Interim Senior Governance Lead – 12-month initial contract!

Venn Group are currently seeking an experienced Senior Interim Governance Lead to provide senior governance leadership, advice and assurance during delivery of  a large project within a North based Local Authority.
The role will act as a practical bridge between the project team and day‑to‑day Democratic Services operations - turning programme intentions into workable changes and feeding operational insight back into programme delivery.

Engagement term:
Interim assignment –  to start ASAP for an initial term expected to be 12 months, with strong likelihood of extension.

Arrangement:
Full time. Part-time candidates will be considered. Some travel to the office will be required, for meetings. Other than that, the role can be worked on a remote basis. Free parking is available.

Day Rate - £500 - £550 per day (umbrella)Key Responsibilities

• Provide hands‑on senior governance support, including direct involvement in committee, scrutiny and decision‑making activity, alongside senior advice and assurance.
• Support the improvement of governance frameworks, processes and ways of working (e.g., report quality, publication standards, forward planning, decision workflows).
• Strengthen scrutiny arrangements, including work programming and follow‑up of recommendations.
• Act as a senior adviser to the Head of Governance and the City Solicitor (Monitoring Officer).
• Lead and coordinate inter‑dependent governance improvement activity across teams to maintain statutory assurance while change is delivered.

Day‑to‑Day 

• Contribute across day‑to‑day Democratic Services activity, bringing senior governance input where helpful (executive, scrutiny and regulatory cycles).
• Support committee cycles, forward planning and statutory deadlines—ensuring programme changes are embedded without disrupting statutory delivery.
• Provide senior cover and support where required, acting as a point of advice or escalation.
• Offer professional oversight and support to Senior DSOs, DSOs and support staff, as needed.
• Attend and support key executive, standards and governance‑related meetings, where this assists service delivery and the adoption of improved ways of working.

Candidate Profile

We are seeking candidates who can demonstrate:

• A proven track record of leading and delivering governance improvements (e.g., implementing new or revised governance processes, strengthening committee/reporting standards, embedding scrutiny changes) from design through to operational adoption.
• Extensive experience in local authority governance or democratic services, with confident hands‑on delivery in committee and scrutiny environments.
• Strong understanding of committee governance, scrutiny and decision‑making, and the ability to advise senior officers and elected Members.
• Ability to operate as the bridge between programme and operations, translating programme outputs into practical workflows and feeding operational insight into programme decisions.
• A flexible, authoritative and professional interim approach, able to coordinate across teams and maintain statutory assurance while change is delivered.

If this role would be of interest, please contact Sophie Curran at Venn Group ASAP on:

• scurran@venngroup.com
• 07441916452