Assistant Director of Legal and Governance

Lead Governance. Shape Decisions. Make a Difference for South Tyneside.

We are seeking an inspirational and values-led leader who can combine sound legal judgement with strategic insight, organisational leadership and a strong commitment to public service to be the Council’s statutory Monitoring Officer. Reporting to the Council’s Director of Business and Resources but as a standing member of the Corporate Leadership Team, you will play a central role in shaping strategic decision-making, being a trusted adviser and supporting effective democratic governance working directly with elected Members, the Chief Executive and senior officers.

Our ambitious vision and corporate strategy put people at the heart of what we do – be that our residents or our staff. We invest in our workforce as we believe people whose work and working environment makes a positive difference to them personally, are more equipped and motivated to make a difference to the lives of our residents.

Working for us means working for an organisation that truly believes in a work/life balance through flexible working practices, who offers generous benefit schemes, and invests in its staff to provide fulfilling careers.  Our most recent employee survey shows that 91% of employees feel proud to work for the Council.

You will be an influential leader in establishing effective governance across the Council. As the Council’s Monitoring Officer, you will safeguard the highest standards of governance, legality and ethical conduct across the organisation. You will provide authoritative advice to Members, senior officers and partnership bodies, ensuring the Council operates within its statutory and constitutional framework.

Leading a number of teams covering democratic, civic, information governance and legal affairs, you will help drive continuous improvement in governance, decision-making and organisational resilience while supporting the Council’s wider transformation agenda to be a modern council that further embeds the right culture and grasps the opportunities from new and emerging technologies.

You will be skilled in working collaboratively, building relationships and be solution focussed. In return we will provide the support and our drive to succeed to enable you to thrive in your role.

You will share our PROUD values and role-model them in how you lead, support and challenge others — Professional, Respectful, Open and Honest, Understanding and Deliver what we say we will.

If you have the judgement, credibility and ambition to help shape the future of South Tyneside Council, we would be delighted to hear from you.

Find out more at https://jobs.southtyneside.gov.uk or contact our retained advisors at Tile Hill for a confidential discussion:

• Bella Bennett – bella.bennett@tile-hill.co.uk (07918 976494)
• Anita Denton – anita.denton@tile-hill.co.uk (07725 554802)

Closing Date for Applications: Midnight on Sunday 27th September

Please also see the Job Description and Person Specification below: 

Job Description

Person Specification

To apply:
To apply, please submit an up-to-date copy of your CV (three sides of A4 maximum), along with a supporting statement (three sides of A4 maximum) detailing your experience, and achievements and addressing the key criteria for the role set out on this site and using examples to demonstrate how you meet the requirements. Documents should be uploaded via our website, please include and upload the below information in two documents only. If you experience any issues whilst applying, please contact matthew.ashby@tile-hill.co.uk

Applications must include:

• Full contact details;
• Names, positions, organisations and contact details for two referees (we will ask your permission before contacting referees);
• Details of your notice period;
• Notification of any dates when you are not available for interview.

At Tile Hill, we are committed to inclusion and accessibility. We champion and support all individuals to ensure everyone feels valued, listened to and motivated to get the very best out of each recruitment process and that processes are designed to meet the needs of individuals. If you have any specific requests and would like a confidential discussion with the Tile Hill team, then please email inclusion@tile-hill.co.uk.

If the organisation we’re representing is a member of the Disability Confident Scheme and you’d like to apply under the scheme, please mention this clearly in bold at the top of your supporting statement. If there are any adjustments that would support you during the application or interview process, please let us know.