Democratic Services Manager at Director HR&OD

Salary: £44,075 rising by annual increments to £47,181 per annum 

Hours: Full Time - 37 hours per week

Contract Type: Permanent 

This is not a Wiltshire Council vacancy therefore please contact Dorset and Wiltshire Fire rescue for further information.

A bit about us:

This is a fantastic opportunity to join Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, an organisation that is passionate about changing and saving lives. Our corporate staff are absolutely vital in helping to make our communities safer and healthier.  Without them, we couldn’t do it.

The service encourages flexible working and is open to flexible working options. The role will be based at Service Headquarters, Salisbury with the flexibility to work from home / DWFRS Stations / Support Offices and we would welcome a conversation with the successful candidate on what type of flexible working arrangement will work best for you. The successful candidate will be expected to travel quarterly to one location within each of the four local authority areas — Swindon, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP), Wiltshire and Dorset. In addition, there are two quarterly meetings of the Fire Authority held in Salisbury, which the postholder will be required to attend in person.

We offer a wide range of employee benefits and strive to ensure that staff are valued and rewarded. For example, we offer a flexi time scheme, Local Government Pension Scheme, a generous annual leave allowance, a variety of family friendly schemes including 39 weeks’ full pay during maternity leave (subject to qualifying criteria) and health & well-being services. 

All about the role:

As a Democratic Services Manager in our Corporate Services department you will:

• Lead the democratic service function for the Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Authority ensuring that the Authority and its associated committees are governed in line with the Local Government Act 
• Develop and deliver against the annual democratic meeting calendar and programmes of work to ensure deadlines are met 
• Lead on the administration and support for all Fire Authority meetings including agenda preparation, quality assuring reports and producing minutes in line with corporate standards 

What makes you our ideal Democratic Services Manager? 

• Good level of understanding of the Local Government Act with knowledge and working experience in a democratic services environment
• Able to produce accurate and thorough formal board level and committee meeting minutes
• Ability to manage professional relationships with internal staff and external stakeholders including Senior Management and Councillors/Fire Authority Members

For full details of the role and requirements please have a look at the job description and person specification.

Other Information:

• You must be able to fulfil the travel requirements of the role. The successful candidate will be expected to travel quarterly to one location within each of the four local authority areas — Swindon, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP), Wiltshire and Dorset. In addition, there are two quarterly meetings of the Fire Authority held in Salisbury, which the postholder will be required to attend in person.
• A Standard Disclosure & Barring Service Check (DBS) clearance will be undertaken on the successful individual prior to offer of employment. 
• Any offer of employment will be subject to full pre-employment checks which include identity checks, right to work in the UK, medical, negative drug test, receipt of satisfactory references, verification of employment history and an explanation of any gaps in employment in the last 3 years.
• Please click here for information relating to raising tax awareness and pension considerations when applying for a job. 

To find out more and apply:

Closing and Interview date:  The closing date for applications is Tuesday 25 November 2025 (midnight). 

Interview date: It is intended that interviews will take place on Monday 8 December 2025.  Should you be shortlisted for interview, further details regarding the interview format / location will be provided before the interview date.

Commencement Date: TBC

Job Description

Person Specification

Employee Benefits

Job application notes

Our Candidate Charter outlines the commitments we make to you when applying for a vacancy with us. Please note we do not accept CV’s in place of application forms. 

We welcome the use of AI responsibly and ethically to demonstrate your skills in your application, but please don’t allow it to overshadow your own unique voice.

While we appreciate innovative approaches, we also value authenticity. Our assessment considers both the content of the application and how it was created, ensuring fairness and inclusivity for all applicants. At the end of the day – we want YOU to work for us!

You should ensure you include satisfactory evidence in your application to demonstrate all of the areas stated as being measured at the Application Stage on the Person Specification. This will ensure you have the best opportunity of progressing to the next stage of the selection process. 

We are dedicated to building a workforce that reflects the diversity of our communities and welcome applications from all suitably qualified individuals regardless of age, disability, gender, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or other personal circumstances.  All applications will be treated on merit and staff involved in recruitment and selection processes undertake unconscious bias training.

We are committed to the Disability Confident Scheme and guarantee an interview to applicants with a disclosed disability if they meet the minimum criteria for the post to which they are applying.  Please tell us in confidence if this applies to you, or if there are any reasonable adjustments that would help you apply for this post. To find out more, please see our website.

Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service’s recruitment and selection procedures reflect our commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of Adults, Children and Young People.  All staff and volunteers are expected to share this commitment.

If you hold international qualifications, you will be required to provide official evidence that shows how these compare to UK Qualifications. We will accept a Statement of Comparability from a UK organisation called ENIC which can be obtained via their website. Please note that UK ENIC charge for this service, so if you request a Statement of Compatibility, you will be required to pay for it as we are unable to reimburse you.

For further guidance on how to complete your application, please refer to the Job Application Guidance Notes. If you are experiencing difficulties completing your application or have a need to complete your application in an alternative format due to a disability, please contact HR Resourcing on 01722 691444 within plenty of time of the closing date of the position you are applying for. 

Values & Behaviours Framework 

Our recruitment, assessment and progression processes are based on our Code of Ethics that has been developed specifically for Fire and Rescue Services.  When recruiting, we identify the most important behaviours for the role and these are used as part of the short-listing and selection process.