Head of Community Safety

About this job

Barking & Dagenham Community Safety Partnership is responsible for the collective effort to keep people feeling and being safe in the borough. Barking and Dagenham Council plays a crucial role in this partnership.

The Head of Community Safety provides strategic leadership for the council's Community Safety Services, working with partners across policing, health, housing, safeguarding and enforcement to create safer and stronger communities.

The role is responsible for developing and delivering community safety strategies, reducing crime and anti-social behaviour, tackling violence and exploitation and ensuring the protection of vulnerable residents.

As a senior leader, the post holder drives partnership working, service improvement and effective use of resources to improve outcomes for residents while supporting the council's wider priorities for community wellbeing, prevention and public confidence.

About you

• You will be an experienced senior leader with a strong background in community safety and anti-social behaviour.
• You will bring the professional credibility, technical knowledge and leadership confidence needed to operate as the Council’s subject matter expert for Community Safety.
• You will have significant experience of leading complex services, managing performance, resources and risk, and providing clear advice to senior leaders and elected Members.
• You will be confident working across a broad range of community safety functions and able to translate legislation, policy and operational priorities into effective service delivery.
• You will be a strong communicator and relationship-builder, able to work collaboratively with internal teams, external partners, professional bodies and government agencies.
• You will also be able to lead large teams through change, create a high-performance culture, and support staff to deliver high-quality, customer-focused services.
• You will have a degree qualification, or equivalent, in Criminology, Community Safety or similar and ideally registered with a relevant professional body.

About us

Barking & Dagenham is changing. It Starts Here.

Think you know Barking and Dagenham? Think again. While this small corner of east London might have a reputation for needing development, scratch beneath the surface and you’ll find active communities and a place that consistently punches above its weight. The borough is changing – and changing for the better. And It Starts Here.

Yes, the borough has its challenges. But it’s on the cusp of something exciting. With one of the youngest populations in the country, ambitions are high and rightly so. 98% of our schools are rated Good or Outstanding and every year more of our talented teenagers get into Russell Group Universities and hotly sought after apprenticeship schemes.

We have award winning parks, centuries old manor houses full of relics and artifacts you can go and see, and the ruins of one of Anglo-Saxon England's most powerful and wealthiest religious sites. We’re even bringing beavers and white storks to the borough to help rewild the local landscape and boost biodiversity.

Over the past few years, we’ve been working hard to improve how we deliver services and support our community. From tackling inequality to making sure our services are the best they can be, we’re focused on what matters most to local people.

We’re creating the conditions for people to thrive - so everyone can enjoy a good quality of life, feel proud to call this place home, and be part of something bigger.

#ItStartsHere - with our streets, our schools, our neighbourhoods. And with your application to join our determined team who are passionate about doing what’s best for the future of Barking and Dagenham.

As an Investors in People Gold Award employer, we’re serious about supporting our staff. From flexible working, professional training and career development to wellbeing initiatives, we want our people to feel valued and supported in everything they do.

Additional Information

We’re committed to providing an inclusive and accessible recruitment process. If you require any adjustments or support at any stage, please contact the Hiring Manager to discuss your needs.