Head of Democratic Services

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Job Description

• Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils - Ipswich, Suffolk IP1 2BX
• £62,276 - £75,619 per annum (pro rata for part time)
• Full Time, 37 hours per week
• Permanent

Full time, part time and job share opportunities will be considered.

What we are looking for

We are looking for a Head of Democratic Services to lead our Democratic Services Team. To be successful in this role, you will share ourvalues, commitment, and motivation to make a difference for our residents, clients, and communities.

About the role

As the Head of Democratic Services, you will play a pivotal role in supporting local democracy and ensuring transparent, informed, and high-quality decision making across two sovereign councils.

You will lead and manage a team of professionals, acting as a vital link between officers, councillors, and members of the public. This role is designed to combine professional and technical expertise with core management skills, and you will be accountable for budgets, performance, and service quality. You will also act as the Deputy Monitoring Officer.

As a member of our Extended Leadership Team (ELT) you will also be expected to provide expert advice to other Heads of Service, Members, and Service Delivery Teams, ensuring consistency in operations.

Your role involves participating in change management processes, working with communities and customers to provide high quality support, and managing resources like budgets, staff, and contracts.

Additionally, as an active member of the ELT, you will support them and councillors in developing external relationships, leading organisational projects and programmes, and acting as an Ambassador for the councils, promoting the districts and developing strong communities.

About you

An excellent communicator with experience of negotiating and influencing, you will be politically astute and be able to demonstrate experience of working with Elected Members in local government.

You will bring proven success in motivating and developing teams and individuals, including effective delegation, as well as the ability to influence senior managers and members and establish and maintain collaborative partnerships and inspire and motivate to build trust, credibility and confidence

The successful candidate will need the ability to deal with a range of complex and competing demands, including managing multiple deadlines and dealing with highly sensitive matters.

Extensive governance knowledge and expertise in Local Government Law relating to councillors and meetings is a must for this role.

About us

Working together across our councils and with our partners in the public, private and voluntary sectors, we provide excellent services to our 190,000 residents across Babergh and Mid Suffolk.

We are proud of the role we play in creating the environment, economy, and communities for our districts. We believe that the heart of Suffolk is an incredibly special place to live and work. With picturesque market towns, 60 conservation areas and with two National Landscapes within our districts, it is little wonder that we are consistently within the top 50 places to live in the UK.

Benefits:

• Great opportunities for learning and development.
• Generous leave entitlement (equivalent to 26 days a year, increasing to 31 days after 5 years' service, plus bank holidays).
• Competitive Local Government Pension Scheme.
• Wellbeing Support Programme.
• Employee Assist Programme.
• Health Care Options.

For more information, please visit our Employee Benefits page (suffolkjobsdirect,org).

Our ways of working

Work is what we do, not where we go! We are committed to working in a more Hybrid way, with a mix of office, home, and remote based working (business needs permitting). This has worked well for us and is something we will be continuing with.

We are committed to supporting equality and diversity, Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils provide opportunity and ambition for all, supporting and enabling our people to deliver the best possible service for our residents.

For more information

If you wish to have an informal discussion about this role, please contact Sara Wilcock, Director - Customers, Digital Transformation and Improvement by emailing Sara.Wilcock@baberghmidsuffolk.gov.uk.

How to apply:

1. Please read the Job Description and Person Specification.pdf
2. Complete the Supporting Statement template (docx)
3. Your statement should indicate how you meet the criteria in the 'Person Profile' section of the Job Description/Person Specification (JDPS)
4. Upload your supporting statement and a copy of your CV

Closing date: 5pm, 27 January 2025

This authority is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. DBS checks or police vetting will be required for relevant posts.