Cabinet Support Lead

Location: Woodhatch Place, Reigate, RH2 8EF

We are committed to the development of our workforce.
This position is only available to applicants who already work for Surrey County Council. We thank you for your interest in our roles and would encourage you to review our vacancies which are open to all.

This position has a starting salary of £47,142 per annum, based on a 36-hour working week.

This is a secondment opportunity until
31 March 2027.For internal candidates interested in a secondment position, please discuss with your Line Manager beforesubmittingyour application.

We are excited to be hiring a Cabinet Support Lead to join our fantastic Leadership Office team. The team is based in Woodhatch, Reigate but the role is open to hybrid working and as a team we split our time between collaborating with colleagues in the office and working from home.

Our Offer to You

• 26 days' holiday, rising to 28 days after 2 years' service and 31 days after 5 years' service
• Option to buy up to 10 days of additional annual leave
• A generous local government salary related pension
• Up to 5 days of carer's leave and 2 paid volunteering days per year
• Paternity, adoption and dependents leave
• An Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) to support health and wellbeing
• Learning and development hub where you can access a wealth of resources
• Wellbeing and lifestyle discounts including gym, travel, and shopping
• A chance to make a real difference to the lives of our residents

About the Role

The Leadership Office playsa central rolein ensuring the smooth running of the organisation and aligning its work with Surrey County Council's wider priorities, including the commitment thatno one is left behind. As a team, we provide comprehensive and dependable support to the Chief Executive, the Corporate Leadership Team (CLT) and Cabinet Members, enabling senior leaders to focus on their core responsibilities.

In addition to supporting senior leaders directly, we work closely with colleagues and partners across the council, aiming to be responsive, constructive, and solution-focused. We continually look for practical ways to improve our approach and ensure that we add value across all areas of our work.

The Leadership Office is committed to providing an excellent service experience. We have developed a strong internal reputation and strengthened the processes and practices that allow us to support senior leaders effectively and consistently.

As Cabinet Support Lead, you will work closely with the Cabinet Members for:
Property, Infrastructure and Waste, Highways, Transport and Economic Growth, Environment and Planning, Fire & Rescue and Resilience.

In this role, you will work flexibly intermsofexecutingplanned and unplanned tasks,meeting deadlines,and adapting to stakeholder'spriorities,as required.

The role requires a solution focused approach, and the ability to work collaboratively across the organisation with key stakeholders and senior officers to enable decisions to be executed swiftly, confidently, and within expected time frames.

The role sits atthe heart of the Council andworks inafat-paced environment, managing multiple priorities and requests,thatcanoftenbeof a sensitive nature,requiring discretion to be applied appropriately. This is a challenging but highly rewarding role. The work is varied, and no two days will be the same, so you'll need to be adaptable and enjoy a challenge!

Working closely with the team, you'll be involved in the following:

• Preparing clear briefings, reports and speeches
• Managing a forward planofpriorities and democratic processes
• Helping ensure agreed actions are followed through
• Providing a link between Cabinet Members and Officers, including senior leaders, across the service, ensuring Cabinet Members are adequately briefed
• Line management responsibility for two Cabinet Support Officers

Your Application

In order to be considered for shortlisting, your application will clearly evidence the following skills and align with our behaviours :

• Ability to understand and navigate a complex political and organisational landscape, recognising how decisions are influenced by internal and local priorities, national pressures, partnership relationships, and public expectations, and using this understanding to build andmaintaineffective relationships with key stakeholders
• Knowledge or understanding oftheorganisationalchallenges and priorities at Corporate Leadership level
• Capability to support elected members/senior leaders effectively, including preparing clear briefings, reports,speeches, managing a forward planofpriorities and democratic processes and helping ensure agreed actions are followed through
• Experience of coordinating multiple pieces of work, ensuring progress is on track and deadlines are met
• Experience of, or desire to have, line management
• Confidence to build robust stakeholder relationshipsto enable strong collaboration and drive strategic initiatives
• Ability and confidence to continually review processes and procedures and improve them where…