Democratic Services Manager

Job introduction

Do you have experience of working in a senior governance or democratic services role and are looking to take the next step in your career?

We are seeking a passionate and dynamic democratic services professional to manage, co-ordinate and lead our Democratic Services team.

Interview date: To be confirmed

For an informal discussion, please contact Anthony Soyinka - Head of Democratic Services on 01273 291006.

About the role

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

Brighton & Hove City Council is an established unitary authority with 54 councillors. 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 effectively manging school admissions and exclusion appeals. If this sounds like you, and you are passionate about making a positive difference in your role, we look forward to receiving your application.

Key Responsibilities

• To lead and co-ordinate discharge of the council’s support to elected Members, including development of the Members and the management of the Democratic Services officers and administrative support.
• To develop, lead, co-ordinate and have responsibility for organising all Admission and Exclusion Appeals for community and voluntary aided schools within Brighton & Hove.

This role is politically restricted. For further information on what this means for employees in post, please click on the document attachment below.

Please read our Apply for a job at the council pages carefully. They give you all the guidance you need to complete your application as well as information on what will happen after you’ve submitted your application and at interview.

As part of your application, you will need to complete your education and work history and provide answers to some shortlisting questions. Your answers to the shortlisting questions are the most important part of your application as they will be used in the shortlisting process to assess whether you meet the essential requirements for the role that are set out in the person specification and to decide whether you should be offered an interview. Before you start your application, please read our guidance here (Application form guidance) and Shortlisting questions guidance as this gives important advice which will increase your chance of success in the shortlisting process.

Additional information

Your starting salary will be pro rata if the above position is less than 37 hours or term-time only.

We are a workplace that supports flexibility and employee wellbeing in the way we work whilst providing the best service for our customers. Team and service working arrangements are designed to support both employee work life balance and team collaboration. These would be part of your individual working arrangements alongside any personal preference agreed with your manager in advance of joining. Your contractual location will be the designated council office for your team and travel to and from your contractual location would be at your own expense.

For more information about our values and the benefits of working at the council, visit Why work for us

Company information

Encouraging a diverse workforce

Our city is known and loved for its diversity. Not only is the mixture of people, culture and skills vital to the economic and social development of the city, it's what makes Brighton & Hove such a great place to live, work and visit. We are committed to developing and retaining a workforce that is representative of the diverse communities we serve so we welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds. In order to achieve our aims of proportionate representation, we particularly encourage applicants from a BME or White Other background as well as those who identify as disabled or trans.

Find out more about our commitment to being a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone can achieve their potential by reading about our fair and inclusive actions, our anti-racism strategy and the work we are doing to encourage a diverse workforce (brighton-hove.gov.uk).