Strategic Advisor - Democratic Process (Hybrid)

West Sussex County Council; Chichester; Hybrid; GBP 57,000 - 62,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working options

Job summary

West Sussex County Council is seeking a permanent Senior Advisor to support councillors and the Head of Democratic Services. The role involves advising on democratic processes, political management, and leading on high-profile issues within a political environment.

You will manage end-to-end democratic processes, build relationships, and work collaboratively with the Democratic Services team while also performing independently at a senior level.

Qualifications

• Demonstrable awareness and experience of political management arrangements and the democratic process.
• The ability to provide advice and guidance at a senior level with confidence, tact and discretion.
• Significant working knowledge of the law and practice of local authority meetings, specifically the decision-making process and the roles of elected members.
• Experience of managing or leading colleagues and effective people and performance management skills.
• Sound IT skills and ability to produce reports and presentations using Microsoft Office.
• Ability to apply project management principles and make pragmatic decisions within the service.
• Excellent communication skills to influence outcomes and negotiate solutions.
• Research and knowledge management skills to analyse and judge appropriately.
• Ability to set timescales, review performance and identify innovative solutions.
• Ability to travel independently to meetings across the county and engage with public meetings.

Responsibilities

• Deliver an effective, customer-focused service to deliver defined performance indicators and business strategies.
• Manage or contribute to specific projects and reviews of service provision.
• Provide constitutional and procedural advice to county councillors, senior officers and others involved in the democratic process.
• Take a lead on advising on decision-making and political management of very high-profile issues.
• Advise and support scrutiny committee chairs and members in carrying out their role and identifying priority issues.
• Be part of the Democratic Service management team, supporting the Head of Service in all aspects of management of the Service.

Skills

Political management

Senior level advisory

Local government meetings

People management

IT skills (MS Office)

Project management

Communication

Research and knowledge management

Time management

Public speaking at meetings

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

West Sussex County Council is seeking a permanent Senior Advisor to support councillors and the Head of Democratic Services. The role involves advising on democratic processes, political management, and leading on high-profile issues within a political environment.

You will manage end-to-end democratic processes, build relationships, and work collaboratively with the Democratic Services team while also performing independently at a senior level.