Summary
*Job title: Senior Lead - Democratic Services, Civic and Elections
*Organisation: Unitary Authority
*Contract type: Permanent
*Employment type: Full-time
*Working hours: 37
*Salary: £66,572 - £69,181 (depending on experience)
*Working Environment: Hybrid, average 2 days per week in office
*Location: South Essex, England
*Annual leave: 25 days up to 32 days - based on length of service
*Pension: Local Government Pension Scheme - one of the most generous pension schemes in the UK
*Additional benefits include wellbeing support, learning and development, and a range of salary sacrifice schemes.


Your new role
*To lead, manage and be accountable for teams that provide
*A service to lead and manage the democratic function for the Council, that include to operate and manage the meetings of the Council, Cabinet, Committees, Sub-Committees, Working Parties, and any other democratic support requirement that is commensurate with the level of the role.
*Civic Team which supports the Mayoralty
*Electoral Registration and Elections
*To stand in for the Director Law and Governance (Monitoring Officer) on matters of governance as and when required.
*To support the Director Law and Governance in contributing to and delivering the corporate vision, values and priorities of the Council, the Department and the services for which the post holder is responsible.
*To work in collaboration with other Managers to ensure that services are joined up appropriately and are aligned to the achievement of the Council’s aims and objectives.
*To assist the Director Law and Governance in governance matters and to act as Monitoring Officer for the Council as and when required.
*To support and assist Members and Officers of the Council in the delivery of compliant decision-making and governance.

What you’ll need to succeed
*To lead, manage, improve and develop service delivery within a specified function of the Council’s remit.
*This includes service planning, performance management, communications and appraisals.
*To ensure that the Council’s policies and procedures (including financial regulations) are understood and followed by staff and other stakeholders.
*To contribute to, or lead on, the development of corporate policies and procedures to ensure that they are "fit for purpose".
*To lead and participate in corporate and cross-cutting teams and activities (projects and programmes) as from time to time agreed with the Director Law and Governance.
*To develop and maintain effective relationships with partners and other external bodies (regionally and nationally) and use these relationships to continually improve service delivery and promote the community.
*To develop and maintain positive relationships with Elected Members.
*To promote the principles of equality and diversity and ensure that these are upheld across the service area.
*To manage change effectively and creatively; to respond to complex and changing situations by use of creative problem solving and bring new thinking, delivery mechanisms and solutions to the organisation.
*To champion customer focus; to listen to and communicate effectively with citizens, customers and stakeholders. To act as a role model, to promote co-operation across the Council and maintain a focus on customer orientation and service quality.
*To support the Council as necessary in emergency planning and reaction.
*To lead, co-ordinate, manage and be accountable for the 2 teams and a functional role, specifically:
*Democratic Services and Civic Team That is to lead on the services that support the smooth running and professional services that underpin the democratic processes at the council, in line with the Council’s Constitution. Under the Mayoralty, to ensure the Civic role and standards of the Council are upheld.
*Electoral Registration and Elections Services are delivered in accordance with the Council’s legal responsibilities and standards of service.


What you’ll get in return
*Experience in democratic services at management level
*Good knowledge of local government structures and procedures and a clear understanding of political frameworks.
*Working knowledge of the law and procedures in relation to elections, registration law and committee administration
*Detailed knowledge of all aspects of civic duties
*Knowledge and Experience of providing advice to councillors and officers on decision making processes, overview and scrutiny and constitutional matters
*Experience of people management with the ability to effectively lead, motivate and performance manage
*Ability to contribute effectively in a large complex organisation and within a political environment, to support transformation and improvement
*Ability to work under pressure in a well organised manner.
*Excellent communication skills at all levels inside and outside the Council
*Must have previous experience in democratic services at a management level.


What you need to do now
If you’re interested in this role, click ’apply now’ to forward an up-to-date copy of your CV.
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