Governance & Democratic Services Lead (Flexible & Hybrid) in London

The Democratic Services team is a single staff team in the Chief Executive's directorate supporting two separate sovereign unitary Councils: Richmond-Upon-Thames and Wandsworth. This management role sits at the heart of the formal decision-making and overview and scrutiny processes in the Council. You will be working alongside politicians and senior officers across all departments, as well as providing advice and information to members of the public. You will be based mainly in Wandsworth, but you will be expected to work flexibly across both boroughs, as necessary. You and your team will support a range of Executive, Scrutiny and Regulatory Committees, as well as school admission and exclusion appeals, licensing appeals and charity administration.

Wandsworth Council operates a Leader and Cabinet system of governance. You will be required to:

• Lead and manage the Council's democratic governance processes - Oversee the coordination, planning and delivery of committee meetings, scrutiny work, forward plans, agendas, reports, minutes and decision records to ensure smooth, transparent and legally compliant decision making.
• Provide expert governance advice to Members and senior officers - Act as a trusted source of guidance on constitutional rules, decision making procedures, standing orders, declarations of interest and wider governance matters.
• Manage and develop a small team - Lead, support and supervise 2-3 Democratic Services Officers, fostering a positive working environment, monitoring performance and developing skills within the team.
• Drive service improvement and digital innovation - Develop and embed the use of ICT, governance software and emerging technologies to improve the democratic process, enhance service delivery and support continuous improvement.
• Lead projects and support key corporate responsibilities - Manage governance related projects, oversee the School Appeals Service, support Member induction and development, promote resident engagement in decision making, and deputise for senior governance leaders when required.

Essential Qualifications, Skills and Experience

• A track record in working in governance and knowledge of UK local authority constitutions.
• Acute political sensitivity and judgement.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• The ability to explain complex guidance and demonstrate confidence in providing constitutional advice to Councillors and Officers in a range of meeting situations.
• Good IT skills, including the Microsoft suite of packages, remote and hybrid meeting technology and decision-management systems.
• The ability to work with a minimum of supervision whilst supervising and managing others; work well under pressure, often to competing deadlines; and demonstrate excellent time management.

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.