Essex Shared Services is pleased to partner with Maldon District Council to recruit a Head of Legal Services and Deputy Monitoring Officer. This permanent role offers a hybrid working arrangement, with an expectation of being in the office two days per week, and it can also be considered on a secondment basis.

The role is well suited to an experienced Head of Legal or a skilled lawyer/solicitor with strong local government expertise, who is ready to take the next step in their career.

Role Purpose:

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for the Council’s legal services.
• Act as Deputy Monitoring Officer, advising on governance, ethical standards, and statutory responsibilities.
• Support elected members and senior officers in making legally compliant, well-informed decisions.
• Lead, develop, and motivate the legal team to deliver high-quality, professional, and responsive services.
• Oversee the management of corporate, commercial, property, regulatory, and other legal matters.
• Ensure effective risk management and mitigation through sound legal advice and proactive guidance.
• Contribute to the Council’s strategic objectives by providing innovative legal solutions and influencing policy development.
• Represent the Council in legal matters and maintain relationships with external legal partners, regulators, and stakeholders.
• Promote a culture of integrity, resilience, and continuous improvement within the team and across the organisation.

Accountabilities – Service Delivery:

• Provide authoritative legal advice to elected members, senior officers, and committees, ensuring decisions are compliant with legislation, the Constitution, and ethical standards.
• Act as Deputy Monitoring Officer, supporting the Monitoring Officer in upholding good governance, probity, and member conduct requirements.
• Oversee the management and delivery of all corporate, commercial, property, regulatory, and other legal matters affecting the Council.
• Ensure timely, high-quality, and commercially aware legal support across all services, enabling the Council to meet strategic objectives.
• Maintain and develop governance frameworks, policies, and procedures to ensure the Council operates lawfully, transparently, and effectively.
• Manage risk proactively by identifying potential legal, regulatory, and reputational issues and providing clear mitigation strategies.
• Lead the commissioning and management of external legal services, ensuring value for money, quality, and compliance.
• Drive continuous improvement, innovation, and modernisation of legal services, embedding best practice and digital solutions where appropriate.
• Foster effective collaboration across services, promoting a joined-up approach to legal advice and governance issues.
• Represent the Council in negotiations, legal proceedings, and external forums as required, maintaining the Council’s reputation and legal interests.

The Experience You Will Bring:

Knowledge: The ideal candidate will bring extensive knowledge of local government law, including constitutional, commercial, property, and regulatory matters. A strong understanding of statutory duties, governance frameworks, ethical standards, member conduct, and the responsibilities of the Deputy Monitoring Officer is essential. You must be familiar with risk management, legal compliance, performance management, and the wider challenges facing local authorities, such as financial pressures and increasing regulatory scrutiny. Awareness of best practice in delivering modern, integrated legal and governance services is key.

Experience: You will have a proven leadership track record within legal services or a related statutory governance function in local government or the wider public sector. This includes providing authoritative legal advice to senior officers and elected members, managing complex legal matters across contracts, property, regulatory issues, and risk, and operating effectively in politically sensitive environments. Experience acting as a Deputy Monitoring Officer, leading high‑performing teams, managing budgets, commissioning external legal support, and driving service improvement and innovation is essential. Strong relationship‑building skills with regulators, courts, partner organisations, and external stakeholders are also required.

Skills and Abilities: You will be politically astute, demonstrate integrity, and model the Council’s values. Strong leadership, communication, and relationship‑management skills are vital, alongside the ability to work collaboratively with members, senior officers, and partners. You will be resilient, adaptable, and confident managing competing priorities in a fast‑paced environment. The role requires effective staff management, clear target‑setting, strong analytical and reporting skills, and confidence in presenting to a wide range of audiences. Proficiency with Microsoft Office and relevant legal systems is expected.

Qualifications: You must be a qualified solicitor or barrister (or hold an equivalent legal qualification) with substantial post‑qualification experience in local government or public sector law. Evidence of ongoing professional development in governance, constitutional law, leadership, or specialist legal areas is required, along with an up‑to‑date understanding of emerging legal issues and best practice in the public sector.

Be part of Maldon District Council - 'Where Quality of Life Matters'

Maldon District Council is a local authority 'Where quality of life matters'. Our Corporate Plan sets out our vision and priorities for the next three years and will be reviewed regularly to make sure we are on the right track. Using a range of data and what we know about the needs of our residents, we have set out what we will be doing and what we aim to achieve between now and 2028. It is also a useful tool that helps with decision-making and allocating resources. 

To download or listen to a presentation of the Corporate Plan 2025-2028 click here

Maldon District Council plays a crucial role in the development and prosperity of the District, working for the good of the community and the long term benefit of residents, you can be part of our friendly team. From front line customer facing roles to policy and strategy, the work of the Council is diverse and dynamic.

In addition to a competitive salary, you will be entitled to a range of benefits, including:

• The Local Government Pension Scheme
• Generous holiday entitlement
• Flexible and agile working
• Employee assistance programme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Salary sacrifice car lease scheme
• Discounted local gym membership
• Free parking

Maldon District Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable groups including children, young people and adults and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Disclosure and Barring checks will be undertaken according to the responsibilities of the role. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, culture and experience. Applicants will be considered regardless of race, sex, disability or marital status.

Maldon District Council is committed to the employment and career development of disabled people. To demonstrate our commitment, we have been accredited as a Disability Confident Employer. As a Disability Confident Employer we take various actions in order to successfully employ and retain disabled people and those with health conditions.

For more information on this position, please email sadie.orwell@essex.gov.uk