Deputy Clerk to the Surrey Lieutenancy

This role has a starting salary of 55,486 per annum, based on a 36 hour working week.

We are looking for an exceptional individual to join us as Deputy Clerk to the Surrey Lieutenancy, a unique and prestigious role supporting the Lord Lieutenant of Surrey in their role as His Majesty The King's personal representative in the county.

Our Offer to You

• 26 days' holiday, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave and 2 paid volunteering days per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
• Wellbeing and lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, and shopping
• A chance to make a real difference to the lives of our residents

About The Role

This is a unique and prestigious opportunity to support the Lord Lieutenant of Surrey in their role as His Majesty The King's personal representative in the county.

As Deputy Clerk to the Surrey Lieutenancy, you will play a pivotal role in managing the day-to-day operations of the Lieutenancy, working closely with the Lord Lieutenant, Deputy Lieutenants, civic leaders, government departments, the Royal Household and a wide range of partners across Surrey.

You will lead the planning and delivery of Lieutenancy activity and the Lord Lieutenant's priorities, across a range of complex, high-profile activities, including Royal visits, honours and awards programmes, and focus groups. You will provide strategic advice and executive support, ensuring all activity is delivered with professionalism, discretion and due regard to protocol.

The role offers a fascinating blend of stakeholder engagement, communications, advisory work, event management, and public service. You will also oversee the Lieutenancy's communications activity, helping to promote its activities and celebrate the achievements of individuals, voluntary organisations and businesses across Surrey.

Whilst the role sits within Surrey County Council's Democratic Services team, the nature of the work requires a high level of autonomy and self-direction. You will line manage the Personal Assistant to the Lord Lieutenant and oversee the effective management of the Lieutenancy budget. The role requires significant flexibility with a requirement for evening commitments and travel across Surrey to support meetings, events and ceremonial occasions.

Your application

In order to be considered for shortlisting, your application will clearly evidence the following skills:

• Knowledge and understanding of the role, responsibilities and work of the Lieutenancy.
• Ability to coordinate complex activities and manage multiple tasks efficiently across extensive external networks.
• Experience in providing high-level executive support, including preparing briefing materials and ensuring professionalism in all duties.
• Experience in organising and executing official functions and events to the highest standards, for example investitures and King's Awards.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills to interact with a wide range of external networks and stakeholders.
• Strong ability to promote the Lieutenancy's activities through various channels, including the website and social media, ensuring effective public engagement.
• Meticulous attention to detail and demonstrable discretion, diplomacy and integrity, with the ability to handle sensitive and confidential information appropriately.

To apply, we request that you submit a CV and you will be asked the following 4 questions:

1. The Surrey Lieutenancy plays an important role in recognising achievement, supporting communities and representing the Crown across the county of Surrey. What interests you about this role and what skills and experience would you bring to it?
2. This role requires discretion, diplomacy and integrity. Please describe a time when you handled sensitive or confidential information and explain how you ensured it was managed appropriately.
3. Describe a situation where you coordinated activity involving multiple organisations or stakeholders with differing priorities. What was your role, how did you manage competing demands, and what was the outcome?
4. The Deputy Clerk to the Surrey Lieutenancy must be able to respond to urgent and high-profile matters, which may require working evenings, weekends or adapting personal plans at short notice. Please explain how your experience demonstrates your ability to work flexibly and manage unexpected demands while maintaining high standards of professionalism, organisation and service delivery.

The job advert closes at 23:59 on 16 August 2026 with interviews planned to follow on 24 or 26 August.

Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)

Surrey County Council is undergoing Local Government Reorganisation, moving from a two-tier system to two new unitary councils in April 2027. If you are employed by Surrey on 1st April 2027, your role will transfer with current terms and conditions to one of the new organisations, supporting local devolution and greater powers for our communities.

Join our dynamic team and shape the future of local government. Make a lasting impact with innovative solutions and improved services for our community. Help us build a brighter future for our residents!

Our Commitment

We are a disability confident employer which means if you have shared a disability on your application form and have evidenced you meet the minimum shortlisting criteria, as displayed on the advert, we guarantee you an interview.

Your skills and experience truly matter to us. From application to your first day, we're committed to supporting you with any adjustments you need, we value inclusion and warmly welcome you to join and help build a workplace where everyone belongs.