Democratic Services Manager
Watford, Hertfordshire
About Us
We are Watford Borough Council, a public sector organisation dedicated to making the Watford area a great place to work and live.
We’re now looking for a Democratic Services Manager to join our team at the Town Hall in Watford.
Your Rewards
- Competitive salary
- Pension scheme with generous employer contribution
- Flexible working
- Career development opportunities
- Season ticket loan
- Cycle to work scheme
- Discounted leisure centre membership
- Employee volunteering schemes
- Access to a branded shopping discounts platform and discounted activities and days out
- 28 days’ holiday (rising to 33 with service)
If you are a democratic services professional with experience gained in working with councillors or with senior executives/board members, this is an outstanding opportunity to further your career within our Borough Council.
We strive to be an employer of choice and are proud of our high staff satisfaction and motivation levels.
In Watford, we have an unprecedented opportunity to shape the town in a way that benefits our community for decades to come. We plan to create a bold and progressive future for our town. If you share our ambition and are eager to make your mark, we would love to hear from you.
Your Role
As the Democratic Services Manager, you will be tasked with the effective management of the Democratic Services Team. You will drive the delivery of democratic services to Councillors and Committees.
Specifically, you will manage committee administration, scrutiny and members’ services such as the Chairman’s engagements and the elected Mayor’s office.
You will ensure that all aspects of the democratic function operate effectively, council committees are supported, and the Chairman, the Mayor and the Councillors are enabled to perform their civic and political duties.
Your role will also involve:
- Supporting council meetings and publishing the minutes
- Ensuring the Elected Mayor and Chairman are given appropriate office support
- Appraising the Democratic Services Team and meeting their training and development needs
- Allocating work and setting the team’s priorities
- Addressing member training needs highlighted by Councillors or the Elected Mayor
- Managing the team’s budget
As part of your role, you will be required to undertake regular evening work for which an additional anti-social hours supplement is paid. Please note: the ability and willingness to do this will form a key element of eligibility criteria for this role.
About You
To be considered as the Democratic Services Manager, you will need:
- Significant experience of working in the field of Democratic Services and the ability to demonstrate knowledge of a broad range of Democratic Services activities including committee administration and councillor support including training and development
- Demonstrable experience of taking formal minutes of meetings that are then open to publication
- An understanding of the governance arrangements within local government
- Demonstrable team leadership and departmental management experience
- Experience of working in a political environment and the ability to demonstrate political sensitivity
- Experience of giving advice at a senior level, both verbally and in writing
- Experience of working independently and using your own initiative to solve problems
- Experience of coping with a high workload with minimal supervision and to tight deadlines
Other organisations may call this role Governance and Democratic Service Manager.
Webrecruit and Watford Borough Council are equal opportunities employers, value diversity and are strongly committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees and all applicants for employment. Equal opportunities are the only acceptable way to conduct business and we believe that the more inclusive our environments are, the better our work will be.
So, if you are ready for your next exciting challenge as the Democratic Services Manager, please apply via the button shown. This vacancy is being advertised by Webrecruit. The services advertised by Webrecruit are those of an Employment Agency.