A London Borough is seeking an experienced Assistant Director of Licensing and Regulation to lead a wide-ranging regulatory portfolio through a period of change, complexity and high public scrutiny. This is a role for someone who can bring credibility quickly, steady teams, work confidently with senior stakeholders, and take control of services where sound judgement and visible leadership really matter.

At the heart of the brief is event management and stadium safety. This is the most critical area of need. You will provide leadership around major event safety, oversight of high-profile venues, and assurance that the borough is operating with clarity, grip and confidence where risk is highest. This will require strong partnership working across the council, police, stadium management and other safety partners.

Alongside this, you will lead a broad regulatory remit spanning licensing, trading standards, noise, animal welfare and related enforcement services. The borough is dealing with complex operational pressures, visible local challenges and a changing senior leadership landscape. They need an interim who can walk in, take hold of the brief quickly, support managers, and provide calm, credible leadership from day one.

What you'll be doing

* Lead the borough's regulatory services portfolio across licensing, event safety, trading standards, noise and animal welfare

* Provide visible leadership on major events, stadium safety and multi-agency public protection planning

* Oversee a high-volume licensing function covering pubs, bars, clubs, betting premises and specialist gambling activity

* Support enforcement-led services dealing with illegal trading, underage sales, unsafe practices and wider regulatory breaches

* Work closely with councillors, senior officers, police and external partners in a politically sensitive environment

* Bring reassurance, structure and support to teams during a period of organisational uncertainty and change

* Help ensure services are well-managed, responsive, compliant and operationally resilient

* Attend key events and high-risk activity when required, including occasional evenings and weekends

What they're looking for
This role needs more than a good manager.

They are looking for someone with the presence, judgement and operational credibility to lead in demanding circumstances. You will likely bring experience from a local authority regulatory setting and will be comfortable operating across public safety, enforcement, licensing and complex stakeholder environments.

You will need:

* Senior leadership experience across regulatory services

* Strong background in event safety and multi-agency operational planning

* Solid working knowledge of licensing, ideally in a complex urban setting

* Good understanding of enforcement, including trading standards and regulatory risk

* The ability to lead multiple service areas through change and uncertainty

* Confidence dealing with senior leaders, elected members and external partners

* A calm, credible and decisive style with teams and stakeholders alike

Why this role stands out
This is a genuinely interesting interim brief for someone who enjoys visible leadership, varied operational responsibility and the challenge of stepping into a service that matters.

You will be leading services that are public-facing, politically sensitive and central to how the borough manages risk, safety and regulation. It is broad, important work — and it needs somebody who can bring immediate impact.

Working pattern

* Hybrid role

* Based in a London Borough office approximately 2/3 days per week

* Some remote flexibility

* Occasional evening and weekend attendance required in line with events and operational need