Assistant Democracy Manager

Internally restricted job. To apply for this job you must be an employee of the Council for the duration of the recruitment process – up to and including the start date. You must also be a substantive employee (or an employee with 12 months continuous service or more) of the Council or an Apprentice. Please note that if you work for an Academy you are not an employee of the Council.

This vacancy is fixed term for 2 years due to funding.

At Kirklees we want to be innovative and creative in the way we work with our citizens. The landmark work of the Kirklees Democracy Commission reflects our ambition. This role is part of the Governance and Democratic Engagement function which is responsible for the breadth of activities that support our 69 councillors individually and collectively and co-ordinates and supports the Council’s governance and decision-making structures.

We are looking to appoint someone who has management experience with a strong background in governance, decision-making practice and schools appeals.

As the Assistant Democracy Manager, you will be responsible for the provision of professional advice and support to ensure that the Council’s governance activities are engaging, transparent, robust, understood and comply with legislative and audit requirements.

Some of your key responsibilities as Assistant Democracy Manager will include:

• Manage the Council’s end to end education appeals function in line with the legislative requirements and the School Admissions Appeals Code and the Admissions Code
• Provide day to day management, supervision, and co-ordination of the work of the School Appeals Clerk and business support staff, to ensure adequate administration arrangements in support of the education appeals process are in operation
• Manage, supervise and co-ordinate the work of the Democracy Officers, including training and development
• Provide a comprehensive, high-quality, and efficient support and advice service in relation to the effective discharge of the Council's Executive, overview and scrutiny functions.

We are looking for someone who has:

• A professional qualification or experience in governance democratic practice, including supporting and advising councillors and senior officers

• Specialist and detailed knowledge of the education appeals process, the school admissions appeal code, and the admissions code

• Excellent oral and written communication, to be able to provide advice and produce documents such as reports, minutes, and decision letters

For further information about this job, and the person we are looking for, please read the attached job profile. For any queries, please contact the recruiting manager Carol Tague on 01484221000.