Senior Democratic and Electoral Services Officer

Salary £39,285 - £43,386 per annum

37 hours per week

Chiltern and South Bucks District Councils have successfully embraced the challenges of modern government through taking a progressive partnership approach to offering services. We are proud of what we have achieved through our joint working and we are passionate about delivering excellent services to our customers every day and meeting the needs of our local communities.

Our staff survey results consistently tell us that our employees think this is a great place to work and that they are proud to work for the Councils. An Investor in People (IiP) Assessor commented that, "staff are incredibly positive about their work for the Council, committed to its success and have a high level of satisfaction".

Chiltern and South Bucks Councils have implemented shared services and are looking for an enthusiastic and motivated person with excellent communication skills and experience at senior level in committee administration and electoral services to join our busy team. This is an exciting and challenging opportunity to work at the heart of two Councils’ decision-making and elections processes whilst maintaining each Councils’ sovereignty.  

You will play an important part in a multi-disciplinary team, providing a high quality, efficient and innovative democratic and electoral services, assisting in organising elections and referenda to both Councils. There will be significant work with elected members and political parties, ensuring compliance with legislative requirements, providing advice and support to other team members, senior officers and councillors and working in partnership to raise awareness and increase public participation in the democratic process.

You will also be required to deputise for the Democratic & Electoral Services Manager in their absence.

Applicants must have a thorough working knowledge of Modern.gov committee management system and Express electoral management system together with proven operational knowledge of committee administration and electoral processes, procedures and legislation. You should also have experience of dealing with customers, the ability to work flexibly with others to solve problems, and to work to deadlines and under pressure with a strong political awareness. 

We are looking for someone with a commitment to continuing professional development and you will be funded and supported to study for the AEA or ADSO Certificate if you don’t already hold the qualification.    

You must be able to attend evening meetings on a regular basis and will be expected to work additional hours during election periods which will include evenings and weekends and must have a full driving licence and use of a car for business use.

This is a Politically Restricted Post under the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 (as amended).

For more information about this post please contact Mat Bloxham  – Democratic  and Electoral Services Manager on  01494 732143 or Joanna Swift – Head of Legal and Democratic Services on 01494 732761

Chiltern and South Bucks District Councils offer a highly competitive total reward package that’s proven to attract, motivate and retain the best people. Benefits include: free parking; a flexitime scheme, generous holiday entitlements and a flexible working scheme. For more information on our benefits please take a look at our website: http://www.chiltern.gov.uk/employee_benefits  

As an equal opportunities employer the council can offer a range of flexible work options and all applications and part time requests will be considered.

To apply for this job or to view our other vacancies please visit http://www.chiltern.gov.uk/currentvacancies  All applications must be made online by clicking on the ‘apply now’ button and completing the application form. Please complete the form fully as there will not be an option for you to upload a CV. For any general queries please contact Human Resources on (01494) 732155 or email us at HR@chiltern.gov.uk

Closing Date:             17 December 2017

Interview Date:         w/c 8 January 2018