How you'll make a difference
As Service Director Legal, Governance and Democratic Services Monitoring Officer you will play a pivotal strategic leadership role at the heart of South Gloucestershire Council. As the council’s statutory monitoring officer and chief legal adviser, you will help ensure that the authority operates lawfully, ethically and transparently, enabling confident decision‑making that delivers real benefit for residents. You will be central to shaping modern, responsive and proportionate governance arrangements that support innovation, pace and organisational change.
Shaping and leading a complex and high‑profile portfolio for legal, governance and democratic services, you will maintain a strong professional presence and trusted relationships with elected members, senior leaders and partners. Through your leadership, you will strengthen governance, manage risk, support effective scrutiny and safeguard the council’s reputation, while enabling innovation, transformation and inclusive service delivery.
What you will be doing
* Provide strategic and operational leadership across the Legal, Governance and Democratic Services Division, ensuring statutory, constitutional and legislative compliance within a politically led organisation.
* Act as the council’s monitoring officer, promoting high standards of governance and ethical conduct, providing authoritative advice on complex, sensitive and high‑risk matters.
* Lead and develop professional teams across legal, democratic, electoral, registration and governance services, embedding a culture of high performance, accountability and continuous improvement.
* Provide trusted, evidence‑led advice to members and senior officers, supporting effective scrutiny, transparent decision‑making and sound risk management.
* Oversee and modernise the constitution and governance frameworks, ensuring they are clear, accessible and aligned with the council’s operating model and strategic ambitions while enabling agile, well‑governed decision‑making that can respond effectively to change and transformation.
What we need from you
* Qualified solicitor or barrister with substantial post‑qualification experience in providing legal, governance and constitutional advice within a complex, politically led organisation.
* Strong track record of strategic leadership, governance redesign and organisational change, with the ability to influence cross‑professional, managerial and political boundaries and experience of shaping governance arrangements to support continuous improvement, transformation and confident decision‑making.
* Highly developed communication, interpersonal and influencing skills, confident to give clear, independent and evidence‑based advice under pressure.
* Substantial experience of risk management, assurance and ethical governance, supporting sound decision‑making and protecting organisational reputation.
* Clear commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, alongside leadership on climate and carbon‑neutral ambitions, central to how you lead and deliver services.
* Advantageous to have experience at monitoring officer level, involvement in regional or national policy development, and knowledge of emerging areas such as data protection and AI governance.
What you need to know
* This post is politically restricted.
* The role requires flexibility, including attending evening meetings and occasional weekend working to support democratic processes.
* The post holder will join the council’s Emergency Coordination Officer rota as a strategic lead responder and full training will be provided.
The interview assessment day will take place on the 2nd July 2026. A second stage council member’s interview panel will take place on the 3rd July 2026. These will both be in person at our office at Badminton Road, Yate.
Benefits
* Generous annual leave.
* Wellbeing support and access to a wide range of staff discounts.
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