Tower Hamlets is one of the fastest‑growing and most densely populated local authorities in the UK. More people than ever choose to live, work, visit and invest in our borough, and that growth places our services at the very heart of everyday life.
With over 320,000 residents, millions of visitors each year, and one of London’s most intense urban environments contained within a small geographic footprint, the way we manage parking and mobility services has a direct impact on improving the experiences of residents,
Our borough includes global centres of business such as Canary Wharf and borders the City of London, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and the River Thames, making the management of parking provision, parking enforcement and mobility services crucial to the Council’s management of the public realm. That makes leading Parking and Mobility services one of the highest‑profile and rewarding leadership roles in local government.
About the role
As Head of Parking and Mobility Services, you will provide strategic operational leadership of the Council’s Parking Service ensuring the delivery of a safe efficient customer focused and financially sustainable parking service to support the Council’s corporate priorities, transport strategy environmental objectives and pace shaping ambitions.
This is a pivotal role where you will work with key stakeholders and partners to shape parking policy and practice, drive improvements across parking infrastructure and operations, and enhance the experience of residents, businesses and visitors while ensuring robust compliance with statutory responsibilities.
What we are looking for
To be considered for this role, you will be able to evidence:
- significant experience in parking policy, civil parking enforcement, moving traffic enforcement, mobility management, contracts, income generation, budgets, stakeholder management and statutory compliance.
- the ability to lead confidently and operate at pace within a complex operational environment.
- the ability to influence at senior level and build strong, trusting relationships with staff, elected members, partners and residents.
- a proven track record of executive leadership, financial and commercial management, political awareness, change management and infrastructure programme leadership.
- a relevant degree and/or professional qualification in management, or at least five years’ relevant technical experience and leadership of operational teams.
Tower Hamlets vision for our borough is that: people are aspirational, independent and have equal access to opportunities; we are a borough that our residents are proud of and love to live in; and we are a dynamic, outcomes-based council using digital innovation and partnership working to respond to the changing needs of our borough. We want people who aspire to our TOWER values: Together; Open; Willing; Excellent; Respect.
Tower Hamlets has a zero-tolerance approach to, and works to eradicate, all forms of discrimination on the basis of race, sex, disability, age, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital status, status as a civil partner, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy and maternity and looks to employ a diverse workforce representative of those groups. We recognise that people can also be disadvantaged by their social and economic circumstances, so we will work to eliminate discrimination and disadvantage caused by social class.
We welcome applicants interested in flexible working arrangements and also applicants who live in the borough.
The post is based at Parking & Mobility Services, 585-593 Commercial Road, London E1 0HJ
Interviews will be held from week commencing 7th September 2026.
Our Benefits
Local Government Pension Scheme membership.
Generous annual leave: 29 days, rising to 33 with 5+ years’ service, plus bank holidays and 3 additional days at Christmas.
Flexible and agile working to support work–life balance.
Staff money-saving schemes (e.g., rent deposit loans, season ticket loans).
Learning and development opportunities through our Learning Academy, with clear career development and leadership pathways.
