Senior Governance and Democracy Officer

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Job Description

Do you have an interest in local government and dedication to high standards and ongoing improvement? If so, we invite you to consider an excellent opportunity to join our Member Services Team. This team plays a vital role in supporting the Council's governance and decision-making processes as well as providing assistance to the Council's 50 elected councillors in a professional environment.

As a member of the Governance Services department, your responsibilities include supporting elected Members and managing the Council's democratic processes. You will collaborate with the Member Services manager and Governance and Democracy Manager to supervise a small team, uphold corporate governance standards, promote transparency, and ensure that decision-making complies with legal requirements and is clearly communicated.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and advise on democratic decision-making processes, ensuring compliance with legal and constitutional requirements.
• Manage and motivate Democratic Services staff to deliver high-quality support.
• Provide clear, well-presented reports, agendas, and minutes.
• Promote public participation and understanding of Council processes.
• Liaise with elected Members, senior officers, government departments, and external stakeholders.
• Support Member and officer training and development.
• Drive improvements in governance and service delivery.

About You

You will be a confident communicator with effective written and verbal communications skills, organisational ability and be able to work to multiple and tight deadlines. You will also have strong administrative and IT skills. Knowledge of legislation and procedures relating to local authority meetings is also needed. The role requires the ability to deal with issues sensitively, together with a level of political awareness and the ability to remain politically impartial at all times.

You'll also bring:

• Strong understanding of local government.
• Leadership, and interpersonal skills.
• Proven ability to influence, negotiate, and manage competing priorities.
• Experience in governance, procedural advice, and committee administration.
• A commitment to continuous improvement and professional standards.
• Effective ICT skills and familiarity with tools like Civica/Modern.gov and Microsoft Teams.

Why join us?

East Sussex County Council offers a supportive and flexible working environment, with opportunities for professional development. You'll be joining a dedicated team committed to upholding the Council's governance and decision-making processes. Team members are expected to attend the offices on a regular basis to support committee meetings, which are held during the normal working day, and to provide assistance to councillors as required.

To apply for this role, please click the apply now button above to upload your CV and a supporting statement. When writing your supporting statement be sure to address how you meet all the criteria in the person specification drawing on any relevant work/life experience, education or personal interests.

Please download the Job Description and Person Specification for more information.

Interviews will take place in person at County Hall, Lewes. Interviews will be taking place in the week commencing 6 October 2025. If you are unavailable on these dates let us know and we may be able to schedule an alternative date to interview you.

We offer a diverse range of benefits to help and support you during your employment. More information can be found on our benefits page.

For an informal discussion about this opportunity contact Hannah Matthews, Member Services Manager at hannah.matthews@eastsussex.gov.uk to request a phone call.

For work that makes a difference, Choose East Sussex.

About Us

Additional Information

Your starting salary will be pro rata if the above position is part-time or term-time only.

If you require sponsorship to work in the UK please let the hiring manager know this in your application so we can check eligibility for sponsorship for the role. For further information please go to Work in the UK - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

If you require any reasonable adjustments, due to disability, to enable you to participate fully in the process please contact the hiring manager on the contact details above.