Legal Manager & Deputy Monitoring Officer
| Posting date: | 07 January 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | £52,866 to £61,822 per year |
| Additional salary information: | Dependent on experience |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 06 February 2026 |
| Location: | Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire |
| Remote working: | Hybrid - work remotely up to 2 days per week |
| Company: | North Herts Council |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | LEGC3000 |
Summary
The Role
This is a senior and influential legal role at the heart of the Council’s governance arrangements. As Legal Manager and Deputy Monitoring Officer, you will lead on the delivery of high-quality, timely and pragmatic legal advice across the organisation, while supporting the Monitoring Officer in discharging the Council’s statutory responsibilities.
You will manage and develop a team of lawyers, providing clear leadership, professional supervision and a strong focus on service improvement. The role involves advising elected members, senior officers and partners on complex and sensitive matters, including governance, constitutional issues, standards, decision-making, risk, and public law compliance.
Working closely with the Monitoring Officer, you will play a key role in promoting good governance, ethical decision-making and a positive organisational culture. You will act as a trusted adviser, capable of balancing legal risk with commercial and political realities, and will deputise for the Monitoring Officer as required, including attending committees and member meetings.
We would particularly like to encourage applications from female leaders and individuals from an ethnic minority background.
The Experience you will bring
You will be a qualified solicitor, barrister or legal executive with substantial post-qualification experience, ideally gained within local government or the public sector, and with a strong understanding of the legal and governance framework in which councils operate.
You will bring proven experience of advising on complex public law, governance and constitutional matters, including member decision-making, standards, delegations, risk and compliance. You will be confident providing clear, balanced and practical advice to elected members and senior officers, often in politically sensitive or high-profile situations.
You will have demonstrable experience of leading and managing a legal team, including allocating work, supervising and developing staff, managing performance and driving service improvement. Strong interpersonal skills are essential, together with the ability to build credibility, trust and effective working relationships across the organisation and with external partners.
You will have excellent judgement, sound professional integrity and a strong commitment to ethical governance. Experience of supporting or deputising for a Monitoring Officer, and familiarity with the statutory responsibilities of the role, would be highly desirable. A flexible and solutions-focused approach, with the confidence to challenge constructively where required, is essential.
Please note, the successful applicant for the above post will be background checked with the Disclosure and Barring Service.
About Us
North Hertfordshire is a large rural district with approximately 125,000 residents with four historic towns, Hitchin, Baldock, Royston and Letchworth Garden City. The Council has a clear vision: We put people first and deliver sustainable services, to enable a brighter future together.
Why work with us?
We are committed to promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion in our recruitment practices and in our employment policies. We want our employees to feel safe to express themselves and we encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds with a wide range of talents. We are dedicated to promoting a healthy work/life balance, valuing our employees, and enabling them to make a difference to the local community.
Please note that all our vacancies require you to live and work in the UK, and selection interviews are face to face in our Letchworth offices or other nearby council sites.
At North Herts Council we are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and we guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum requirements for the job.
If you would like an informal chat about the post, you can contact Isabelle Alajooz, Director: Governance and Monitoring Officer on 01462 474000.
Closing Date: Noon 06/02/2026
Interviews: w/c 23/02/2026
This is a senior and influential legal role at the heart of the Council’s governance arrangements. As Legal Manager and Deputy Monitoring Officer, you will lead on the delivery of high-quality, timely and pragmatic legal advice across the organisation, while supporting the Monitoring Officer in discharging the Council’s statutory responsibilities.
You will manage and develop a team of lawyers, providing clear leadership, professional supervision and a strong focus on service improvement. The role involves advising elected members, senior officers and partners on complex and sensitive matters, including governance, constitutional issues, standards, decision-making, risk, and public law compliance.
Working closely with the Monitoring Officer, you will play a key role in promoting good governance, ethical decision-making and a positive organisational culture. You will act as a trusted adviser, capable of balancing legal risk with commercial and political realities, and will deputise for the Monitoring Officer as required, including attending committees and member meetings.
We would particularly like to encourage applications from female leaders and individuals from an ethnic minority background.
The Experience you will bring
You will be a qualified solicitor, barrister or legal executive with substantial post-qualification experience, ideally gained within local government or the public sector, and with a strong understanding of the legal and governance framework in which councils operate.
You will bring proven experience of advising on complex public law, governance and constitutional matters, including member decision-making, standards, delegations, risk and compliance. You will be confident providing clear, balanced and practical advice to elected members and senior officers, often in politically sensitive or high-profile situations.
You will have demonstrable experience of leading and managing a legal team, including allocating work, supervising and developing staff, managing performance and driving service improvement. Strong interpersonal skills are essential, together with the ability to build credibility, trust and effective working relationships across the organisation and with external partners.
You will have excellent judgement, sound professional integrity and a strong commitment to ethical governance. Experience of supporting or deputising for a Monitoring Officer, and familiarity with the statutory responsibilities of the role, would be highly desirable. A flexible and solutions-focused approach, with the confidence to challenge constructively where required, is essential.
Please note, the successful applicant for the above post will be background checked with the Disclosure and Barring Service.
About Us
North Hertfordshire is a large rural district with approximately 125,000 residents with four historic towns, Hitchin, Baldock, Royston and Letchworth Garden City. The Council has a clear vision: We put people first and deliver sustainable services, to enable a brighter future together.
Why work with us?
We are committed to promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion in our recruitment practices and in our employment policies. We want our employees to feel safe to express themselves and we encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds with a wide range of talents. We are dedicated to promoting a healthy work/life balance, valuing our employees, and enabling them to make a difference to the local community.
Please note that all our vacancies require you to live and work in the UK, and selection interviews are face to face in our Letchworth offices or other nearby council sites.
At North Herts Council we are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and we guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum requirements for the job.
If you would like an informal chat about the post, you can contact Isabelle Alajooz, Director: Governance and Monitoring Officer on 01462 474000.
Closing Date: Noon 06/02/2026
Interviews: w/c 23/02/2026