Senior Elections Officer

About the job

Key information

We are looking for an experienced and highly motivated electoral services professional to help lead the delivery of elections and electoral registration across Somerset.

• 30 days annual leave
• 37 hours per week
• Permanent

Working within the Electoral Services team, you will support the Head of Service in delivering all statutory electoral functions, including elections, referendums, maintaining of the register of electors and the annual canvass. You’ll also contribute to strategic planning, staff supervision, and continuous improvement of the service. support on the planning and delivery of electoral events and ensuring compliance with legal requirements and Electoral Commission guidance.

What will I be doing?

We’re working to improve the lives of people in Somerset – and you’ll be a key part of that. Your day-to-day work will involve:

• Your responsibility and accountability will be towards the oversight of electoral disciplines including electoral registration, elections and polls, boundary and community governance reviews. You will be ensuring the delivery of these functions following strict deadlines, processes and financial controls.
• You will help to put arrangements in place for the proper conduct of elections and polls, both national and regional, for Somerset Council as well as the parish and town councils. This will also encompass the registration of electors, plus the publication and maintenance of the electoral register.
• Using your detailed technical knowledge of electoral matters, you will work in partnership with external stakeholders to help deliver successful polls in major elections and by-elections. Your knowledge will help support the Head of Electoral Services, by providing advice on electoral issues, supporting internal committee meetings and external stakeholder meetings alike, representing the Council with professional excellence.
• You will also be involved in the design of our project strategies, our risk management processes and be involved in steps that will help minimise electoral fraud.
• We’re looking for someone who can help to drive continuous improvement and maximise efficiency, to help us provide the best value in the service that we deliver.

The electorate is at the heart of the work we do across Somerset Council. The electoral service is one of the largest direct customer contact functions of any service within the Council and is responsible for one of the largest electoral areas in the UK; administering seven UK Parliamentary constituencies and 272 parish, town and city councils.

The above is just a snapshot of the wide-varying work you will be undertaking in this role. If you think you meet the criteria we have listed for this position, then we’d love to hear from you.

What kind of experience or qualifications do I need?

We offer ongoing support, training and guidance to help you be the best you can be. But it will really help if you:

• Extensive, up-to-date knowledge of electoral law and processes, and experience of both electoral registration and elections/other polls.
• Extensive knowledge of processes and procedures used to promote electoral registration and engagement in the electoral process.
• Extensive knowledge of Electoral Management Systems, particularly IDOX Eros
• Ability to work to deadlines, with a strong attention to detail and high level of accuracy.
• Ability to effectively manage, motive and develop staff, and deal with people at all levels.
• Recognised qualification in electoral administration, working towards such qualification or sufficient experience that can be considered to be equivalent to holding a qualification.
• A full driving licence is essential together with access to a suitable vehicle.

We’re proud to be here for the people of Somerset. And that means everyone in Somerset. An important part of this is ensuring that we are as diverse and inclusive as the people and communities we serve.

We welcome applications from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences to enrich our team. You can always contact the hiring manager for a chat if there’s anything you want to talk about before you apply.

What is in it for me?

We are proud to offer an environment that is supportive and rewarding, working as part of a team who are passionate about the work they do to improve the lives of people in Somerset.

We offer great training and development opportunities, with supportive management. As well as this, we have some fantastic employee benefits available:

• We promote a healthy work-life balance and offer flexible working arrangements wherever possible, including working from home.
• Generous annual leave allowance, with the opportunity to purchase additional leave
• Staff discounts in gyms.
• Employee Assistance for the times you may need some support and a variety of employee wellbeing services.
• Auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme and optional pension enhancement through our Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme.
• A Flexible Benefits Scheme via salary sacrifice to obtain a cycle for work and health screenings.
• My Staff Shop offering discounts in shops, online shopping, restaurants, cinema tickets, insurance benefits and more

Supporting documents and information

For an informal chat about the role, you can contact Jonathan Doyle via email at Jonathan.doyle@somerset.gov.uk.

When completing your application/CV please provide your full employment history and ensure that any gaps in employment are explained. Please start with your current or most recent employment.

If you have everything you need, just hit the apply button. We can’t wait to hear from you.

Apply on the Somerset Council website

Apply now