Senior Democratic Services Officer
Watford

About Watford Borough Council

Watford is an urban borough in South West Hertfordshire. The borough has excellent transport links with mainline rail connections to London. Watford is the centre of a sub-region serving around 500,000 people living within a 20-minute travelling time catchment. As part of the London commuter belt, Watford is strongly influenced by London, which brings the benefits of a buoyant economy.

At a glance

- £1.4bn local investment happening - mix of public and private funding
- 5 major development and regeneration projects happening
- 3500 registered businesses
- Higher than average working age population
- Skilled workforce
- Affordable local housing market
- Home to many major international head offices

Contract: Permanent
Hours: 30 hours per week
Salary: £39,639 - £43,721 per annum (pro rata) plus an additional out-of-hours payment

The Role:

This role offers an interesting opportunity to work in a high-profile area supporting the council's decision-making and governance arrangements with particular emphasis on scrutiny.

You will work as part of a team at the heart of the democratic process, providing an effective and efficient committee administration service and leading on the delivery of the council's scrutiny function, carrying out high-quality reviews and investigations with the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and time-limited task groups. You will be required to provide advice on matters relating to Local Government legislation, the decision-making process, and the council's Constitution.

What we are looking for:

You will have several years' experience in Local Government committee administration, particularly scrutiny. You will have experience in carrying out research, analysing and presenting information. An ability to write clear and concise minutes to a good standard of English is essential, and you will be able to work to tight deadlines. You will have excellent IT skills and experience with the modern.gov (Civica) committee management software is preferable. You will be conscious of the issues involved in working in a sensitive political environment. You will have a diplomatic and tactful approach towards problem-solving. The work involves attendance at evening meetings for which an allowance is paid.

Closing Date: 17 August 2025

For an informal discussion, please contact Sandra Hancock, Democratic Services Lead.

A Basic Disclosure Check will be carried out for this post.

Please note, this role is politically restricted.

At Watford Borough Council, we consider equality issues alongside other factors when making decisions as an employer of choice. We are committed to ensuring that we have effective policies, strategies, procedures, and processes and that we encourage behaviour which promotes equality, encourages diversity, and contributes to an inclusive organisational culture.