Electoral Services Manager

South Gloucestershire Council; Yate; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous annual leave

Employee wellbeing support

Staff discounts

Training and development

Job summary

South Gloucestershire Council is seeking an Electoral Services Manager to lead the Elections, Registration and Referendums team. You will provide strategic direction to ensure accurate electoral registers, well-run electoral events and compliance with legislation while delivering value for money.

You will influence decision‑making, build partnerships and promote democratic engagement across the council and with external partners, ensuring services are trusted, resilient and customer focused.

Qualifications

• Broad experience in electoral services and understanding of electoral legislation and the statutory framework governing elections and referendums.
• Experience delivering at least one full cycle of parliamentary, district and Parish elections.
• Proven leadership experience and ability to develop a specialist team.
• Strong ability to balance competing priorities and deliver within statutory timescales.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder engagement and influencing skills.
• Desirable Certificate in Electoral Administration or commitment to professional excellence.

Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery and continuous improvement of the Electoral Service, ensuring registration, elections, referendums and related activities meet legislation and guidance.
• Plan, coordinate and deliver elections and referendums across multiple levels, ensuring deadlines and governance standards are met and value for money is achieved.
• Provide strategic leadership and expert advice on complex electoral matters to support informed decisions.
• Manage and develop the team to foster a high-performing, customer-focused culture.
• Act as Deputy Electoral Registration Officer and Deputy Returning Officer during key events.
• Lead complex projects and programmes, managing resources, risks and governance.
• Collaborate with colleagues, elected members and external partners to promote democratic engagement and voter registration.
• Build relationships with government departments, agencies and internal services to support delivery of electoral services.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Budget management

People management

Policy interpretation

Influencing

Education

Bachelor's degree in public administration, law, political science or business management

Tools

Election management software

Data analytics tools

Job description

How you'll make a difference

The right to vote is one of the most important democratic rights, and delivering effective electoral services is a key statutory responsibility of the council. As Electoral Services Manager, you will lead the Electoral Services team to deliver electoral registration, elections and referendums across South Gloucestershire, ensuring the highest standards of accuracy, integrity and compliance.

Reporting to the Monitoring Officer and Service Director for Legal, Governance and Democratic Services, you will provide strategic and operational leadership to a professional team responsible for maintaining the electoral register and delivering successful electoral events. You will influence decision‑making, develop strong partnerships and ensure the council continues to deliver electoral services that are trusted, resilient and customer focused.

What you will be doing

• You will lead the delivery and continuous improvement of the Electoral Service, ensuring that electoral registration, elections, referendums and related activities are delivered effectively, efficiently and in accordance with electoral legislation and national guidance.
• It will be your responsibility to plan, coordinate and deliver parliamentary, district, Parish and other elections, referendums and boundary reviews, ensuring statutory deadlines, governance requirements and quality standards are consistently achieved. You will also oversee service and election budgets, ensuring effective financial management, strong governance and value for money.
• Providing strategic leadership and expert advice, you will support with complex electoral matters, helping to ensure informed and legally compliant decision‑making.
• Managing and developing the team, you will foster a high‑performing, customer‑focused culture that promotes professional excellence and continuous improvement.
• Acting as Deputy Electoral Registration Officer and Deputy Returning Officer when required, you will exercise delegated responsibilities and provide leadership during key electoral events and periods of high operational demand.
• You will lead complex electoral projects and programmes, managing resources, risks and governance arrangements to ensure the successful delivery of statutory responsibilities and organisation priorities.
• Working collaboratively with colleagues, elected members and partner organisations, you will promote democratic engagement and participation, encouraging voter registration and increasing awareness of the democratic process across South Gloucestershire.
• Through effective partnership working, you will build and maintain strong relationships with government departments, external agencies, local authorities and internal services to support the successful delivery of Electoral Services and wider democratic priorities.

What we need from you

• It is essential that you hold a degree in a relevant discipline, such as public administration, law, political science or business management, or be able to demonstrate equivalent knowledge and experience gained through professional practice.
• You will bring substantial experience in electoral services, together with a comprehensive understanding of electoral legislation, electoral registration processes and the statutory framework governing elections and referendums.
• We are looking for someone who has successfully delivered at least one full cycle of parliamentary, district and Parish elections and can demonstrate a strong understanding of the operational, legal and governance requirements associated with electoral administration.
• Having proven leadership experience, you will be able to motivate, develop and support a specialist team, creating a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.
• You must be able to demonstrate significant experience of leading complex projects and programmes, balancing competing priorities and delivering successful outcomes within challenging statutory timescales.
• With excellent communication, stakeholder engagement and influencing skills, you will be able to build effective working relationships with senior leaders, elected members, government agencies, candidates, agents and external partners.
• It is important that you possess strong analytical, problem‑solving, written and presentation skills, with the ability to interpret complex legislation, assess risks and provide clear, practical advice to support informed decision‑making.
• A Certificate in Electoral Administration would be desirable and would demonstrate your commitment to professional excellence within the electoral services profession.

What you need to know

• This role requires flexibility, particularly during election periods, as you will be required to work outside of normal office hours.
• This is a politically restricted role.

Interviews are scheduled to be held on 6th and 7th October 2026.

How a career at South Gloucestershire Council is different

• As part of our benefits package, you will receivegenerous annual leave(pro rata), employee wellbeing support and you will have access to a range of staff discounts, including eye tests, travel, shopping and leisure activities.
• We recognise that our diverse team of skilled and dedicated people make us a great place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and ensure that individuals are selected, promoted and developed on the basis of their merits and abilities.
• We value our staff as individuals, investing in their careers and we are recognised for the quality, breadth and depth of our training and development offer, which helps make the greatest long‑term difference in work.

Our teams at South Gloucestershire Council are making a real difference to the lives of people who live, work and learn here.

• We're building and shaping communities which people are proud of.
• We're working with the most vulnerable in our community to help them achieve what they want in life.
• We're investing in our schools to ensure every child and young person in South Gloucestershire achieves their full potential.

We've achieved a great deal, but we need talented and dedicated people to ensure we continue to make a difference.

We’re making a difference, be part of it!

To view the full job description, please click this link: Electoral Services Manager - Job Description