Democratic Services Manager

City of York Council; York and North Yorkshire; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working arrangements

LGPS (Local Government Pension Scheme)

Health & Wellbeing initiatives

Generous annual leave

Job summary

City of York Council is seeking an accomplished leader to head Democratic Services, guiding decision-making, scrutiny and compliance across council governance. You will work with senior officers, Chairs and Members to safeguard integrity and public confidence.

The role requires strategic leadership, performance management and a strong understanding of local government processes, with hybrid working and a focus on accessible, lawful decision-making.

Qualifications

• Extensive knowledge of local government decision-making and scrutiny.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to advise during public meetings and produce formal reports.
• Experience leading and developing a team in a political environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Democratic Services team and ensure efficient governance processes.
• Oversee committee support, evidence-based scrutiny and decision-making.
• Provide impartial, pragmatic advice on constitutional and statutory matters.
• Act as deputy for the Statutory Scrutiny Officer and support accountability.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Policy development

Public speaking

Analytical thinking

Job description

Help shape transparent, effective and inclusive local democracy.

We are seeking an accomplished and inspiring individual to lead a talented team at the heart of the Council’s governance arrangements. This is an exciting opportunity to influence how important decisions are made, strengthen public confidence and support elected Members to deliver for their communities.

Working at least three days per week from West Offices, you will lead the operational delivery and continuous improvement of Democratic Services. Working closely with senior officers, committee chairs and Members from across the political spectrum, you will provide trusted, impartial advice on complex constitutional, statutory and procedural matters—often in high-profile and politically sensitive settings.

A central part of your role will be developing accessible, lawful and efficient decision-making processes. You will oversee committee support and help Members contribute to evidence-based policy development and effective scrutiny. You will also support and deputise for the Statutory Scrutiny Officer, ensuring that scrutiny holds decision-makers to account and adds genuine value.

We are looking for a confident leader who can motivate people, manage performance and resources, embrace technology, and introduce customer-focused improvements. You will bring extensive knowledge of local government decision-making and scrutiny, excellent written and verbal communication skills, and the judgement to anticipate issues and offer pragmatic solutions under pressure.

Political awareness, personal resilience and the ability to build trust without fear or favour are essential. You will be equally comfortable advising during a public meeting, producing a compelling formal report or working collaboratively across organisational boundaries.

If you are passionate about good governance, committed to fairness and equalities, and ready to lead a service that protects the integrity of local democracy, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Join us and put your expertise at the centre of decisions that matter.

This post is deemed as politically restricted. As designated politically restricted officers, employees will not be allowed to undertake certain activities. Please refer to the guidance attached for further information.

As this role is public facing, applicants will need to demonstrate, at interview, their competency to converse and provide advice and guidance to members of the public, in spoken English to CEFR level C2: Can express themselves spontaneously at length with a natural conversational flow, avoiding or backtracking around any difficulty so smoothly that the person with whom they are conversing is hardly aware of it.

Hybrid working arrangements are available for this role. Each role at CYC is different and your working arrangements will be determined based on the requirements of the role and in collaboration with you and your needs as part of the recruitment process. Your contractual location will be the designated council office for your team.

Please note, we do not have a sponsorship licence to sponsor indivdiuals for visas to work in the UK, therefore we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role.

The Council is committed to investing in the talent and wellbeing of our staff and can offer a generous annual leave allowance, access to the Local Government Pension Scheme, comprehensive Health & Wellbeing initiatives and a reward package which recognises your contribution. We can offer flexible working practices, community engagement and volunteer activities and, as part of our commitment to you, promote continuous Learning & Development. In addition we also offer a growing range of discounts, rewards and savings.

Closing date: Sunday 18 October 2026 at 12 midnight

Interview date: Monday 26 October 2026