

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Attachments

Click here to view the Job Description and Person Specification