Closing Date: 6th July 2025 Hours: 37 hours per week Rate of Pay: SCP 16-20 (starting £29,572 per annum)
Senior Committee Clerk
Location: Seaford, East Sussex, BN25 1HG
Hours: 37 hours per week
Grade: SCP 16 – 20, STC Grade 4 (starting £29,572 per annum)
Are you an experienced governance professional who thrives on delivering high-quality, democratic support and ensuring good governance? Are you highly organised, meticulous with detail, and confident in working with elected Councillors in a public setting? If so, we’d love to hear from you.
About the Role
Seaford Town Council is seeking a Senior Committee Clerk to lead on the delivery of its public meetings cycle, ensuring effective and legally compliant committee administration. This vital role involves preparing agendas and reports, advising on governance matters, attending and facilitating evening meetings (average of 26 per year), and producing accurate, timely minutes.
Working closely with the Town Clerk, Committee Chairs and Council staff, you will help uphold the highest standards of transparency, governance and efficiency in decision-making. You may also line manage a direct report (to be confirmed) and support ongoing improvements in governance and corporate processes.
Key Responsibilities
- Manage the full public meetings cycle, from annual timetabling to minute production and action tracking.
- Ensure agendas, reports and documentation are professionally presented, accessible, and meet statutory and branding requirements.
- Attend and provide governance support at all evening committee and Full Council meetings (except Planning & Highways), setting up, advising, minute-taking and closing down meetings.
- Build strong working relationships with Councillors, providing impartial advice and support within the context of public meetings.
- Monitor changes in governance best practice and recommend improvements.
- Maintain accurate records and ensure timely publication in accordance with legal requirements.
- Line-manage direct reports, supporting performance and development.
About You
To succeed in this role, you will need to bring a strong background in governance or committee-servicing within the public sector. You will be an excellent communicator, confident in both written and verbal formats, with proven experience in minute-taking and producing accurate, professional documentation. Your IT skills will be well developed – particularly in Microsoft Office, and you will demonstrate great attention to detail, resilience under pressure, and the ability to stay calm and composed during busy or challenging situations.
We are looking for someone who is highly organised, able to manage time effectively, and who can prioritise within a varied workload. You’ll have a commitment to delivering excellent customer service, coupled with professionalism and discretion. An understanding of data protection legislation and maintaining confidentiality is essential, as is the ability to build trusted, respectful working relationships with elected members and colleagues alike.
While not essential, it would be advantageous if you have knowledge of local government or town/parish council operations. Familiarity with Freedom of Information legislation and transparency requirements is also desirable, as are public speaking skills and an ILCA qualification—or a willingness to work towards one.
We’ll need you to be available to attend regular evening meetings, mainly on Thursdays, in person in Seaford. Flexibility to occasionally work additional evenings or weekends is important. You should also be comfortable setting up meeting rooms and resolving minor technical issues, such as with microphones or presentation equipment.What can we offer you?
You’ll be joining a welcoming, dedicated team who care about making a difference for our community. We offer flexible working, a central Seaford location, and a varied role where your ideas and attention to detail will really matter.
If this sounds like your kind of challenge, we’d love to hear from you.
For further information, please see our website:
Application forms are completed online via Google Forms, which can be accessed online here: https://forms.gle/G2MDH1gAZ6jiUXuv6
If you require an application form in a different format, please let us know: HR@seafordtowncouncil.gov.uk
Closing date for applications: Sunday 6 July 2025
Interview dates: Tuesday 15 or Thursday 17 July 2025
Seaford Town Council is committed to making our recruitment practices as inclusive as possible for everyone. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity and developing a culture that values difference, recognising that employees from a variety of backgrounds bring important and positive contributions to the Council and can improve the way we deliver services.
We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer. If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment and selection process, please let us know.