Senior Democratic Services Officer (Scrutiny Officer)

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

Benefits offered by this job

LGPS

Flexible & hybrid working

Health and wellbeing support

Professional development & leadership

Perkbox benefits

Job summary

Hampshire and the Solent Combined County Authority (HSCCA) is recruiting a designated statutory scrutiny officer to lead the overview and scrutiny function, providing impartial professional advice to elected members and senior officers. The role supports transparent, evidence-based decision making and ensures compliance with statutory requirements.

You will work to develop an annual scrutiny work programme, build relationships across partners, and lead the planning, administration and delivery

Qualifications

• Knowledge of the legal, statutory and political framework for local government or combined authorities.
• Experience delivering governance or scrutiny services in the public sector.
• Experience advising elected members and senior officers.

Responsibilities

• Provide scrutiny leadership and professional advice to committees and elected members.
• Develop and deliver an annual scrutiny work programme.
• Ensure transparency and governance in decision-making processes.
• Coordinate scoping, agenda planning, reporting and follow-up for scrutiny reviews.
• Maintain compliance with relevant statutory requirements and governance frameworks.

Skills

Governance knowledge

Public sector experience

Stakeholder management

Digital literacy

Policy analysis

Advisory skills

Tools

Committee management systems

Job description

Are you looking for a role where you can help shape something new, make a visible difference and work alongside people who care deeply about their place? If so, HSCCA could be a brilliant next step. We are building a new Combined County Authority for Hampshire and the Solent, bringing together partners across Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton to bring investment to the region and to create opportunities for our people, places, communities and businesses.

Please note, while the full salary range is shown, most new starters join at the start of the band. Higher starting salaries may be considered where a candidate brings significant relevant skills, experience, or expertise.

The Role

As the Authority’s designated statutory scrutiny officer, you will lead and support an effective overview and scrutiny function, helping to ensure transparent, accountable and evidence-based decision making. You will provide impartial professional advice to elected members and senior officers, promote constructive challenge and ensure scrutiny activity meets statutory and constitutional requirements.

What you’ll be doing

In this role, you’ll play a crucial part in ensuring our teams have the tools, knowledge, and processes they need to deliver a high-quality service. You will:

• Scrutiny leadership and professional advice - Promote the purpose and value of overview and scrutiny, ensuring elected members, officers and partners understand their roles and responsibilities.
• Provide impartial professional advice, research, policy analysis, training and procedural guidance to scrutiny committees, task groups, elected members and senior officers.
• Work with the Scrutiny Chair to develop and deliver an effective annual work programme aligned with the Authority’s strategic and community priorities.
• Help create an environment in which scrutiny can inform policy, monitor performance and strengthen outcomes for residents, communities and stakeholders.
• Governance and delivery - Lead the planning, administration and support of scrutiny meetings and reviews, including scoping, agenda planning and publication, report drafting, evidence gathering and follow-up.
• Ensure scrutiny activity complies with the Local Government Act 2000, the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009, the Levelling-up and Regeneration Act 2023, EDCEA 2026, the HSVCCA Regulations 2026, the Authority’s constitution and other relevant statutory and governance requirements.
• Maintain high standards of transparency, accountability and accessibility in decision-making processes and democratic services.
• Build effective relationships with elected members, senior officers, partner authorities, regional bodies and internal teams to support robust and constructive scrutiny.

What you’ll bring

We’re looking for someone with:

• Strong knowledge and practical experience of the legal, statutory and political framework for local government or combined authorities, including democratic governance and scrutiny.
• Experience of supporting, managing or delivering democratic, governance or scrutiny services in a public-sector or political environment.
• Experience of advising and building credibility with elected members, senior officers and external stakeholders.
• Good understanding of constitutional governance, standards, decision-making processes and political impartiality.
• Experience of using digital systems, including committee-management solutions, to improve service efficiency and accessibility.
• Ability to provide professional leadership, influence others and build engagement with scrutiny and democratic processes.
• Confident use of Microsoft 365 and relevant digital tools.
• Desirable: ADSO Diploma in Local Democracy, Certificate in Democratic Services Knowledge, or an equivalent qualification.
• Substantial experience in local or combined authority governance or democratic services.

We do not expect you to meet every one of these criteria. If you are genuinely excited by this role and bring most of what we are looking for, we want to hear from you.

Why join the HSCCA?

We are building the HSCCA on the basis that how we work is as important as what we deliver. We want people who bring enthusiasm, drive, and authenticity - who are proactive, open to challenge, and motivated by progress rather than process. We value collaborative leadership: the ability to bring people together across organisational boundaries, respect the expertise of others, and create shared direction without needing to own everything.

We act in line with the Nolan Principles. We use public money responsibly, make evidence-based decisions, and hold ourselves to high standards of integrity, inclusion, and accessibility. We expect feedback to be given and received constructively, challenge to be welcomed, and relationships to be built on openness, trust, and mutual respect.

This is a complex, fast-moving environment. We need people who are energised by that.

What the HSCCA will offer in return?

Joining Hampshire and the Solent Combined County Authority (HSCCA) is an opportunity to help shape a newly established public service organisation as it takes on new responsibilities devolved from Government. You will have a genuine voice in how we develop, while working on high-profile projects that positively impact communities, businesses and the wider region.

Our reward package

• Membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS), with a current employer contribution rate of 18.1%, life cover and family benefits, flexible retirement options, and the opportunity to make Additional Voluntary Contributions.
• A competitive salary and generous annual leave allowance, in addition to public holidays:
• Grades T/A–E: 30 days, increasing to 32 days after five years’ service
• Grades F–K: 32 days, increasing to 34 days after five years’ service
• Flexible and hybrid working, with a minimum of two days per week in the office, helping you balance work and personal commitments while remaining connected with colleagues.
• Health and wellbeing support from November 2026, including online GP access seven days a week, an Employee Assistance Programme, confidential counselling and wellbeing resources.
• Investment in your professional development and leadership growth, with opportunities to develop new skills, broaden your experience and help shape our policies, processes and ways of working.
• Perkbox benefits from November 2026, including retail and lifestyle discounts, savings on home electronics, a Cycle to Work scheme, health and wellbeing offers, and financial wellbeing resources.
• Purposeful and influential work, collaborating with local authority partners, central government and regional stakeholders to make a positive difference across Hampshire and the Solent.
• A supportive leadership team committed to creating an organisation where people feel valued, supported and able to thrive.

The HSCCA is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive and accessible workplace where everyone feels valued and able to thrive.

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and lived experiences, particularly those currently underrepresented in our workforce. This includes people from ethnic minority communities, disabled and neurodivergent people, LGBTQ+ people, parents and carers, and people from lower socio-economic backgrounds.

We are committed to removing barriers to employment. If you require a reasonable adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process, please let us know so that we can support you.

Selection process

Your application will progress through the following stages:

• Application Review

Your CV and supporting documents will be reviewed by Reed Recruitment against the essential criteria outlined in the Skills & Experience section of this advert.

Please ensure your CV clearly demonstrates how you meet the required criteria in order to be considered.

• Telephone Interview

If shortlisted, you will be invited to an initial telephone interview.

• Face-to-face Interview

If shortlisted, you will be invited to an initial telephone interview. During this stage, you will be assessed against the Skills & Experience criteria and your overall suitability for the position.

This is the final stage of the selection process and will determine the outcome of your application.

• Feedback

Feedback will be provided following the final face-to-face interview stage.

Please note that feedback is only available to candidates who attend the final stage interview stage. Successful candidates will then be considered for an offer.

Further information

As a Disability Confident Committed employer, we run a guaranteed interview scheme for disabled applicants. If you meet the essential criteria listed in the job description for this position and would like to be considered under this scheme, please state this in your application.

All data collected is anonymous and has zero bearing on your application. If there is anything we can do to accommodate your specific situation, please let the recruitment team know.

We are committed to fair and inclusive recruitment. As part of this, we use anonymous shortlisting to ensure candidates are assessed solely on their skills, experience, and suitability for the role.