Democratic Services Manager

Job introduction

You can also see our full list of employee benefits on our careers site here: Why you should work for us | West Northamptonshire Council.

About the role

West Northamptonshire Council are looking for an experienced and dynamic democratic services professional to manage our Democratic Services team. Working alongside the Head of Democratic and Electoral Services, you will lead a dedicated and friendly team, supporting them to deliver the Council’s democratic and scrutiny functions. If you’re an established democratic services professional, have a strong track record in governance and are looking for an exciting management role, we’d love to hear from you.

West Northamptonshire Council is a large unitary authority with 76 councillors and an electorate of over 300,000. We're looking for an experienced Democratic Services professional to manage, co-ordinate and lead our Democratic Services team. The ideal candidate will have sound knowledge of local authority constitutions and decision-making processes, along with experience of supporting and advising various committees. You will also have experience of delivering member development and overview and scrutiny functions. If this sounds like you, and you are passionate about making a positive difference in your role, we look forward to receiving your application.

Additional information

• You will be an experienced democratic services professional with considerable experience of supporting high profile decision-making and scrutiny meetings.
• You will have sound knowledge of local authority constitutions and supporting legislation.
• You will be able to demonstrate political awareness and the ability to prioritise your workload and the workloads of others.
• You will have outstanding communication skills and will be articulate, confident and diplomatic in providing advice to colleagues, candidates and politicians when advising about democratic processes.
• You will possess excellent interpersonal skills and be adept at supporting and getting the best out of your team.
• You will have excellent working knowledge of MS Office applications and democratic services software (experience of modern.gov is desirable).
• You will have a responsive and adaptable attitude and an organised approach to work.

Within your application, please use the Supporting Statement section to explain how you fulfil the essential criteria from the Job Description attached on this page.

For an informal discussion, please contact Paul Hanson, Head of Democratic and Electoral Services: 07759 548383

Company information

At West Northants Council, it’s about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.

Our vision is ‘to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive’. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services.

Hear more from our Chief Executive, Anna Earnshaw, about what its like to work at West Northants Council.

We are committed to ensuring diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion is woven into the fabric of WNC and everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and maximize their full potential.  We are a disability confident employer, a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and a Care Leaver Covenant partner

The following film was created by us to communicate our intentions - watch WNC colleagues explain what DEI means to us.

If you need additional support or reasonable adjustments during the application process, including needing the job description in another format or language, please email careers@westnorthants.gov.uk for support.

West Northants Council, where careers thrive.