Governance Services Officer

The Governance Services Team plays a key role in supporting the Council’s governance and decision-making processes. Part of the Council’s Law, Governance and Safer Communities Service, the team helps to make sure that formal decision-making is open and transparent and provides clear accountability for the use of resources in order to deliver the Council’s priorities.

The team works with Councillors, officers, partner organisations, communities and local people to ensure that decision-makers have all the information they need and that meetings run smoothly and in line with local government legislation and the Council’s Constitution. These meetings include full Council, which sets the authority’s budget and policy framework, Planning Committee which makes decisions on applications from large scale developments to smaller projects and the Audit and Scrutiny Committees which review the Council’s work and holds decision-makers to account. The Team also runs the School Appeals service for the Council and some academy schools ensuring that admission appeals and exclusion reviews are undertaken within the relevant legislative framework.

We value diverse perspectives and experiences and are striving to create a workplace culture that is inclusive, is accepting of all and is free from discrimination and bias.

In line with our One Coventry Values, we want to ensure that our communities are represented across our workforce. A vital part of this is ensuring we are a truly inclusive organisation that encourages diversity in all respects, including diversity of thinking. We particularly welcome applicants from minority ethnic, LGBT+, disabled and neurodiverse communities to make a real difference to our residents so that equity and respect remains at the heart of everything we do.

Our Values are:

• Open and fair: We are fair, open, and transparent.
• Nurture and develop: We help and encourage everyone to be their best and do their best.
• Engage and empower: We talk and listen to others, working together as one.
• Create and innovate: We embrace new ways of working to continuously improve.
• Own and be accountable: We work together to deliver the best services for our residents.
• Value and respect: We put diversity and inclusion at the heart of all we do.

We are looking for someone to join the Governance Services Team to provide high quality legal and administrative support for Council meetings. You will:

• Service meetings of the Council, ensuring the highest standards of governance are applied
• Draft and quality check reports, prepare agendas, attend meetings and produce accurate minutes
• Provide procedural, legal and constitutional advice to Councillors and officers, before, during and after meetings
• Assist and promote good governance and promote public participation in decision making
• Develop the service to promote best practice and meet customer needs
• Assist in the delivery of governance training for Councillors and officers

We are looking for an enthusiastic team player to work in a busy team, servicing Council meetings and promoting democracy in Coventry.

You will have an interest in local democracy, good governance, decision-making and administration and a knowledge of local government political management arrangements.

The skills you will bring to the role will include:

• The ability to work flexibility as part of a busy team, working in a challenging environment to strict legal deadlines and managing conflicting demands
• A good knowledge and understanding of a local authority’s management and political management structure and the role of Councillors
• An understanding of Codes of Conduct
• An ability to analyse and evaluate complex information and to produce high quality, accurate and well-structured written work, including reports and minutes
• The ability to work effectively and confidently with a variety of people, including Councillors, senior officers and members of the public
• A good level of political awareness and experience of dealing with confidential information.
• Ability to use IT and digital applications effectively

If you need help or support to complete your application, please visit our accessibility page to see how we can assist you.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme - As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role and identify with one of the below criteria:

• Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
• Are currently in care or have previously been in care
• If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition

For full details on the application process please read the attached document labelled 'Coventry City Council Application Process'. If there is any evidence of a candidate using AI to complete their application, then the application will be rejected unless the candidate can provide a justification which the Council considers to be reasonable.

Interview date(s): 29 or 30 April

Coventry has a proud, innovative and creative spirit that throughout its history has seen communities come together to tackle problems and bring about real social change.

We are cutting-edge, challenging, youthful, vibrant and diverse.

At Coventry we are committed to excellence in everything we do. With around 5100 staff from a range of different backgrounds, our aim is to recruit and develop talented people who will focus on our customers, take responsibility, work together and find better ways of doing things.

To deliver the best services to our residents, we need the best people working for us to make a difference to our communities.

If you join us, we will provide a fantastic rewards and benefits package - to find out more please visit https://www.coventry.gov.uk/council-vacancies