Welcome to Lewisham London Borough of Culture 2021

Welcome to Lewisham, London Borough of Culture 2021 Candidate Pack - Assistant Chief Executive

Dear applicant, Thank you for your interest in joining us at Lewisham Council. We are an ambitious, vibrant and diverse London borough, from Deptford in the north to Downham in the south. Since the Mayor took office in May 2018, we have been working to a new vision for the borough set out in a bold and exciting Corporate Strategy. We’ve just been named London Borough of Culture 2021 and we are embarking on an exciting journey of staff-led improvement to make Lewisham an even better place to work. It couldn’t be a better time to join us. This new post provides a unique opportunity to make a lasting positive impact, building on Lewisham’s strengths to deliver the best outcomes for our residents. We are looking an leader, a team player, who is as passionate about Lewisham as we are. The post holder will bring energy, determination and a can-do attitude to our Executive Management Team, providing high-quality advice to the Chief Executive, Mayor and Cabinet and Council. You will lead the Council’s policy and performance function, ensuring we make the best decisions based on insight and analysis. You will be at the forefront of driving culture change throughout the organisation, with responsibility for organisational development and our newly-established programme management office. The Assistant Chief Executive will also play a critical strategic and influencing role, managing the Council’s communications service and leading on the Council’s emerging strategic partnership work. We look forward to welcoming our new Assistant Chief Executive to our senior team to drive forward improvement and make a real difference to the people of Lewisham. Best wishes, Damien Egan, Mayor of Lewisham and Kim Wright, Chief Executive

About us The Council - at a glance Lewisham Council is made up of one Mayor, who is elected by the whole borough, and 54 ward councillors – three elected by each of the 18 wards within the borough. • Mayor of Lewisham - Damien Egan • Chief Executive - Kim Wright The Mayor Our elected Mayor is Damien Egan. He leads the community, speaks up for the borough and makes key decisions about local services. Damien was elected as Mayor in May 2018. He is passionate about improving the lives of Lewisham’s residents. As Mayor, he has committed to: • deliver 1000 new social homes • make Lewisham a borough of sanctuary for refugees • double the number of Living Wage employers in the borough. Read the Mayor’s Annual Report. Our councillors Councillors are normally elected for four year terms and are responsible for representing the people in their ward on a wide variety of issues. Together with the Mayor, councillors are elected by local people to plan, run, monitor and develop council services. The Council is made up of 53 Labour councillors and one independent councillor. The Mayor chooses councillors to form his Cabinet who help him make decisions. You can find out more about the Cabinet and the current cabinet members’ responsibilities here. Councillors who are not in the Cabinet participate in Overview and Scrutiny which is another important arm of the Council’s governance arrangements. See more about overview and scrutiny at Lewisham here.

About us The Chief Executive Our Chief Executive is Kim Wright. Kim works closely with the directly elected Mayor and elected councillors to provide: • positive results – setting the Council’s management arrangements and practices to ensure effective and efficient delivery of services through well organised and motivated staff • strategic direction – ensuring that the Mayor and Council’s priorities and goals can be implemented through focused strategies, projects and programmes • policy advice – acting as the principal policy adviser to the directed elected Mayor and elected councillors and securing best professional advice on all relevant matters in respect of the Council’s functions and services • partnerships – leading and developing effective partnerships at management level with other public agencies, private companies and local community organisations to achieve better public services and improved results for local people • operational management – ensuring that the Council has the highest standards of achievement in financial and budgetary management; the management of service performance; the management of emergencies and risks generally; the management of suppliers; and the overall management of change and improvement within the Council. Our Directorates • Children and Young People - Executive Director – Pauline Maddison (interim) • Community Services - Executive Director – Tom Brown • Housing, Regeneration and Environment - Executive Director – Kevin Sheehan • Acting Chief Finance Officer - David Austin • Corporate Resources - Executive Director - Vacant The Council's constitution is the overall set of rules which governs how the Council operates. The constitution outlines how decisions are made and the procedures which are followed to ensure that these are efficient, transparent and accountable to local people.

Our Corporate Strategy Lewisham is an exciting place to live and work – made up of vibrant and distinct communities that stretch from Blackheath to Sydenham, and from Deptford to Downham. The borough is changing too. Over the last decade we have seen considerable investment and growth and we continue to welcome the new families making Lewisham their home. However, inequality is growing in society and too many Lewisham residents do not get to share in the wealth and opportunities that London has to offer. Austerity has also meant that all councils have been forced to cut services when residents’ needs are increasing. Our new Corporate Strategy sets out how Lewisham Council plans to deliver for our residents over the next four years. How, in the face of austerity, where councils have been forced to cut services, we can still make a difference and change lives. Importantly, it is also about how we protect the individual identities of our neighbourhoods and continue to make Lewisham a place we love to live in. We are building on Lewisham’s historic values – fairness, equality and putting our community at the heart of everything we do – and turning these values into practical, deliverable policies. Read more in our Corporate Strategy.

Our Borough Lewisham is a diverse and growing inner London borough. We enjoy proximity to the wider employment and cultural opportunities of the rest of London and the South East, and revel in our own unique and vibrant localities. Lewisham is a Borough of Sanctuary with a proud history of supporting refugees and migrants. We are committed to openness and promoting a culture of welcome and hospitality to all. Our people are passionate and engaging, and our distinctive communities take pride in coming together to protect and improve our borough for everyone. We are strengthened by our diversity and the values we hold which enable and empower it. Lewisham’s unique cultural voice will be showcased across the capital and beyond having been named London Borough of Culture 2021. The prestigious award will see Lewisham receive £ 1. 35 million to stage an ambitious, year-long programme of cultural events celebrating the wealth of creative talent in the borough and delivering lasting social change.

The role Assistant Chief Executive The overarching purpose of the role is to deliver the policy aspirations and commitments of the Council, working closely with the Chief Executive, Members and Executive Management Team to: • Lead on the development and implementation of a corporate change and transformation programme and the creation of a corporate programme management office. • Lead the Council’s corporate communications, public affairs and marketing function. • Build strong collaborative relationships with partners in other parts of the public service, across all tiers of government and local agencies. • Be responsible for leading corporate partnerships and community relations and delivering strong and positive collaborative partnerships with Lewisham’s public services. • Ensure robust financial management and performance management of all services under the direct management of the post, as well as ensuring this in all areas of activity of the Council as a key corporate leader. • Work effectively as one of the Council’s most senior officers, delivering corporate objectives through the work of all services. • Act as a role model for effective and positive leadership behavior that is outcome focused, energetic and enthusiastic. • Demonstrate and ensure high standards of probity and compliance with Council policy, standing orders and the law. • Act as an ambassador for the borough, promoting and developing the Council’s image and championing the interests of Lewisham’s community, stakeholders and partners. • Form robust strategic alliances and develop effective working arrangements with partners, other related organisations, government departments, user groups, business and voluntary sector groups. • Work as part of a multi-disciplinary project teams to enable the breaking down of departmental barriers and delivery of transformational projects. • Act as a sponsor for major programmes of change. • Promote equality of opportunity and the recognition of diversity in the delivery of services and in employment practices.