Democratic Services Officer

Following the retirement of a team member, this post offers an opportunity to work at the hub of decision-making and overview and scrutiny. The Democratic Services Team has responsibility for the efficient and effective conduct of meetings of the Council, the Cabinet, Committees, Sub-Committees and a range of other formal and diverse meetings including school admission appeals.
We are seeking to recruit an individual to join us with relevant knowledge and experience, an eye for detail, excellent judgement and good inter-personal and communication skills.
The range of responsibilities includes business programming, report writing, agenda production, the provision of constitutional/governance advice and minute taking.
Ideally the successful candidate will have experience of working in a Democratic Services Team in a local authority setting.
Candidates will also need to demonstrate an ability to lead and support in-depth reviews set up by the Council’s overview and scrutiny committees from inception to the production and presentation of the final report and recommendations.
There may also be a requirement to support the organisation and delivery of elections.
The successful applicant will join a motivated and enthusiastic team, which is held in high regard across the Council. The team is working flexibly, this means that there will be some working in the office, as well as working from home depending on the needs of the service. The Council’s formal meetings take place mainly in the evening and are held in person at local venues.
In return we offer you:

• Generous annual leave entitlement
• Generous local government pension scheme package
• Access to wider training and development qualifications
• Flexible working scheme
• Travel plan discounts
• Car Benefit Scheme from Tusker
• Access to CAREFIRST advice & counselling service
• Employee discount scheme for national and local retailers
• The Government has introduced new ways of supporting parents with childcare costs. Further details are available here: - https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/

We're committed to making Medway carbon neutral by 2050. We have developed an action plan to ensure we play our part in addressing the climate emergency. Our declaration fits into our Council Plan priority of making Medway a place to be proud of. The main outcome being a 'clean and green environment'. All Medway Council staff can access an additional day’s paid leave to undertake a volunteering activity which supports climate change.
Our organisation:
Medway is a unitary authority in the South East of England, made up of the towns of Strood, Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham and Rainham and more rural areas, including the Hoo Peninsula.
Situated in Kent in the South-East of England, the area has plenty of green spaces, excellent facilities and easy access to the national motorway and rail networks, facilitating superb transport links to London.
We provide all local Government services for a quarter of a million people, looking after education, environment, social care, housing, planning, business and much more - everything from frontline services such as rubbish collection and events like the Dickens Festival to work that goes on behind the scenes to ensure services in Medway run smoothly and cost effectively.
Working at Medway Council means that you get to be part of this journey working alongside talented, professional colleagues to drive forward change to transform the lives of our residents and the communities they live in.
If you would like to have an informal discussion with the recruiting managers please call Wayne Hemingway, Head of Democratic Services on 01634 332509 or Teri Reynolds, Principal Democratic Services Officer on 01634 332104.
Interviews will be held in person on Thursday 9 May 2024. Full details will be sent to you, if your application is successfully shortlisted.
Important Information-
Applicants must be able to demonstrate all essential requirements as listed in the job profile
Equal Opportunities Commitment Statement
Medway Council is committed to creating an inclusive work environment with a diverse workforce. All appropriately qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to gender, race, colour, ethnic or national origin, disability, marital status, family commitments, sexual orientation, age, HIV status, religious or political beliefs, social class or trade union activity or irrelevant spent conviction.
For further information please refer to the Medway information pack available as a download or to view online.
Please be advised that if you are not contacted within 3 weeks of the advert closing date then you have not been shortlisted. All recruitment correspondence, including interview letters and contracts of employment will usually be sent out via email.
Please visit http://www.mindfulemployer.net/ for information on how Medway Council put good practices in place to ensure employees and job applicants who declare mental health issues receive the right level of support.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy at any time prior to the closing date.

How to apply

Please be advised that we only accept online applications submitted through JobsGoPublic ATS
If you are not contacted within 3 weeks of the advert closing date then you have not been shortlisted.
All recruitment correspondence, including interview letters and contracts of employment will usually be sent out via email, if you require documentation/correspondence in different format such as braille or large print, please contact the Resourcing Team on 01634 332878.