Governance and Scrutiny Officer£36,160 - £36,172 per annum 37 Hours per week Permanent Witney
West Oxfordshire District Council is focused on enabling a fulfilling and meaningful quality of life for our residents with opportunities for all to flourish. We provide a range of important services including planning, housing, waste and recycling collections, leisure, community safety and environmental health. The Council has an ambitious Council Plan focused on a range of important priorities including putting residents first, climate and ecological action, affordable housing, and helping our economy to grow. We want to deliver excellent services whilst ensuring the financial sustainability of the Council. We also want to continue working in close partnership with our local communities and other important partners.
About the role…
We are dedicated to ensuring transparency, accountability, and high standards of governance across our operations. We are seeking an experienced and knowledgeable Governance and Scrutiny Officer to join our team and play a pivotal role in enhancing our governance frameworks and scrutiny processes.
As the Governance and Scrutiny Officer, you will provide technical expertise, advice, and direction to both internal and external customers, helping them solve complex problems and manage risks. You will lead and manage sensitive, high-stakes projects and reviews, including community governance assessments, and will play a crucial role in supporting the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and its task and finish groups.
Key Responsibilities:
Expert Guidance: Apply your expert knowledge to manage complex casework and projects, such as community governance reviews, ensuring that all work is handled with sensitivity and high-level expertise.
Scrutiny Support: Lead the implementation of specialist technical support to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee and its task and finish groups. This includes managing scrutiny review projects, producing briefing notes, scoping documents, and evidence-based reports with recommendations to the Council’s Executive or other bodies.
Promotion of Scrutiny and Governance: Advocate for effective scrutiny and good governance practices across the Council. You will manage committee work plans, engage with Council departments, and provide officer and member training and support in scrutiny and governance.
Improvement Projects: Assist the Democratic Services Business Manager with implementing improvement projects and delivering service plans to enhance departmental efficiency and effectiveness.
You will need…
A qualification in your area of expertise, equivalent to a degree or relevant experience of five years
Experience of working flexibly as part of a team and collaborating with colleagues and stakeholders
Experience of being involved in continuously improving services and developing products to meet customer need
Ability to remain calm and confident when dealing with challenging customers and environments
Special Conditions…
Ability to travel
BPSS Check
This post designated as politically restricted in accordance with the Local Government and Housing Act 1989. Politically restricted post holders are restricted from canvassing on behalf of a political party or for a person who is, or seeks to be, a candidate for election to a local authority, the House of Commons, or the European Parliament.
For more information about this role please see the Job Description/Person Specification.
What can we do for you…
Agile working allowing a mix of home and office working
Flexible working arrangements (depending on the role)
26 days paid annual leave (pro rata if you are working part time) plus bank holidays, which increases to 29 days after five years’ service and 32 days following 10 years’ continuous service
In addition you will have an extra two volunteering days a year for you to support a charity of your choice
Renewed again for another year there is a Health cash plan giving you cash back on health, dental and eye care
Generous contributory local government pension scheme
Employee Assistance Programme 24/7, providing positive, preventative and supportive advice and counselling to deal with everyday events and issues
Cycle to work scheme
Salary sacrifice car lease scheme with significant tax and NI savings to be made on electric cars
Generous sickness cover above statutory entitlements
Terms and conditions apply
These are just a handful of the benefits that you can enjoy when you join us!
Your application will not be considered if you have not provided a supporting statement, in addition to your CV.
Accredited of the disability confident scheme, we guarantee to interview all disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy/ies - Please state this within your covering statement or in a separate email.
Safer recruitment practices are applied to all job vacancies. Successful candidates will be required to complete a pre-employment medical questionnaire; provide references; proof of identity; nationality and immigration status; three years’ employment or education history (if applicable) and, in some cases, verification of criminal record.