Head of Coroner's Services

• Head_of_Coroners_Services_-_JD

The London Borough of Croydon is the lead local authority for the South London coroner area which covers the boroughs of Bexley, Bromley, Croydon and Sutton and the costs of the service are shared between the four boroughs on a per capita basis. The council is legally responsible for providing the financial resources and staff to support the senior coroner to discharge her statutory responsibilities for the investigation of deaths and the running of the coroner’s court for the area which is currently based next to the main council offices in Croydon.

The Council is seeking to appoint a full time Head of Coroner Service who will act as senior professional lead with overall responsibility for providing inclusive and compassionate leadership and managing and developing the service in collaboration with the senior coroner to ensure a high-quality service to the bereaved families of the area.

You will be accountable for the performance of the service and managing the budget in line with the cash limit. You will work closely with council colleagues and external partners to ensure appropriate operating practices, policies, plans, contracts, and strategies are effective and embedded, and meet both legal and corporate governance requirements. In your professional lead capacity you will monitor regulatory landscape changes and ensure arrangements are in place to meet new requirements and to take advantage of future opportunities. You will also take the lead for managing the council’s relationship with the other three boroughs with a particular focus on budget forecasting and expenditure control and ensuring maximum value in the use of public funds.

You will work closely with a diverse group of stakeholders including bereaved families, the police, the Ministry of Justice, the Chief Coroner’s office, GPs, funeral directors, mortuaries, lawyers and other external bodies that will put your high-level communication and interpersonal skills to full use. Due to high demand and the uniqueness of the service you will often be operating in very difficult and challenging circumstances, and you will need to apply a sensitive and discreet approach to your work, using well-reasoned judgement to make informed decisions.

This is an immensely challenging time for the service; there is a large backlog of inquest cases, the court and offices will be moving to new premises in mid-2026 and subject to agreement, the Coroner’s Officers who are currently employed by the Metropolitan Police Service may be transferring their employment to the council. The Head of Service will play a critical role in managing these challenges to a successful conclusion and in addition will act as the professional service lead for the development of an options appraisal and business case for a new public mortuary, coroners court and offices complex that is in the very early stages of consideration.

To be shortlisted for interview for this position you must clearly evidence your knowledge and experience against the person specification and in particular you must have:

• Substantial knowledge and experience of coroner’s service delivery with proven management experience.
• A proven track record of engaging stakeholders in the transformation and improvement of public services

• An excellent understanding of financial management, including budgeting, forecasting, monitoring expenditure and identifying appropriate interventions when required

• Excellent communication, negotiating, interpersonal and analytical skills

For an informal discussion about the position please email kristian.aspinall@croydon.gov.uk to arrange a call.