Democratic Services Officer PO2
Democratic Services Officer PO2
24 Hours per week
1 Vacancy
An opportunity has arisen to work at the heart of the Council’s decision making process supporting a range of committees and councillors.
The successful applicant will take up a role within the Democratic Services team responsible for managing the Council’s decision making processes and upholding statutory and best practice governance requirements.
The department clerks a range of member level committees including Council, Cabinet, Overview and Scrutiny Committees, as well as regulatory and quasi-judicial committees including Planning and Licensing. The department is also responsible for maintaining the Council’s constitution and forward plans.
You will be responsible for:
- Servicing member level bodies, including decision making and scrutiny meetings;
- Preparing agendas, reports and minutes;
- Providing procedural advice to Councillors and officer.
There will also be opportunities to participate in a broad range of team, departmental and corporate projects.
In addition to excellent communication skills the successful applicant will also require the ability to take responsibility for their own workload, manage competing priorities, work under pressure to pre-determined deadlines and contribute flexibly to the broader needs of the team. Close attention to detail and well developed ICT skills are essential. Since the role requires close working with Councillors political sensitivity and discretion are a must.
This is a specialist role and previous Democratic Services experience is not essential as full training and support will be provided to candidates with the required skills, attitude and abilities.
The role is based at Waltham Forest Town Hall, Walthamstow and requires regular attendance at evening Committee meetings, some of which may be held at other locations around the borough, for which time off in lieu is available. Flexible working is encouraged including working from home.
Waltham Forest has good access to central London and our offices are a short walk from Walthamstow Central, serving Victoria Line and Overground Services.
For an informal discussion regarding the role please speak to Ian Buckle, Head of Electoral and Democratic Services, on 020 8496 8186.
Equal Opportunities
Waltham Forest is a diverse borough where diversity is valued and is integral to both, service delivery and employment of its staff. The Council is proud of its rich mix of communities and as the largest employer in the area, it works hard to respond to the changing needs of its population. We use our statutory duties on race, gender and disability equality and best practice in respect of age, faith and sexual orientation to ensure equality of opportunity in the workplace. The Council is committed to meeting its 4 equality objectives: - Promoting equality of opportunity - Opposing all forms of discrimination, intolerance and disadvantage - Ensuring our workforce reflects the diverse communities of Waltham Forest at all levels. - Providing fair, appropriate, accessible and excellent Services to all. Respecting Diversity is a core Council value. To support the above and reduce the risk of bias in its recruitment activities, the council is operating an anonymous shortlisting process, which hides personal information that can identify individuals until their application has been considered for shortlisting. The council also operates a scheme whereby, for jobs graded up to and including scale SO2, internal candidates are considered first. This includes those candidates who self-identify as having a disability for the purposes of the Disability Confident scheme. For more information, please refer to our recruitment and selection policy
How to apply
Application Information The councils preference is for on-line application forms. However if you have a disability and are unable to complete an on-line application, please ring 0208 496 4227 who will be able to arrange an alternative. For more information on how to complete your application form, follow this link: Applying for a job at Waltham Forest Council
