Democratic Services Officer Ref: 41-25

Salary: £25,539 to £31,645 per annum (Grade 9)
Hours: Full time 37 hours per week
Place of Work: Dereham, Norfolk (some remote working)
Basis: 9-month secondment opportunity

Are you passionate about local democracy and public service? Do you have the skills to ensure effective governance and accountability? Join our team as a Democratic Services Officer and make a difference in your community!

We are looking for a Democratic Services Officer who will play a crucial role in supporting the democratic processes of the Council.

Your responsibilities will include preparing agendas, reports, and minutes for Council meetings, ensuring legal and procedural compliance, supporting the Chairman of the Council, managing records, and providing guidance on democratic procedures.

This is an excellent opportunity to contribute to the continuous improvement of our services and support the Council in navigating digitalisation and other contemporary challenges.

You will:

Meeting Support - Prepare and manage documentation for Council meetings and committees, and provide administrative support during meetings.

Governance and Compliance - Advise elected members and officers on procedural and legislative matters, ensuring decisions are legally compliant and well-documented.

Records Management - Manage the distribution and accessibility of committee documents and maintain accurate records of Council decisions.

Public Engagement - Facilitate public access to Council meetings and documents, respond to inquiries, and promote transparency and accountability.

Digitalisation and Innovation - Support the adoption of digital tools and practices, and participate in projects aimed at modernising the Council's democratic services.

About you:

Collaborative - I look for ways to work in partnership and listen supportively to the ideas of others, building on their ideas, while sharing my views and knowledge.

Ambitious - I am a proud ambassador, taking pride and responsibility for the work we do and encouraging others to do the same.

Results-driven - I make sure I am clear on what I need to achieve, keeping a focus on results and solutions.

Empowering - I show energy and drive to explore new opportunities and challenge the status quo - acting on opportunities to generate income or reduce costs, embracing new technology and promoting digitalisation.

Supportive - I treat others as I would want to be treated myself, ensuring that I am welcoming, friendly and approachable.

OK, I'm interested...but is it really the job for me?

As our Democratic Services Officer, you will have:

• Strong organisational and administrative skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication abilities.
• Proficiency in using digital tools and software for document management and communication.
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.
• Attention to detail and a high level of accuracy.

If you would like an informal chat regarding this role please contact Teresa Smith, Democratic Services Manager by emailing teresa.smith@breckland.gov.uk 

Closing Date: 9am, Friday 17 October

What's it like to work for us?

We are passionate about our people and pride ourselves on being a great place to work, we genuinely care and know that a happy workforce is a productive and motivated one! If you're still not sure, here are some stats from our 2024 staff survey to convince you..

• 94% said they feel trusted and empowered
• 90% of staff recommend Breckland as a great place to work
• 89% said they have had opportunities to learn and grow in the last 12 months
• 94% think Breckland provide positive action on health and wellbeing
• 91% said they felt supported by their manager

If you STILL need convincing, here's what some of our staff say...

• "Breckland is a fantastic employer, lots of opportunities and support"
• "Having only just started, it is a great place to work, everyone says hello, is smiley and chatty. I like the groups that are on, like carers shed and neurodiversity"
• "We are encouraged to take regular breaks and there are mental health first aiders and a wide range of good promotional aspects of healthy living and wellbeing."
• "In times of need the council offers excellent support."
• "BDC really does seem to care about the wellbeing and happiness of their staff."

At Breckland Council we have embraced the Government's agenda to modernise local government. Our approach is to lead change rather than follow it, and to add the best value we can to our communities. We achieve this by developing our employees to their full potential, providing them with the relevant knowledge, equipment, and authority to carry out their duties.

We are a dynamic and innovative organisation that is always testing and learning as we seek to continually improve. We have never stood still in response to the emergence of new opportunities, changing customer demands, and ongoing funding challenges. We have exciting plans for how to deliver the best possible services to our residents and businesses.

Breckland as a district is a special place nestled in the heart of rural Norfolk, spanning over 500 square miles of beautiful countryside and forest, with five Market Towns and over 140,000 residents. We care, we listen, and we support people and businesses within our district. We have big ideas and we are innovative in our approach, coming up with ways to meet the needs of the local communities that we serve. Through our actions, we want to make things better.

But we know that we can't do it alone. We are a collaborative organisation and we work together with others to make a greater impact. We are also an organisation where our employees can grow and develop and are empowered to achieve and succeed. We are proud of our area, and by driving investment and enabling opportunities, we can maximise its full potential. We want to inspire aspiration to live, work, visit, or do business here: we want our district to be one of choice.

We will support and enable growth and change in our thriving, welcoming places where people and businesses choose to be, knowing their ambitions can be not just fulfilled but exceeded. By listening to people, by understanding what they need and by working together, we can shape what we have to offer. By doing so, we can benefit those who are already here and those who choose to come to live, work, visit, or do business.

We offer excellent conditions of service, including:

• A local government pension scheme (14 per cent employer contribution).
• Attractive holiday package (25 days increasing after three years' continuous Local Authority service by one day per year up to the maximum of 28 days, plus bank holidays)
• Free car parking.
• Remote-enabled working arrangements.
• A newly refurbished office. See what it is like working here by watching this short film: 
  

Our commitment to talent development, on the job learning and upskilling, training and professional memberships, will keep your knowledge and skills up to date.

Job summary

Description of duties

Under direction from the Democratic Services Manager, support delivery of the Democratic functions for the council. Key responsibilities include:

Meeting Support:

• Prepare agendas, reports and minutes for Council meetings and committees
• Ensure meetings are conducted in accordance with legal and procedural requirements.
• Provide administrative support during meetings, including minute-taking, and follow-up actions.

Governance & Compliance:

• Advise elected members and officers on procedural and legislative matters
• Ensure the council's decisions are legally compliant and well documented
• Maintain up to date knowledge of relevant legislation and best practices

Records Management:

• Manage the distribution and accessibility of committee documents
• Maintain accurate records of Council decisions and actions
• Ensure the confidentiality and security of sensitive information

Public Engagement:

• Facilitate public access to Council meetings and documents
• Respond to enquiries from public and other stakeholders regarding democratic processes
• Promote transparency and accountability in all democratic activities.
• To provide administration support to the Council Chairman in their civic duties. 

Digitalisation and Innovation:

• Support the Council in adopting digital tools and practices to enhance democratic processes.
• Identify and implement improvements to existing procedures and workflows.
• Participate in projects aimed at modernizing the Council's democratic services.

Electoral Services Support

• Perform various tasks related to Electoral Services, including maintaining an accurate register of electors and ensuring a timely addition and removal of electors.
• Assist in the organisation of all Elections, Referenda and Parish Polls

To undertake any other duties as allocated by the Democratic Services Manager commensurate with the level and expectation of this post

Responsibilities for:

People: No direct line management responsibilities

Assets: Responsible for proper use of council-provided kit (eg. laptop)

Finance: No budget holder responsibilities. As part of administration function, will be responsible for processing invoices, ordering materials

Decision Making: Will have political awareness. Be able to assess situations quickly and calmly before making informed decisions and providing advice which protects the reputation of the council to officers at all levels and members. Recognise when issues need to be escalated to senior members of the team

Communications: Clear and considered communications to internal audiences at all levels of the organisation and a range of external stakeholders
 

This job description is not exhaustive.

The job description outlines the current position and will be subject to review in the light of development within the service. This will be in consultation with the post holder, as detailed in your Contract of Employment.

Experience and Knowledge

Essential

• Strong communication skills - on and offline, written and oral
• Good interpersonal skills - ability to communicate effectively with colleagues at all levels
• Intrinsic motivation, positive attitude and a personal commitment to continued professional development
• Good planning and organisational skills, with experience of working to guidelines and instructions
• Strong IT Skills - with experience in using Microsoft Office programmes.
• Experience in managing your own time with the ability to work under pressure and to conflicting deadlines.
• Understanding of how to manage a project from start to finish with the ability to understand the uses and limitations of project planning techniques and to use them to deliver a project.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to communicate effectively with colleagues, senior management, including those from other departments and disciplines.
• Ability to think creatively and innovatively to achieve a positive outcome and solve simple and complex problems.
• The ability to cope with conflicting and changing demands through good time management and the ability to work under pressure
• Proven initiative and judgement to identify opportunities and resolve problems.

Desirable

• Experience in preparing and presenting reports
• Experience of working in local government and/or public sector
• Experience of an office environment
• Excellent understanding of governance and compliance requirements
• Knowledge of local government structures and democratic processes

Qualifications

Essential

• A degree. Please note: we will consider internal applications who do not have a degree but have experience/knowledge relevant to the role

Desirable

• Minimum 4 GCSEs grades 4-9 (A-C) including English OR equivalent qualifications / experience.
• Driving licence

Essential Behaviours

Collaborative: look for ways to work in partnership with colleagues across services, Members and external partners #oneteam

Ambitious: a proud ambassador for the Council, taking pride and responsibility for the work we do and encouraging others to do the same

Results Driven: understand our council priorities and how you make a difference.

Empowering: show energy and drive to explore new opportunities and challenge the status quo

Supportive: treat others as you would want to be treated yourself ensuring you are welcoming, friendly and approachable

Mental Demands

• Will need to be able to manage a highly varied and changing workload and regularly reprioritise demands
• Ability to respond in sometimes high-pressure, time-sensitive situations
• Will need to be able to deal tactfully with sometimes confrontational situations,
• Will cope with frequent interruptions

Physical Demands

• Predominantly office role, typing etc. Possibly some remote working.
• Occasional events with associated set up and transportation of equipment
• Occasional requirements to work outside of normal office hours - eg. events, elections

Health & Safety (exposure to risk)

• Predominantly office role
• Will need to comply with all health and safety training

Closing date - 9.00am Friday 17 October 2025

APPLY ONLINE

Equal Opportunities

We are committed to being an Equal Opportunities employer, recognising the benefits of sustaining a workforce that reflects the diversity of the community we serve. We welcome applications from anyone who feels they meet the requirements of our vacancies. These are listed as essential requirements on the person specification.