Democratic Services Officer

Looking to develop a career in local government and governance? This is a great opportunity to support local democracy, work alongside politicians and senior officers across all departments, as well as providing advice and information to the public. Whether you are looking for your first job in this area or want to build on your experience, we are looking for a highly motivated person to join our democratic services team. You will be based mainly in Richmond, but you may be required to work flexibly across both boroughs, as necessary. We will support you to progress in the role. We offer training and the opportunity to gain a qualification relevant to your work. Your work base will be historic York House in Twickenham. We offer a mix of office and working from home. Attendance at evening meetings, held in person, is also required.

You will be required to:

• Develop and demonstrate a solid knowledge of the constitutional and legislative framework for local authority decision making and an ability to provide detailed advice to councillors and senior managers.
• Analyse documents or discussions and extract and summarise the key points.
• Demonstrate strong communication skills, political sensitivity, effective prioritisation skills and an ability to work well in a team.

The Council champions digital innovation and smarter ways of working. Experience of virtual/hybrid meeting and webcasting technology would be a bonus.

Essential Qualifications, Skills and Experience

• Attendance at meetings, preparing agendas, taking minutes and advising on basic procedural issues.
• A sound knowledge of relevant local government legislation and its application to the decision-making process.
• Working knowledge of ModGov or another committee management system and support for virtual and hybrid meetings.
• Ability to write clearly and concisely, particularly minutes of meetings and reports to Committees.
• Ability to communicate orally and speak with confidence so that clear messages are conveyed to a wide audience (these include people at all levels, both within and outside the Council such as Members, Senior Management, other staff and members of the public).

Richmond & Wandsworth Better Service Partnership are committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values differences, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions to the Councils and can improve the way we deliver services. We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer. If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment and selection process, please let us know. We are also committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people/vulnerable adults and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

We offer a wide range of benefits designed to attract, develop, and reward our employees such as 40 days annual leave (including Bank Holidays), flexible working and a generous pension plan.