Head of Legal Services & Deputy Monitoring Officer - Harlow Council

Head of Legal Services & Deputy Monitoring Officer

Salary: Up to £80,000

Location: Harlow Civic Centre

Contract: Permanent | Full-time

Harlow District Council is hiring

Are you a skilled lawyer and natural leader ready to make a lasting impact in local government in one of the most important areas in the country? If so, there couldn’t be a better time to join Harlow.

Why Harlow?

Harlow is on a bold journey to become the most forward-thinking and impactful council in the country. Harlow is one of the fastest-growing areas in the UK, with major investment and a revitalised town centre on the horizon. This is your chance to be part of a council that’s leading change, restoring pride, and shaping a better future for generations to come. This role is a pivotal role for someone of influence, who wants to make a real difference shaping and being an integral part of the new local government arrangements for the future or West Essex.

One of the original post-war New Towns, Harlow is poised yet again be the driving force transitioning one of the fastest growing areas in the country towards a bright future in a local government landscape that will see the current 15 Greater Essex authorities replaced by new

Unitary Authorities and Mayoral Combined Authority. Harlow Council is looking for an outstanding Head of Legal Services & Deputy Monitoring Officer who will support the Director of Legal and Governance to ensure that Harlow achieves its ambition to transform the council and secure its future as the modern, innovative anchor town at the heart of a prosperous West Essex.

The Role

• Lead our Legal Services, Land Charges, and Information Governance teams.
• Providing expert legal advice across the Council, including to the Leader, Cabinet, Full Council, Audit & Standards, and Scrutiny Committees.
• Overseeing the final stages of our land charges digitisation and land registry transfer process, using the opportunity to transform Harlow’s approach to information governance.
• Acting as Deputy Monitoring Officer, sharing key committee coverage with the Monitoring Officer.
• Providing strategic legal advice on innovative and effective governance. Experience of supervising contracts and property casework would be seen as a bonus.
• Supporting and mentoring a talented team to operate confidently in a business partner legal service delivery model that provides timely, enabling and pragmatic legal and strategy advice to our client services throughout a period of change and restructure.
• Developing and maintaining relationships with other public and private sector partners

·      Driving service improvement and contributing to corporate leadership across the Council.

·      Doing all of the above in a way which supports and guides Harlow through the LGR transition and develops and continues to position Harlow’s Legal Service as an exemplar for legal service provision in the new Unitary Authority.

What we’re looking for

We’re seeking a qualified solicitor or lawyer with:

• Strong leadership skills and a track record of developing high-performing teams.
• Political awareness, resilience, and the ability to build trusted relationships.

·      A broad understanding of local government law and governance.

• Experience advising committees and working with elected members.
• Ideally, you will have prior experience as a Deputy Monitoring Officer – but we welcome strong step-up candidates who can demonstrate relevant experience.

If you’re passionate about public service, thrive in a fast-paced environment and want to be part of a council that’s driving real change, we want to hear from you.

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact:

Carol Coyle: carol.coyle@penna.com 07500 887849 

James Miller: james.miller@penna.com 07701 233159

Rachael Morris: Rachael.morris@penna.com 07840 711217

For further information please download the Candidate Briefing Pack.

Closing date: Sunday 23rd November 2025

Apply today and help shape the future of Harlow.

How to Apply

1. Upload your CV under “Please select one of the options below.”
2. Complete the short mandatory fields on the next page.
3. Use ‘Add Attachments’ to upload your Supporting Statement and any other documents.
4. Please ensure that the file name of your CV and supporting statement includes your full name.
5. Ensure both CV and Supporting Statement are uploaded before submitting your application.