Join CfGS as our new Senior Governance Consultant

Join CfGS at a crucial moment...

Local government is under pressure. Financial strain, devolution, reorganisation, rising complexity and changing expectations are reshaping the environment in which councils and public bodies operate.

How councils navigate these challenges – while continuing to serve communities, understand residents’ needs and improve lives and places – depends in large part on how decisions are made and how those decisions are scrutinised.

At CfGS, this is our work.

We are a small national charity and social purpose consultancy working to strengthen governance, scrutiny, accountability and democratic practice. We work with councils, councillors, officers, public bodies and national partners to improve how democratic institutions work in practice.

We are now looking for a Senior Governance Consultant to help us expand and deepen the support we provide to local government and the wider public sector.

About the role

This is a role for someone who understands how councils work in practice – politically, organisationally and constitutionally – and wants to use that understanding to help organisations work better.

You might have worked in scrutiny, democratic services, governance, policy, transformation, assurance, member development, corporate improvement or a related local government role. You might already be operating at service manager level or equivalent, or be ready to move into a more outward-facing role working across different organisations.

You will design and deliver governance and scrutiny support with councils and partners. This could include improvement reviews, diagnostic work, facilitated workshops, training, member development, constitutional and governance support, research, report writing and practical implementation support.

We are looking for someone who brings both relationship and rigour: able to work constructively in complex political environments, build trust, analyse evidence, challenge well and turn insight into practical recommendations.

What you’ll bring

We are looking for someone with:

• a good understanding of local government and the political, organisational and constitutional environment in which councils operate;
• practical experience in scrutiny, democratic services, governance, member development, policy, assurance, transformation, corporate improvement or a related area;
• experience of working with elected members, senior officers, partners or stakeholders in politically sensitive environments;
• strong written, verbal and facilitation skills;
• the ability to gather, interpret and synthesise evidence and turn it into clear, practical insight;
• good project management skills, sound judgement and curiosity;
• a commitment to strengthening governance, scrutiny, accountability and democratic practice.

You do not need to have been a consultant before. You do need to be comfortable with complexity, able to build trust and confident turning evidence into insight that helps people act.

Why join CfGS?

CfGS is a small organisation with a national reach. You will work with councils and public bodies on complex and important questions of governance, scrutiny and democratic practice.

The work is varied, and you will contribute beyond individual projects. Insight from client work helps shape our methods, products, learning and wider thinking, giving you the opportunity to contribute to CfGS’s development and national voice.

You will join a friendly, supportive and collaborative team. We are a home-based organisation, with regular team contact, project meetings and plenty of informal collaboration.

This is an opportunity to take your experience of local government or the wider public sector and apply it in a different way – working across organisations, tackling different challenges and helping strengthen governance and democratic practice across the sector.

If that sounds like work you want to be part of, we would like to hear from you.

Ready to apply?

If you want to help councils and public bodies strengthen governance, scrutiny and democratic accountability, we’d love to hear from you.

Download the job description now

Please send a CV, a brief summary of your skills and experience (reflecting the job description and person specification), and a short note explaining why you want the job and your reason for applying, to info@cfgs.org.uk, marked “Senior Governance Consultant”, by 9am on Monday August 2026.

Timetable

• Application deadline: 9am, Monday 27 July, 2026
• Shortlisting completed: 31 July, 2026
• Interviews (online): week commencing 14 August 2026, flexible on exact date/time.