Employer
Kingston Council
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Location(s)
Kingston
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Workplace Type
Hybrid Working
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Contract Type
Permanent
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Working Hours
Full Time
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Grade
M
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Hours Per Week
36
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Salary Range
£72,399 - £79,119
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Salary Basis
Per annum
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Leave Entitlement
30 days
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Application Deadline
22/06/2026, 23:55
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Anticipated Interview Date(s)
6 - 10 July 2026
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About the Borough
Found in zone 6 with good transport links in and out of London, Kingston is a vibrant and diverse university town which creates the rich sense of community shared across the borough and its Residents. Kingston boasts an idyllic riverside location, good shopping and great restaurants, as well as a mix of modern and historic town centre. Kingston has lots of open parklands and cycle routes that help connect the district town centres into an enjoyable place to live and work.
We are passionate about working closely with our residents and vulnerable groups to help them maintain their independence and create a balance between support and independent living.
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About the Role and our Ideal Candidate
If you are an experienced leader ready to shape the future of environmental services and climate action in one of London’s most ambitious boroughs, we would love to hear from you.
You will:
Provide inspiring leadership across environmental services and climate action
Lead complex contracts and partnerships to deliver high-performing services
Work collaboratively with elected Members, residents, businesses and regional partners
Champion sustainability, community engagement and social value
Lead service transformation and continuous improvement programmes
Ensure statutory compliance, strong governance and effective financial management
You will bring:
A strong track record of senior leadership within a complex organisation
Significant experience leading large-scale contracts and commissioned services
Strong financial and commercial management capability
Experience delivering transformation, innovation and service improvement
Excellent stakeholder management and partnership-building skills
The ability to operate effectively within a political environment
A passion for sustainability, climate action and public service
The confidence to challenge conventional thinking and drive change
A relevant degree or professional qualification is desirable
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About Us
As one of London’s fastest-growing boroughs, Kingston is balancing growth, sustainability and community wellbeing in a way few places can. From major regeneration and infrastructure investment to ambitious climate action and award-winning sustainable transport initiatives, Kingston is building a greener, cleaner and more resilient future. We are now seeking an exceptional leader to join us as our next Corporate Head of Environment — a strategic leadership role with responsibility for waste, recycling, street cleansing and the delivery of our ambitious Climate Action Strategy across the Council and with a wide range of stakeholders. This is a rare opportunity to lead high-profile frontline services while shaping the borough’s environmental future.
You will lead a service of approximately 15 staff across three highly dedicated teams, with oversight of a revenue budget of around £15m, ensuring excellent service delivery, value for money and measurable environmental outcomes for residents.
Additionally, as a member of the Corporate Leadership Group, you will help shape the wider strategic direction of the Council and contribute to Kingston’s transformation as an enabling, innovative and collaborative organisation.
You will also play a key role in strengthening Kingston’s environmental networks and partnerships, including engagement with the South London Waste Partnership and local climate action groups.
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Our Offer To You
As an organisation that values and nurtures talent, we’re committed to helping you fulfil your potential and will offer you a supportive, friendly and collaborative environment to grow and develop your career and skills. We’re constantly striving to improve our ways of working so putting your ideas across however big or small; will be fully encouraged and supported by your colleagues and our dynamic and experienced management team.
Employees have access to a wide range of benefits to enable staff to achieve a work life balance, some of which include:
A generous annual leave entitlement of 25-32 days, plus bank holidays (pro-rata if part-time working hours apply) depending on service and grade.
Enhanced Maternity, Paternity, shared parental, adoption and dependents leave
Three volunteering days per year in Kingston
Hybrid working (dependent on the role)
Flexible and agile working arrangements using Google Chromebooks
Learning and development portal offering a range of courses
Discounts on a range of local shops, restaurants, gyms and leisure centres
Interest free season ticket loans
Local Government Pension Scheme
Bicycle loan facilities and cycle to work scheme
Electric vehicle leasing scheme
Confidential health & wellbeing and counselling support
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Application Process
Apply online outlining what skills, abilities and experience you can bring which makes you an ideal candidate for this role. Please refer to the requirements outlined in the job profile when completing your application and check your CV details have been uploaded correctly in the relevant sections.
We understand and recognise the benefits of using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the workplace and are embracing AI where appropriate, to boost our productivity and streamline how we deliver our Council services efficiently; to provide the best possible outcomes for our residents and communities.
However, we reserve the right to reject applications where it is apparent that AI-generated content has been used in isolation and without personalised responses. At Kingston we value authenticity and are looking for individuals who can clearly demonstrate their own skills, experience and motivation for the role that they are applying for and embrace and demonstrate our STAR values.
Here at Kingston we have core values of Transparency and this is to be demonstrated during the application process and completion of the supporting statement and will be further tested at interview and selection stage for those who progress forward.
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, it is strongly advised that you complete and submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.
As part of our award winning Diversity Programme we anonymise all applications received to reduce conscious and unconscious bias enabling every application to be reviewed on the knowledge, skills and experience shown in your application. We encourage our interview panels to be as diverse as possible (age, cultural, neurodiverse etc.) to reduce bias where possible. We are fully committed to removing barriers and enhancing the diversity of our workforce.
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Additional Information
We are proud to be a diverse and welcoming Borough and we strive to create a workforce which reflects the community we serve, and instil a sense of belonging in our staff. We celebrate and respect differences and appreciate the value of having a diverse workforce, therefore we welcome applications from under represented groups.
To support our workers and their families we offer a range of family friendly, inclusive employment policies, flexible working arrangements, staff engagement forums and inclusive staff networks who help drive our diversity agenda.
We are also proud to be a disability confident employer and guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum essential criteria for a role. As an accredited London Living Wage Employer all our employees are guaranteed the London Living Wage regardless of their length or type of contract.
The UK has a points-based immigration system affecting EU and Non-EU workers and sponsorship requirements. We advise checking the GOV.UK website for right to work guidance. Sponsorship availability varies and is subject to eligibility requirements and budget limitations. As a result, we cannot guarantee sponsorship for all roles and will evaluate sponsorship requests on a case-by-case basis.
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Job Profile
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