Be Amazing!

Job description and person specification

Director of Law and Governance 

Salary - £113,435 to £126,166
Job family - SM15
Working hours - 37 hours per week
Work base - The Cube, Corby
Responsible to - Chief Executive North Northants Council

We are delighted that you are considering joining our team at North Northamptonshire Council.  

By recognising that our employees are our greatest asset, we invest in, value and develop them to progress our ambition to be an employer of choice. Our corporate values and behaviours also encourage customer focus, efficiency and support our employees to achieve.

Main purpose

As a member of the Corporate Leadership Team, you will:

• be responsible for the leadership, development, and implementation of relevant corporate strategies that support the achievement of the council’s strategic priorities and objectives, creating a high performing organisation with effective, modern ways of working and a strong transformation ethos
• work closely with the Chief Executive, members and peers to drive forward the ‘One Council’ vision and values, role modelling the desired behaviours in all aspects of work
• act as the expert adviser to the Chief Executive and corporate management team with regard to legal and democratic decisions and governance matters
• lead the management, development, performance and continuous improvement of the council’s legal, democratic, electoral registration, information governance functions and registration and coroners, delivering high quality, trusted and efficient services to councillors, employees and service users
• carry out the statutory responsibilities of Monitoring Officer, in accordance with Section 5 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 (as amended)
• ensure governance arrangements are legally compliant and fit for purpose
• ensure that all decisions taken by councillors and officers are lawful
• represent and make decisions on behalf of the Chief Executive and Corporate Leadership Team and council at various corporate and cross council committees and boards

Role responsibilities 

Strategic Leadership and Management 

• Engage with senior political and managerial leaders to ensure ethics, standards and decision making
• Be a fully participating member of the council’s senior leadership team, driving strategy and performance; and championing the delivery of the council’s vision and strategy with councillors, partners, community representatives, and colleagues
• Act as Senior Responsible Officer for corporate projects when required
• Corporately own the council's budgets, savings and efficiencies proposals and play an active part in developing and delivering on the medium-term financial plan
• Drive transformational change, fostering and leading a culture of continuous improvement that reflects the values of the Council and encourages creativity and commercial acumen within a public service ethos.

Core responsibilities

• Undertake the Monitoring Officer role and associated statutory duties in accordance with Section 5 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 as amended by paragraph 24 of Schedule 5 Local Government Act 2000, including:
  • Reporting on any proposal, decision, or omission that is, or may be, illegal or amount to maladministration
  • Promoting and maintaining high standards of councillor and officer conduct
  • Responsibility for the operation of the council's constitution
• Lead and develop the legal, democratic, electoral registration, information governance, registrations and coroner’s functions, to ensure that the Council has the capacity to deliver its current and future priorities in accordance with relevant government legislation, professional standards and leading-edge practices
• Provide expert and specialist advice, guidance and challenge to the Chief Executive and members on legal, democratic and governance processes, ensuring the council complies with statutory requirements and that decision making is lawful and in accordance with the Council’s policies and procedures
• Maintain the oversight of the Children’s Trust in respect of governance and legal processes
• Provide assurance to senior officers and Members that the Council has effective governance structures in place and proactively adapt them to ensure that the Council is effectively organised for delivery
• Ensure compliance with the council’s Code of Conduct, promoting and maintaining the highest standards of councillor and officer conduct
• Ensure effective operation of the council’s constitution
• Ensure a strong and collaborative relationship with the council's Chief Internal Auditor and ensure that this relationship enables robust governance and compliance throughout the council
• Act as the Proper Officer for access to information - ensuring that member decisions (and officer decisions as appropriate), reasons for those decisions and relevant officer reports and background papers are properly recorded and publicly available and retained for public access in accordance with legal requirements
• Lead on the electoral registration process to ensure that all electoral or related matters are conducted lawfully and effectively
• Lead officer for information governance including management of transparency, safeguarding of data in relation to fairness, ethics and standards

Political interface and member relations

• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with elected members, working with members to foster a positive and productive interface between members and officers across the council
• Support our elected members with learning and development so that they have the skills to represent their residents in the best possible way
• Work with, advise and support elected members in formulating appropriate strategies and plans to deliver modern, efficient and effective services
• Promote a culture of political awareness amongst officers to help translate political will into appropriate future strategies and delivery of objectives

Leading partnerships, collaboration and managing reputation

• Represent the council and its interests through personal influence and engagement in partnerships at all levels within the public, private and voluntary sectors, acting as an ambassador for the council at all times
• Influence a range of policy makers, public bodies, partners and suppliers to ensure the council is well positioned to meet existing objectives and new challenges.

To undertake any other duties commensurate with the role. Some additional functions may be incorporated into this role description as determined by the Chief Executive.

Political restriction and other requirements

This position is politically restricted.

Person specification

Qualifications

• Law degree or professional qualification 
• Qualified or practising solicitor, barrister or legal executive with full practising certificate and up-to-date CPD record
• Evidence of continuing professional development

Background and experience

• Experience of working as a Monitoring Officer or Deputy Monitoring Officer, specifically in the leadership and management of legal, constitutional and democratic processes
• Experience of leading legal and democratic services
• Proven experience of providing strategic legal advice to members and senior leaders
• Experience and success in:
  • leading high performing, professional teams
  • effective partnership working, networking and collaboration
  • developing and maintaining positive and productive relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders and strategic partners
  • driving cultural change and organisational vision and values
  • operating in a political environment, providing professional advice and guidance to and building effective working relationships with senior managers and elected members
  • developing strategic policies and plans
  • working corporately to support continuous development and innovation

Skills and knowledge

• Excellent current working knowledge and understanding of local government law, practice and statutory requirements
• Thorough understanding of the current issues and future challenges facing the sector and their impact across a range of local government services
• Demonstrable leadership skills - specifically the ability to ‘take people’ with you and promote organisational vision and values
• Effective interpersonal and communication skills, with ability to engage a range of audiences and positively represent the council
• Ability to see the big picture, interpret it and develop relevant strategies, plans and deliverables
• Ability to encourage and engender collaborative working and build positive relationships with external agencies, partners and internal and external stakeholders
• Political awareness and the ability to work successfully within a political environment through effective working relationships with elected members
• Ability to challenge others constructively and to make informed decisions that if challenged can be substantiated
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including strong report writing and presentation skills
• Ability to learn from experience and to share that learning through future actions to improve service delivery and performance
• Strong management skills, with ability to lead and influence others, make informed decisions and build and maintain successful relationships and networks
• Strong influencing and negotiating skills
• Strong financial and budget management skills
• Highly developed analytical and problem-solving skills, able to work strategically and apply sound judgement

Personal qualities

• Passionate about putting residents at the heart of service delivery
• Positive role model for behaviours and culture
• Collaborative and strategic leader – able to motivate and work across boundaries and
  achieve performance/results through others
• Sound judgement in devising and evaluating options and dealing with complex issues
• Demonstrable evidence of policy judgement, political awareness and astuteness
• Robust and resilient, with drive and self-motivation
• Flexible and able to meet competing demands and challenging circumstances
• Ability to work under pressure and work at pace to achieve priorities
• Personality and credibility that engages and commands the confidence of all stakeholders
• Innovative and forward looking
• Commercially and financially astute and customer focused
• Ethical, accountable behaviour including a personal commitment to equality, diversity and inclusivity
• Passionate about democracy and working with elected members.

Our key commitments

Our key commitments help ensure that the priorities we make, now and in the future, maintain the necessary breadth of focus in those areas that we believe matter most:

• Active, fulfilled lives - We will help people live healthier, more active, independent and fulfilled lives
• Better, brighter futures - We will care for our young people, providing them with a high-quality education and opportunities to help them flourish
• Safe and thriving places - We will enable a thriving and successful economy that shapes great places to live, learn, work and visit
• Green, sustainable environment - We will take a lead on improving the green environment, making the area more sustainable for generations to come.
• Connected communities - We will ensure our communities are connected with one another, so they are able to shape their lives and the areas where they live
• Modern public services - We will provide efficient, effective and affordable services that make a real difference to all our local communities

Why choose us

We offer a fantastic working environment including diverse and active staff networks, great flexible working opportunities and well as many other benefits.

We are proud to be a recognised Disability Confident Employer and are committed to providing an inclusive recruitment process and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role.

Last updated 09 January 2025