Jobs

Our next Chief Executive will share our ambition for H&F and bring the leadership needed to turn that ambition into results.

For some people, being told that something is "impossible" is the galvaniser for finding a way to make it happen. In Hammersmith & Fulham, that innovation mindset is the foundation of our council's leadership culture.

If you share that attitude and have the skills and experience to deliver, you could be our next Chief Executive.

About H&F

H&F is a remarkable and beautiful place.

Our council is ambitious to shape a better borough for all its citizens, with a determination to tackle the causes of deprivation in a borough ranked the 120th most deprived of England's 296 local authority districts.

Despite a 54% real-terms government austerity cut between 2010 and 2024, the council's "Ruthless Financial Efficiency" programme (introduced in 2014) has delivered a record £156million in savings.

Together with our approach to securing new resources through cooperative partnerships, this has enabled us to achieve some extraordinary results:

• co-opting hundreds of employers to support local young people with H&F Pathway Bond career knowhow
• being a UK leader tackling the climate emergency
• winning record investment in youth facilities
• having the most CCTV in Britain and being the 1st to introduce cutting edge AI
• building some of the highest numbers of affordable homes in Britain
• becoming England's only council to provide free adult home care
• curating London's fastest-growing economy through our unique inclusive "Upstream London" Industrial Strategy, working in partnership with Imperial College London and other innovation districts around the world.

All that has been achieved is a consequence of a strong, collegiate and effective working relationship between the administration, our Chief Executive and the senior leadership team.

We are very grateful to Sharon Lea, who has spent the past eight years at H&F – five of those as our accomplished Chief Executive – as part of her 50-year career in public service. We are now looking for an equally exceptional successor who will build on these strong foundations and take H&F into its next chapter.

Our next Chief Executive

With the world changing faster than ever, our residents and businesses face new opportunities and new threats. Our next Chief Executive will share our ambition for H&F and bring the leadership needed to turn that ambition into results.

You will:

• bring a comprehensive understanding of local government and lead our talented officers to strengthen H&F's services, modernising the council to deliver continuous improvement and financial efficiencies
• maintain a relentless focus on the satisfaction of H&F's residents and businesses, ensuring their experience shapes how we improve our services
• be a skilled ambassador for H&F, able to influence policy at all levels of government and build relationships that bring new opportunities to our borough work closely with H&F's cooperative partners and political leadership, bringing fresh thinking and sound judgement to finding new ways to tackle the challenges ahead.

We already have a strong foundation of service delivery to build upon including:

• a top 'C1' rated Housing service (2026) with 99% of homes meeting the Decent Homes Standard
• children's Services rated 'Outstanding' by Ofsted (2026) for SEND and Youth Justice Service teams
• an "ambitious and financially well-run organisation with a strong track-record in commissioning and contract managing external services" as reported by a LGA Finance Peer Review team in 2025.

Twelve years ago, H&F set out to become Europe's innovation-campus borough. A place where our citizens can access some of the best opportunities in the world with a council acting to curate rapid, inclusive economic growth across the careers of the future.

Our 'Tomorrow Made Here' mission informs everything we do.

If you have the right blend of attributes to help us move to the next chapter, we would like to hear from you.

Apply now by clicking below

Closing date: -Thursday 5 November 2026.

https://www.lbhf.gov.uk/jobs/chief-executive-recruitment

Company: Hammersmith & Fulham London Borough Council

Salary: Competitive Salary

Location: London (Greater), London (Greater)

Sector: Corporate Services

Sector: Corporate Management Team

Sector: Regeneration and Local Economies

Job Role: Chief Executive