Snr Democractic Services Officer

Grade 4C - Senior Democratic Services Officer
(Interim Roles Governance & Health Governance)
Purpose
Salford City Council is seeking experienced Senior Democratic Services Officers (Grade 4A) to provide interim capacity across its Governance functions during a period of significant improvement and service redesign. These roles will support statutory and non statutory committees, scrutiny, decision making, and member development, while contributing to the wider Governance 360 improvement programme.
Appointments will be made on a generalist basis. Depending on skills and experience, one role may be allocated a stronger focus on Health & Adult Social Care governance, funded by Public Health (see details overleaf).
Engagement term:
Interim assignment initial term expected to be 12 months, with likelihood of extension

Key Responsibilities

• Support the delivery of formal and informal meetings, including Scrutiny Panels, Executive decision making cycles, and wider committee activity.
• Lead on forward planning, agenda management, report assurance, publication of papers and decision making workflows.
• Provide governance and procedural advice to senior officers and elected members, ensuring high standards of transparency, compliance and good decision making.
• Contribute to key aspects of the Governance 360 programme, including improvements to processes, constitutional arrangements, corporate governance practices, member support and democratic workflows.
• Support scrutiny activity, including work programming, evidence gathering, research, drafting of reports, and tracking recommendations.
• Produce high quality minutes, reports and governance documentation.
• Use ModGov effectively to support end to end governance processes.
• Provide flexible capacity across Committee Services and Member Services where needed (e.g. briefings, civic functions, member learning and development).
• Work collaboratively across the wider Governance team to support cultural and procedural improvement.

PTO
Role With a Health & Adult Social Care Focus (Public Health funded)
In addition to the responsibilities above, one post may include:

• Support for Health & Wellbeing Board governance.
• Governance support to Health Scrutiny functions.
• Contribution to governance oversight relating to Adult Social Care transformation, where this intersects with policy, scrutiny and assurance activity.

Desirable background:
Experience in health or social care policy, scrutiny, committee governance, or wider public sector governance.
Candidate Profile
We are seeking candidates who can demonstrate:

• Strong experience in democratic services, ideally at a senior level.
• Excellent organisational and communication skills, with political awareness.
• Ability to manage competing deadlines and work at pace in a complex environment.
• Confidence working with senior officers, elected members and external partners.
• High quality minute taking, report writing and document production.
• Experience with ModGov or similar committee management systems.
• A proactive, flexible and professional approach.
• Desirable: Experience of contributing to governance, scrutiny or committee-based improvement work for example:
  • supporting new or improved governance processes;
  • helping embed new frameworks, policies or workflows;
  • participating in service improvement or transformation activity;
  • contributing to the modernisation, redesign or strengthening of democratic arrangements (aligned with the principles of Governance 360).