Governance & Democratic Services Leader

Hampshire and the Solent Combined County Authority; Southampton; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible hybrid working

Competitive salary

Professional development

Leadership team collaboration

Local Government Pension Scheme

Job summary

Hampshire and the Solent Combined County Authority is recruiting a Head of Democratic Services to lead governance, overview & scrutiny, and constitutional compliance. You will manage resources, budgets, and staff to support democratic processes and ensure robust challenge and transparency.

The role demands extensive governance experience, stakeholder influence, and the ability to work across partners, committees and boards in a devolved, fast-moving environment.

Qualifications

• Substantial governance experience in a complex field.
• Experience advising Members on decision-making and constitutional matters.
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders to commit to new actions.
• People management experience with leadership and performance management.
• Advanced understanding of local government legislation and CA structures.

Responsibilities

• Lead the democratic services and scrutiny functions and design systems for constitutional changes.
• Direct the statutory scrutiny function to promote the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
• Oversee the Call-in process and pre-scrutiny frameworks for transparent decisions.
• Oversee delivery and financial performance of Democratic Services and Scrutiny and budgets.
• Develop relationships with HSCCA Board, committees and partners to adapt governance frameworks.

Skills

Governance leadership

Advice to Members

Stakeholder influence

People management

Legislative expertise

Job description

Hampshire and the Solent Combined County Authority is recruiting a Head of Democratic Services to lead governance, overview & scrutiny, and constitutional compliance. You will manage resources, budgets, and staff to support democratic processes and ensure robust challenge and transparency.

The role demands extensive governance experience, stakeholder influence, and the ability to work across partners, committees and boards in a devolved, fast-moving environment.