Is it time to take on a critical frontline supervisory role in an essential 24/7 service and drive operational excellence?
Hackney is one of the most dynamic and progressive local authorities in the UK. We are a resilient, vibrant, and creative borough in the heart of London, with strong, diverse communities and a powerful set of shared values.
Over the past twenty years, the Council has built up first-class services, outstanding public infrastructure, and a reputation for excellence, innovation, and ambition. We are leading the way on essential work such as our fight for equity in Hackney with a particular focus on becoming an actively anti-racist borough. But the work doesn’t stop there, we are proactive in our approach to bringing fairness to all aspects of life including gender, neurodiversity and across the poverty divide.
Hackney is seeking exceptional, highly-motivated Supervisors to join our integrated Environmental Operations, within the Housing, Climate & Economy Directorate. These are pivotal, high-impact operational supervisory roles, directly supporting the Assistant Service Managers.
Whilst the role covers all cleansing, waste & recycling collections, and associated services, you will initially be assigned to a specific area within Environmental Operations. Successful candidates must be flexible and willing to rotate or be reassigned across all Environmental Operations areas as business needs dictate, ensuring continuous service delivery across the borough. These roles are critical in delivering high-quality, efficient, and compliant environmental services, contributing positively to the local environment and public realm.
The Challenge: Drive frontline performance in a demanding 24/7 Service
You will be responsible for the day-to-day management of Environmental Operations activities across the street and estate environments within the London Borough of Hackney.
This role offers significant scope for a resilient operational leader:
– Directly manage a team of 25–30 frontline operational staff, while contributing to the overall supervision of a 150+ operational workforce across your section of Environmental Operations.
– Manage Environmental Operations activities including street cleaning, refuse & recycling collection, commercial waste, and markets.
– Manage frontline staff through inductions, training, allocation of work tasks, and monitoring of timekeeping and work performance to ensure the required standard is met and carried out safely.
– Directly manage staff and vehicle allocation, alongside having responsibility for managing sickness, work performance, disciplinary issues, conduct, and staff leave arrangements.
– Ensure all services are delivered strictly in accordance with contract schedules, promptly rectifying any non-compliance.
– Complete health and safety assessments of work and ensure remedial action or further safeguards are put in place.
– Carry out low-level enforcement work for both domestic and commercial waste, including issuing warning letters and fixed penalty notices when required.
– Support the Assistant Service Managers in the day-to-day management of all Environmental Operations and deputise for them in their absence.
Are you ready for the commitment?
The nature of Environmental Operations necessitates a flexible and dedicated supervisory approach spanning a 24-hour cycle.
– You will be required to work weekends and bank holidays during agreed times of catch-up (including Christmas, Easter, Passover, and other events that delay scheduled collections).
– You may be required to be part of a weekend rota covering day, evening, and night shifts, and to provide support outside of normal working hours.
What you will bring:
You must demonstrate a proven track record, experience, and competencies in the following areas:
– A thorough understanding and experience of delivering the various services and working methods within Environmental Operations (Refuse, Recycling, Markets, Street & Estate Cleansing Services).
– Proven ability to organise staff, prioritise work, and adapt in difficult situations.
– The ability to motivate an operational workforce and relay service objectives and standards to establish clear lines of responsibility, commitment, and ownership.
– A proactive and methodical approach to service delivery, including accurately completing various forms of paperwork such as attendance records and timesheets.
– The ability and confidence to raise and tackle underperformance matters with staff directly.
If you are a dynamic, assertive, and resilient leader ready to manage the complexity and scale of a vital 24/7 service, we encourage you to apply. Join us to shape an innovative future for our public realm, delivering exceptional environmental quality for every resident, business, and visitor.
As a Council, our most outstanding asset is our staff, who are highly dedicated to serving our residents and committed to our goals as an organisation.
If you want to work in a place where you can represent our values so we achieve the best for our residents, please click on the apply button below.
We operate a fair and open anonymous selection process. Therefore, we do not accept supporting statements or CV’s.
To proceed with your application, you will need to create an account and submit your application.
As part of the application process, you will need to complete a number of competency based questions. These questions allow you to demonstrate your suitability for the role and provide examples of your skills, knowledge and experience outlined in the job description.
We understand the benefits of using AI in the workplace. However, if you are thinking of using this tool to submit your application, we ask you to think about what value it will add. AI tools tend to lack the personal touch and authenticity we value in candidates. We encourage you to showcase your unique knowledge and skills using your own voice.
Closing date for applications: 12 July 2026 (22.59)
Interview date: TBC
We are also working towards our vision, which is to be a place for everyone; where residents and staff can be proud; a place that celebrates diversity and where everyone can feel valued, included and involved. In order to achieve this, we look for people who are: Proud; Ambitious; Pioneering; Open; Proactive; Inclusive.
Hackney Council works to eradicate discrimination on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. We also recognise that people can be disadvantaged by their social and economic circumstances, so we will also work to eliminate discrimination and disadvantage caused by social class. We also welcome those interested in flexible working. We particularly welcome applications from disabled people, as this group is currently under represented in our workforce.
The Council has a dedicated employment support service (Hackney Works), which offers Hackney residents guidance in relation to applying for jobs. If you are thinking about applying for a job, please contact the Hackney Works team to find out what support is available: [email protected]
