Merton Council is seeking a new Director of Resources (Deputy Section 151 Officer) to oversee the council's finances, as well as creating a new Director of Property and Asset Management role. The Appointments Committee met on Monday to discuss the salary packages and recruitment process for these key positions, recommending them to the Full Council for final approval on 17 September 2025.
According to the Public Reports Pack, ensuring timely recruitment and a smooth handover are key considerations for both roles.
The Director of Resources (Deputy Section 151 Officer) role is becoming vacant due to the retirement of the current postholder in April 2026. To ensure a smooth transition, the council is prioritising a timely recruitment process. This position is responsible for the oversight and sound management of the council's finances, including a budget of £12m and supporting the effective use of the council's £220m revenue and £50m capital annual budgets. The new Director of Resources will also bring leadership and innovative ideas to support leading and modernising the Finance function as a high-performing service, exploiting technology and principles of Finance Business Partnering to ensure a responsive and enabling service but with strong governance at its core. They will promote good governance and value for money, and lead the Council through developing financial monitoring, reporting and budget setting processes. The job description for the Director of Resources details the responsibilities.
The Director of Property and Asset Management is a new post, created following the deletion of the Head of Facilities Management post upon that postholder's retirement in September 2025. This role will focus on the strategic management of the council's property portfolio. The Director will be responsible for ensuring the safe, effective, and value-for-money running, maintenance, and improvement of all the council's property. They will also create a strategic asset management strategy to make the most of the council's property in terms of driving efficiency and using assets to drive regeneration, housing supply, and economic growth across the Borough, as well as ensuring the delivery of the council's climate action plan on its own estate. The job description for the Director of Property and Asset Management outlines the responsibilities.
The salary range for both roles is listed as £111,510 - £119,229 per annum. The Director of Property and Asset Management role may also include a market supplement of up to £23,681 per annum, bringing the total maximum salary package to £142,910 per annum. According to the Public Reports Pack, this supplement may be necessary due to comparator salaries, demand of expertise in this field and transferability of skills across both public and private sectors, and benchmarking of similar posts.