Kirklees is a place of character and contrast. At the heart of West Yorkshire, its vibrant towns, green hills, and strong communities tell a story of resilience, ambition, and shared purpose. It is a place that values progress without losing sight of its people, where innovation and practicality go hand in hand. 

Kirklees Council is a stable and collaborative organisation, working constructively across political boundaries. With no single-party majority, cross-party cooperation is part of our culture and something people make work every day. With a balanced budget and strong financial foundations, we are focused on delivering better services for residents through teamwork, openness, and shared ambition. 

About the Role

This is an exceptional opportunity to lead one of the largest and most complex operational portfolios in the council. The Service Director of Highways and Streetscene will oversee services that are central to daily life – the highways network, waste and recycling, fleet, street cleansing, parking, and associated frontline services. These are large-scale operations, delivered by dedicated teams who take pride in what they do. 

You will inherit a capable and committed workforce, including over 900 staff and more than 800 vehicles in our fleet and transport services. Our waste collection service is strong, and our strategic waste operations are delivered through a long-term partnership. But while services are stable and well-run, they are also traditional. The focus now is on transformation – modernising services, harnessing data and technology, improving customer experience, and embedding a culture of high performance, partnership, and pride. 

You will lead a new 20-year waste procurement process, ensuring that future arrangements reflect environmental ambition and value for money. You will guide the delivery of our waste transformation plan, prepare services for the new national recycling and food waste requirements, and develop innovative approaches to sustainability. In highways, you will build on a solid operational base to strengthen data-driven asset management, customer insight, and community engagement. Across fleet and streetscene, you will drive efficiency, safety, and decarbonisation as part of our wider climate ambitions. 

About You

We are looking for a confident, visible, and engaging operational leader, someone who combines technical understanding with excellent people management and commercial acumen. You will have experience leading large, complex frontline services, ideally within waste, highways, or related environmental services. You will be equally comfortable in the depot, the committee room, and the community, building relationships with members, staff, residents, unions, and partners. 

You will bring an open and collaborative leadership style, able to inspire teams, manage transformation sensitively, and maintain a relentless focus on service quality and customer experience. This is a council where members are closely connected to their communities and where strong relationships between officers and politicians underpin success. Working across parties will be second nature to you. 

This is an opportunity to make a visible and lasting impact on a major metropolitan area. Kirklees is ambitious for its places, its people, and its services. You will help shape a modern, high-performing, and sustainable organisation – one that delivers for residents every day and looks confidently to the future. 

If you are a leader who thrives on transformation, values operational excellence, and wants to be part of a stable and forward-looking council, we would love to hear from you.