Senior Democratic Services Officer in Essex

Fixed Term, 12 months Full Time, 37 hours per week £38,670 to £45,493 per annum Location: Chelmsford Working Style: Anywhere worker. This role is classified as an Anywhere worker position, however, there is a requirement to attend committee meetings in person at the Chelmsford offices.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a driven and enthusiastic Senior Democratic Services Officer to join the Democracy and Transparency Service. If you have the skills and drive to support the democratic process and are looking for a new and challenging role then this might be the job for you. The position is varied, covering scrutiny and other committee work, member support and a range of other duties in the Democracy Team. As a senior member of the Democracy team, you will work across the whole service to deliver support to our Members and the democratic process by providing excellent services and high quality advice.

Job Purpose

The role of Democratic Services is to deliver effective and high-quality Appeals and Committee Administration including scrutiny, Member Support, election and induction processes and to promote community engagement and understanding of the democratic processes of the Council. This role operates in the political environment of the authority and requires tact and accuracy. The Senior Democratic Services Officer is important to the effective management of the democratic process across the Council. The role is responsible for support to one of the Council’s formal Policy and Scrutiny committees and will be required to provide constitutional guidance and advice to panel members, senior officers and other stakeholders to make sure that the decisions made by the council are taken appropriately within the statutory and constitutional framework. The ability to be tactful and diplomatic is crucial to the success of this role.

Accountabilities

• Delivers a comprehensive professional and effective administrative support to elected members, various committees and groups.
• Takes the role of Clerk at high profile meetings.
• Responsible for the provision of expert advice and guidance to elected members, senior officers and other stakeholders on procedural and constitutional matters generally, maintaining an up-to-date understanding of relevant legislation and regulations.
• Contributes to the work programme encouraging key stakeholder engagement within the council and maximises democratic engagement across the communities in Essex in regard to scrutiny.
• Responsible for the management and co-ordination of the four year business plan work programmes for the committees.
• Undertakes research, summarises and analyses material for these.
• Undertakes a broad range of project work and is responsible for delivering against personal objectives.
• Provide comprehensive support to the Chairman of the Council and Lord Lieutenant including arranging receptions and functions and the arrangement of Royal Visits and Awards Ceremonies.
• Supports Policy and Scrutiny Committees, including providing advice in meetings, coordinating Scrutiny Board meetings and preparing communications relating to scrutiny activity.
• Supports the maintenance standards of Essex County Council’s Member Development Charter Plus status through the member induction process and ongoing member development including with the Member Development Steering Group.
• Advocate the use of digital opportunities to streamline systems and processes which enhance the role of Digital Councillor and enables self-serving.
• Supports manager by providing direction for the team with the ability to focus on results, and assist in developing a strong performing and motivated team from diverse backgrounds to achieve local objectives.

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

• Educated to Degree level or similar.
• Evidence of continuing professional development and good knowledge in a political or policy environment and Local Government experience is highly desirable.
• Significant experience of providing an administrative service to high level meetings, including writing formal minutes.
• Excellent ICT skills and good working knowledge of Microsoft applications is essential.
• Knowledge of a Committee Management system is highly desirable.
• Excellent interpersonal and organisational skills, with the ability to work to tight deadlines under pressure, prioritising own workload.
• Oral and written communication skills at a very high standard.
• Experience of working within a highly sensitive political environment with the ability to be tactful and diplomatic.
• Proven ability of managing projects with evidence of researching, analysing and managing information.
• Proven experience of working effectively with internal and external partners, the community, senior officers and elected members.
• Evidence of understanding and responding to differing viewpoints taking a cross organisational perspective.

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs. Essex County Council is proud to offer an excellent benefits package to all its employees, including:

• A local government pension scheme (LGPS), a career average scheme with employee and employer contributions.
• Annual leave entitlement of up to 30 days per year (depending upon grade and length of service).
• Purchase of additional annual leave (up to agreed limits).
• Flexible working arrangements (for most roles but depending upon service requirements).
• Discounted shopping through a dedicated Reward Portal (including discounts at major supermarkets).
• Training and development and payment of professional fees (approved professions only).
• Relocation package (up to £8,000) where agreed.
• Employee assistance programme provided in-house (wellbeing and counselling provision).
• Childcare vouchers, through salary sacrifice.

Please note ECC regularly reviews its reward and benefits. More information can be found at https://workingforessex.com/working-here/pay-reward.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained.

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

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If you have queries or require anything further, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk.

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