Salary
£44,075 rising by annual increments to £47,181 per annum
Hours
Full Time – 37 hours per week
Location
The service encourages flexible working. The role will be based at Service Headquarters, Salisbury with the flexibility to work from home / DWFRS Stations / Support Offices. The successful candidate will be expected to travel quarterly to one location within each of the four local authority areas – Swindon, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP), Wiltshire and Dorset – and attend two quarterly meetings of the Fire Authority held in Salisbury.
Appointment Type
Permanent
Contact
For a chat about this post, please contact Vikki Shearing, Assistant Chief Officer – Director of Corporate Services on 01722 691082 / vikki.shearing@dwfire.org.uk
Closing and Interview Dates
The closing date for applications is Tuesday 25 November 2025 (midnight). Interviews will take place on Monday 8 December 2025. Further details regarding the interview format/location will be provided before the interview date.
Role Overview
As a Democratic Services Manager in our Corporate Services department you will:
* Lead the democratic service function for the Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority, ensuring that the Authority and its associated committees are governed in line with the Local Government Act
* Develop and deliver against the annual democratic meeting calendar and programmes of work to ensure deadlines are met
* Lead on the administration and support for all Fire Authority meetings, including agenda preparation, quality‑assuring reports and producing minutes in line with corporate standards
Ideal Candidate Profile
What makes you our ideal Democratic Services Manager?
* Good level of understanding of the Local Government Act with knowledge and working experience in a democratic services environment
* Able to produce accurate and thorough formal board‑level and committee meeting minutes
* Ability to manage professional relationships with internal staff and external stakeholders, including Senior Management and Councillors/Fire Authority Members
Other Information
* You must be able to fulfil the travel requirements of the role – quarterly travel to Swindon, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Wiltshire and Dorset, and attendance at two quarterly Fire Authority meetings in Salisbury.
* A Standard Disclosure & Barring Service Check (DBS) clearance will be undertaken on the successful individual prior to offer of employment.
* Any offer of employment will be subject to full pre‑employment checks, including identity checks, right to work in the UK, medical, negative drug test, satisfactory references, verification of employment history and an explanation of any gaps in employment in the last three years.
* We welcome access to supporting information for raising tax awareness and pension considerations when applying for a job.
Application Process
To apply, note that we do not accept CVs in place of application forms. Please ensure you include satisfactory evidence in your application to demonstrate all of the areas stated as being measured at the Application Stage on the Person Specification.
We are committed to building a workforce that reflects the diversity of our communities and welcome applications from all suitably qualified individuals regardless of age, disability, gender, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or other personal circumstances. All applications will be treated on merit and staff involved in recruitment and selection processes undertake unconscious bias training.
We are committed to the Disability Confident Scheme and guarantee an interview to applicants with a disclosed disability if they meet the minimum criteria for the post to which they are applying. If you hold international qualifications, you will need to provide official evidence that shows how these compare to UK Qualifications.
Code of Ethics and Support
Our recruitment, assessment and progression processes are based on our Code of Ethics that has been developed specifically for Fire and Rescue Services.
Further Guidance
Please refer to the Job Application Guidance Notes. If you are experiencing difficulties completing your application or need an alternative format due to a disability, please contact HR Resourcing on 01722 691444 within plenty of time of the closing date of the position you are applying for.
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