Departmental Co-ordinator in London

As Departmental Coordinator, you’ll play a pivotal role in ensuring our Children’s and Adults department meets vital constitutional and governance standards. This is a fast-paced and varied role where you’ll be at the centre of how decisions are planned, produced, and processed. Acting as the key link between the department and the council’s Constitutional Team, you'll be the go-to expert for navigating procedures, supporting formal decision making, and ensuring all governance timelines and reporting requirements are met with precision.

You’ll take ownership of managing the departmental forward plan, overseeing the coordination and clearance of high-level reports for Cabinet Members, Chief Officers, and Scrutiny Committees. From preparing reports and drafting minutes for key briefings to advising on proper sign-off procedures, you’ll be instrumental in ensuring everything is delivered accurately and on time. This role offers a unique insight into the workings of local government, supporting the delivery of democratic processes and helping shape services that matter to residents. With your organisational skills and proactive approach, you’ll help ensure key decisions are made with transparency, efficiency, and accountability.

What you’ll be doing:

• Coordinate and manage the Children’s and Adults department forward plan, ensuring timely and compliant decision-making processes.
• Act as the primary contact for the Constitutional Team, overseeing the preparation, clearance, and submission of formal reports and updates.
• Lead the production of reports for Cabinet Members, Chief Officers, and Scrutiny Committees, ensuring adherence to governance standards.
• Provide clear guidance on constitutional procedures and signposting staff to the correct templates, tools, and policies.
• Support high-level meetings by preparing reports, coordinating inputs, and accurately recording actions and outcomes.

What you’ll bring:

• Knowledge of local government structures and decision-making processes, especially within a Children's and Adults context.
• Experience producing high-quality reports for formal decision-making.
• Strong IT skills, with the ability to use Microsoft Office and internal systems to coordinate and manage workflows.
• Confidence providing clear, concise advice on governance and constitutional procedures.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including minute-taking and report writing.
• Ability to prioritise tasks and manage urgent situations calmly and effectively.
• A diplomatic and persuasive communication style, with sensitivity to the political environment.
• A self-motivated, can-do attitude and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively.

Why Southwark?

Southwark Council is the largest local authority social landlord in London, managing 55,000 homes lived in by 40% of Southwark’s residents. We are home to over 18,300 businesses including iconic London venues such as The Shard, The Tate Modern and Borough Market along with many social enterprises and we have a young, diverse, and growing population. At Southwark we are committed to making our borough just and fair and are taking positive action to tackle inequalities. Our residents and communities are our greatest asset and the passion we have for Southwark is shared by millions of Londoners who enjoy our outstanding cultural offer, use our hospitals and attend our universities.

Our refreshed borough plan and focus on Southwark Stands Together, (which is our work with Southwark’s communities and the council’s staff to tackle racism, injustice and inequality) underpins all that we do. We particularly welcome applications from members of the Black, Asian, and ethnic minority communities to increase representation at senior management level in the Council.

This role offers a hybrid working arrangement, with 3 days per week in our Tooley Street office and 2 days working from home, agreed in line with service needs.

Employee benefits:

• A competitive base salary (pro rata for part time staff)
• Strong supportive senior management team
• Regular one to one supervision
• Professional development & training opportunities
• Agile and flexible working arrangements
• Season ticket and cycle loans
• Annual Leave starting at 27 days per year, increasing to 35 (with length of service) (pro rata for part time staff)
• HSF Health plan and eye care scheme
• EAP employee assistance programme, confidential counselling and support
• Social clubs and staff groups

Disability Confident (guaranteed interview) Scheme:

As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role, and identify with one of the below criteria:

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care or have previously been in care.
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition.

Recruitment timetable:

Closing date: Sunday 22nd February 2026 at 23:59. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role, in which case we will move the key dates for the process. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

Interview date: week commencing 9th March 2026 (to be confirmed)

Salary Range (Full time equivalent) £38,637 - £44,937