Interim Head of Democratic Services

Sellick Partnership; Southampton; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

Sellick Partnership is supporting a newly established public sector organisation by providing an Interim Head of Democratic Services to lead and hands-on support during a critical transition.

The role requires senior Democratic Services experience, strong governance knowledge, and the ability to operate autonomously with a pragmatic, solutions-focused approach. Occasional travel for in-person meetings across the wider area is expected.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in Democratic Services, ideally senior level.
• Strong knowledge of local government governance and committee processes.
• Experience supporting governance, scrutiny, audit or board meetings.

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day leadership and oversight of Democratic Services activity.
• Ensure committee and governance arrangements are planned, coordinated and delivered.
• Provide professional advice on meetings, agendas, reports, minutes and processes.
• Work with senior officers and stakeholders to ensure meetings run smoothly.
• Identify and resolve issues with sound professional judgement.
• Provide continuity during the transition to the permanent Head of Democratic Services.
• Support governance, scrutiny and board meetings, including in-person attendance.
• Collaborate with colleagues while maintaining independence.

Skills

Democratic Services

Governance

Local government processes

ModernGov

Stakeholder management

Communication

Tools

ModernGov

Job description

Interim Head of Democratic Services

October-November | Immediate start

We are supporting a newly established public sector organisation that is building its Democratic Services function and is seeking an experienced Interim Head of Democratic Services to provide short-term leadership and hands-on support during an important transition period.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Democratic Services professional who can quickly understand the operating environment, work autonomously and provide confidence and continuity while the permanent postholder prepares to take up their role.

The role

You will provide experienced leadership across the Democratic Services function, ensuring that key governance and committee arrangements are effectively supported over the coming weeks.

The successful candidate will be a confident, self-sufficient professional who is comfortable picking up work at short notice, managing competing priorities and providing practical solutions without requiring significant supervision.

Key responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day leadership and oversight of Democratic Services activity.
• Ensure committee and governance arrangements are effectively planned, coordinated and delivered.
• Provide professional advice and support in relation to meetings, agendas, reports, minutes and democratic processes.
• Work closely with senior officers and key stakeholders to ensure meetings run smoothly.
• Identify and resolve issues proactively, using sound professional judgement.
• Provide continuity during the transition to the permanent Head of Democratic Services.
• Support a programme of important governance, scrutiny and board meetings, including attendance at a number of meetings in person.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues while being confident to operate independently.

Person specification

We are looking for an experienced Democratic Services professional who can step into the role and make an immediate contribution.

You will have:

• Significant experience working within Democratic Services, preferably at a senior level.
• Strong knowledge of local government democratic and committee processes.
• Previous experience using ModernGov is essential.
• Experience supporting formal governance, scrutiny, audit or board meetings.
• The ability to work autonomously and take ownership of a workload.
• Excellent organisational and prioritisation skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• The confidence to work with seior officers, members and other stakeholders.
• A pragmatic, calm and solutions-focused approach.

The assignment is expected to cover October and November, with the permanent postholder due to commence at the end of November.

In-person attendance at several key meetings will be required, with meetings taking place across the wider area.

In a separate paragraph, we have removed the application instruction text to comply with the refinement instructions.

Sellick Partnership is proud to be an inclusive and accessible recruitment business and we support applications from candidates of all backgrounds and circumstances. Please note, our advertisements use years' experience, hourly rates, and salary levels purely as a guide and we assess applications based on the experience and skills evidenced on the CV. For information on how your personal details may be used by Sellick Partnership, please review our data processing notice on our website.