London Borough of Hackney
Governance Services Officer
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Governance Services Officer
The Governance Services Officer role is a crucial role within the Legal and Governance Service which sits within the Chief Executive’s Directorate.
The Governance Services Officer provides essential support across a broad range of governance functions, democratic processes, public accountability responsibilities, and statutory obligations.
Working within a political environment, you will work closely with elected Members, senior officers, the Monitoring Officer, and colleagues across all service areas to ensure governance arrangements operate lawfully, effectively, and transparently.
What We Are Looking For (Essential Skills And Experience)
The role provides an excellent opportunity for someone who wants to progress within a governance environment. We are seeking individuals with:
- Experience in working within democratic services, governance within local government, local government committee management, or working directly with Elected Members.
- Strong knowledge of local government legislation and constitutional governance frameworks.
- Excellent IT skills to support hybrid meetings and to use and maintain systems such as Modern.Gov and Civico. Please note that Hackney is a Google council.
- Excellent communication skills with strong active listening and writing capabilities.
While the job description outlines the core responsibilities attached to the post, candidates should understand that the day-to-day operational demands of Governance Services frequently extend beyond the formal duties listed.
The successful candidate must demonstrate professional judgement, flexibility, and be able to adapt quickly to changing priorities and urgent governance matters in a fast-paced environment. The candidate must also demonstrate confidence and political sensitivity in dealing with elected members and senior officers. This is a varied role where workloads can increase unexpectedly.
No two days within Governance Services are the same.
Key Responsibilities
You will play a central role in supporting the Council in its transparency, governance, and accountability functions, including:
- Demonstrating strong understanding of local government legislation and constitutional governance frameworks for local authority decision-making and an ability to interpret and provide detailed advice to elected members and senior officers.
- Communicating directly with members of the public while demonstrating excellent interpersonal skills and professionalism in an environment where democracy is promoted.
- Accurate recording of minutes and decisions to include excellent writing skills.
- Managing agenda publications for internal and external stakeholders and publishing to the Council’s website.
- Supporting formal committee management processes including in-person attendance, meeting preparation, governance advice, and procedural support for evening and late-night meetings.
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Working collaboratively with colleagues across the Council.
Important Information About This Role
This is a demanding operational role supporting highly visible areas of Council decision-making and public accountability.
The successful candidate must understand that evening and late-night committee attendance forms a regular part of the role. The written job description does not capture every operational responsibility attached to the role.
We are looking for someone who understands that governance is not simply administrative support; it is a critical function that protects the integrity, transparency, and lawful operation of the Council.
London Borough of Hackney
Hackney is one of the most dynamic and progressive local authorities in the UK. We are a resilient, vibrant, and creative borough in the heart of London, with strong and diverse communities and a powerful set of shared values. This is an exciting opportunity to support the new directly elected Mayor and administration in this era.
Over the past twenty years, the Council has built first-class services, outstanding public infrastructure, and a reputation for excellence, innovation, and ambition. We are leading the way on essential work including our commitment to equity across Hackney, with a strong focus on becoming an actively anti-racist borough while promoting fairness across all aspects of society including gender equality, neurodiversity, and tackling inequality across the poverty divide.
As a Council, our most outstanding asset is our staff, who are highly dedicated to serving our residents and committed to our goals as an organisation.
If you want to work in a place where you can represent our values so we achieve the best for our residents, please click on the apply button below.
We operate a fair and open anonymous selection process. Therefore, we do not accept supporting statements or CV’s.
To proceed with your application, you will need to create an account and submit your application.
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As part of the application process, you will need to complete a number of competency-based questions. These questions allow you to demonstrate your suitability for the role and provide examples of your skills, knowledge, and experience outlined in the job description.
We understand the benefits of using AI in the workplace. However, if you are thinking of using this tool to submit your application, we ask you to think about what value it will add. AI tools tend to lack the personal touch and authenticity we value in candidates. We encourage you to showcase your unique knowledge and skills using your own voice.
This application process replaces a supporting statement.
Application Details
Closing date for applications: 14 September 2026 (22:59)
Interview date: W/c 05 October 2026
In the event of receiving a high volume of applications, we reserve the right to close this role early, and if necessary, perform a long listing exercise prior to interview.
We are also working towards our vision, which is to be a place for everyone; where residents and staff can be proud. In order to achieve this, we are seeking individuals who embody our “PROUD” values: Purpose and Respect, where we foster belonging through active inclusion, kindness, and open dialogue; Ownership, where we champion proactive collaboration and accountability for our shared success; and Unity and Diversity, where we work as one Council to break down silos and champion anti-racist behavior.
Hackney Council works to eradicate discrimination on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. We also recognise that people can be disadvantaged by their social and economic circumstances, so we will also work to eliminate discrimination and disadvantage caused by social class. We also welcome those interested in flexible working. We particularly welcome applications from disabled people, as this group is currently under-represented in our workforce.
The Council has a dedicated employment support service (Hackney Works), which offers Hackney residents guidance in relation to applying for jobs. If you are thinking about applying for a job, please contact the Hackney Works team to find out what support is available: hackneyworks@hackney.gov.uk.
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