Democratic Services Officer

Essex County Council; Chelmsford; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 36,000; Full time

Job summary

Essex County Council is seeking a Democratic Services Officer for a secondment, full-time arrangement in Chelmsford. The role supports council decision-making with minute-taking, agenda prep and member guidance.

It requires tact, diplomacy and the ability to work under pressure within a political environment. Fixed-term up to 12 months with a salary of £30,295 to £35,641 per annum.

Qualifications

• Educated to RQF Level 3 (A level) standard including English and Maths at Grade ‘C’ and above or equivalent by experience
• Evidence of continuing professional development and good knowledge in a political or policy environment and Local Government.
• Practical experience of providing administration service for high level meetings including writing minutes.”
• Excellent ICT skills including Microsoft applications and specialist systems. Experience of a Committee Management system is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Clerks meetings of the Council and any other committees as directed including preparing the agenda, minutes and reports.
• Delivers effective administrative support to elected members, various committees and groups.
• Delivers a clerking service to Statutory School Appeals and to provide advice and support for the appeals process.
• Support member information and development activities as directed by managers within Democratic Services and clerking the Member Development Steering Group
• Provide guidance, advice, training and support to Members on corporate policies and procedures such as dealing with expense claims or declaring interests or gifts
• Responsible for providing advice to Members in the preparation of responses to residents to ensure stakeholder engagement within the council and maximise engagement across the local community in Essex.
• Supports project implementation across a broad and diverse range of media to maximise the opportunity to achieve local community objectives.
• Supports the Democratic Services Team to ensure the successful delivery of an annual programme of events including Civic functions, member away days and training working with external organisations and partners to ensure standards are maintained.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Organisational skills

Tact & diplomacy

Minute taking

Research skills

Education

RQF Level 3 / A-level English & Maths

Tools

Microsoft Office

Committee Management system

Job description

About The Role

Democratic Services Officer

Secondment, Full Time

£30,295 to £35,641 per annum

Location: Chelmsford

Working Style: Anywhere worker

Closing Date: 14th September 2026

Please note that visa sponsorship is not available for this role. Applicants must have a current, unrestricted right to work in the UK.

Please note this vacancy is available as a fixed term contract or secondment opportunity for up to 12 Months.

The role of Democratic Services is to deliver effective and high-quality Appeals and Committee Administration, Member Support, election and induction processes and to promote community engagement and understanding of the democratic processes of the Council.

This role operates in the political environment of the authority and requires an understanding of the need for tact and diplomacy alongside a requirement to be accurate in delivered work. The Democratic Services Officer is important to the effective delivery of the democratic process across the Council.

The role is responsible for providing comprehensive administrative support to the Council’s formal decision-making committees. The postholder will be required to provide advice and guidance to elected members, senior officers and other stakeholders to make sure that the decisions meet the statutory framework.

Accountabilities

• Undertakes a broad range of project work and is responsible for delivering against set objectives. This includes election work and committee management.
• Clerk meetings of the Council and any other committees as directed including preparing the agenda, minutes and reports.
• Delivers effective administrative support to elected members, various committees and groups. Provides support through a variety of administrative tasks to ensure Essex County Council standards are met and maintained.
• Delivers a clerking service to Statutory School Appeals and to provide advice and support for the appeals process.
• Support member information and development activities as directed by managers within Democratic Services and clerking the Member Development Steering Group
• Provide guidance, advice, training and support to Members on corporate policies and procedures such as dealing with expense claims or declaring interests or gifts
• Responsible for providing advice to Members in the preparation of responses to residents to ensure stakeholder engagement within the council and maximise engagement across the local community in Essex.
• Supports project implementation across a broad and diverse range of media to maximise the opportunity to achieve local community objectives.
• Supports the Democratic Services Team to ensure the successful delivery of an annual programme of events including Civic functions, member away days and training working with external organisations and partners to ensure standards are maintained.

Skills, Knowledge And Experience

• Educated to an RQF Level 3 (A level) standard including English and Maths at Grade ‘C’ and above or equivalent by experience
• Evidence of continuing professional development and good knowledge in a political or policy environment and Local Government.
• Practical experience of providing administration service for high level meetings including writing minutes.
• Excellent ICT skills including Microsoft applications and specialist systems. Experience of a Committee Management system is desirable.
• Good organisational skills and an ability to work to tight deadlines, prioritise own work, use own initiative and be self motivating.
• Excellent interpersonal and organisational skills, with the ability to work to tight deadlines and prioritise own workload.
• Practical experience of working in a sensitive political environment with the ability to be tactful and diplomatic.
• Practical experience of conducting research and working on projects.

To read more about our business area, please visit: Corporate Services

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

In March 2026, the Government announced that councils in Greater Essex will be reorganised into five new unitary authorities from April 2028. In addition to this, Greater Essex has been accepted on to the devolution priority programme, where we will work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority. You can read more about these changes, and what this may mean for this role, on our careers site.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email [e-mail]

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