Democratic Services Officer, Hertfordshire County Council

Association Of Democratic Services Officers; England; On-site; GBP 38,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company is seeking a Democratic Services Officer to join their team. This role is pivotal in supporting the Council's governance processes, ensuring effective management of meetings and decision-making. The ideal candidate will be enthusiastic about local democracy, possess strong communication skills, and have a degree. Responsibilities include managing agendas, coordinating events, and advising council members.

Qualifications

• Educated to degree level.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to organize and prioritize workload.

Responsibilities

• Support Council's governance and decision-making processes.
• Manage formal decision making to ensure transparency.
• Coordinate meetings and liaise with professionals.

Skills

Oral Communication

Written Communication

IT Skills

Team Player

Organizational Skills

Education

Degree Level Education

Tools

Microsoft Office

Excel

Job description

Salary: Level 10 – £37,035 pa
Contract: Permanent, Full Time
Hours: 37 per week

The Democratic Services Team ensures proper and effective arrangements for all formal Council meetings in accordance with the law and the Council’s Constitution, involving 17 different ‘types’ of meeting and over 130 meetings per year.

The team provide agenda and report development and publication, event co-ordination including pre-meeting briefings, liaison with attendees and external participants, press and public, live broadcasting, electronic voting, constitutional and procedural advice, and minute production.

The team also manage the Corporate Forward Plan of Key Decisions, the Council’s petitions scheme, appointments to Outside Bodies, the Independent Panel on Member Allowances, the Disciplinary Statutory Officers Panel, the Council’s programme of meetings and deal with constitutional and democracy issues such as Member Interests and the Member Code of Conduct.

We are looking for a talented, enthusiastic individual with a genuine interest in local democracy, good governance, the law as it relates to local authority meetings, decision-making and administration to join our Democratic Services team.

As a democratic services officer you will play a key role in supporting the Council’s governance and decision-making processes, helping to ensure that formal decision making is open and transparent, provides clear accountability for the use of resources in delivering the Council’s priorities, and that council meetings are managed effectively and lawfully.

Essential:
• Educated to degree level.
• Have excellent oral and written communication skills.
• IT Skills, Microsoft Office and Excel.
• Forge and maintain relationships with a wide range of professionals.
• Demonstrate the ability to work under pressure and be able to organise and prioritise your workload.
• Be a Team player who enjoys variety and pace in a challenging environment.
• Confidence in advising Members of the Council and senior officers on council meeting and decision-making processes, both in private and in public forum.

Desirable:
• Be able to develop a comprehensive understanding of the Councils’ Constitution and statutory provisions relating to authority meetings.
• Experience in managing meetings within a political or governance environment.
• You will be expected to undertake the Association of Democratic Services Officer’s Certificate in Democratic Services Knowledge where this qualification is not already held.

For an informal discussion about this role please contact Elaine Shell or Deborah Jeffery on 01992 555565 / 01992 555563.

Deadline for applications: Friday 18 July 2025

For full details and to apply, please click on the ‘Apply for Job’ button below.