Chief Officer for Legal and Governance - Interim

A Warwickshire based local authority is seeking an experienced Interim Monitoring Officer to provide statutory governance leadership and expert legal advice across the organisation. This role requires experience supporting organisational transformation, shared services, or local government reorganisation.

This is a key role within the senior team, working closely with the Chief Executive, Leader of the Council, elected Members, Corporate Leadership Team, and external partners to ensure the Council maintains the highest standards of governance, transparency, and lawful decision-making.

The role requires a candidate with previous DMO or MO experience, preferably from a Borough Council. Duties of the role include:

• Fulfil the statutory duties of Monitoring Officer under the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.
• Lead on standards, ethics, Member conduct, and governance matters.
• Advise on matters relating to planning governance, licensing, housing, local taxation, regulatory services, and district council service delivery.
• Lead on constitutional reviews and governance improvement initiatives.
• Oversee complaints, standards investigations, Ombudsman enquiries, and governance-related audits.
• Work closely with the Section 151 Officer and Corporate Leadership Team to maintain robust corporate governance arrangements.
• Manage external legal support where required and oversee the delivery of specialist legal services.

Applicants must have previous experience at this level and be a qualified Solicitor (or equivalent). Previous experience operating as a Monitoring Officer or Deputy Monitoring Officer is essential. You must possess a strong understanding of political environments and be able to navigate sensitive governance issues to succeed in this position.

For a confidential discussion or to apply contact Kate Jasper in our Manchester office today!

Sellick Partnership is proud to be an inclusive and accessible recruitment business and we support applications from candidates of all backgrounds and circumstances. Please note, our advertisements use years'' experience, hourly rates, and salary levels purely as a guide and we assess applications based on the experience and skills evidenced on the CV. For information on how your personal details may be used by Sellick Partnership, please review our data processing notice on our website.