Monitoring Officer and Chief Legal Officer (CLO)

Salary: Assistant Director - £112,748 per annum plus £5000 Monitoring Officer Payment

37 hours per week

We're on a journey to build a workforce reflective of our Borough.

We are committed to fostering diverse teams where everybody can bring their authentic selves to work and feel that they belong. If you want to work for a Council where everybody is encouraged to meet their full potential and make a difference in our neighbourhoods, we would love to hear from you!

Over the past decade Wigan Council has become renowned across the sector and has won multiple awards for its innovative approach to public service delivery.

The council’s commitment to asset-based change and reform alongside its communities has created a unique workforce culture, deep partnership working and a stable financial position.

As the Council and its partners move confidently into a new eranow actively delivering on the borough’s strengths, ambitions, and opportunitiesa rare and exciting opportunity has arisen to join the organisation as its next Monitoring Officer and Chief Legal Officer (CLO).

A new co-produced place-wide partnership movement ‘Progress with Unity’, of which the council is a partner, will deliver two key missions, to achieve long-lasting change:

Create fair opportunities for all Children, Families, Residents and Businesses - By breaking down the barriers that create financial, health, education and environmental inequalities in our borough

Make all our towns and neighbourhoods flourish for those who live and work in them - A genuine partnership with our residents and businesses, who know our communities best, we will help each town and neighbourhood in the borough to celebrate and maintain their identity whilst understanding and helping to achieve what is needed to thrive.

To support these missions the council is committed to community wealth and health building and will use every lever of power it has from procurement, recruitment, land and assets to increase opportunities for local people.

We are looking for an experienced and visionary lawyer to join us as our new Monitoring Officer and CLO. This is no ordinary position and will be full of opportunities that stretch beyond those typically expected of a Monitoring Officer and CLO: we want you to use your legal knowledge and experience to work with us to deliver against our two core missions and make a difference to people’s lives. As a Council we are forward thinking and progressive giving staff the permission to innovate and if working in these conditions excites and energises you, then Team Wigan is the place for you.

As Monitoring Officer and CLO you will be responsible for overseeing compliance with statutory obligations, and will fulfil the role of Statutory Monitoring Officer, in accordance with s. 5 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, however your role will extend beyond the statutory remit. You will have the opportunity to deliver modern, solution driven, first class Legal, Democratic and Election services, always thinking ahead and looking to develop the best teams in local government. You will champion transformational change, exploring and embracing new digital technologies and ways of working.

You’ll regularly liaise with Members and Officers, including Cabinet and SMT, clearly and concisely identifying risks and suggesting potential mitigations. Your expert advice and analysis will be crucial to delivering key corporate priorities.

We’d like to hear from candidates with broad experience in leading and managing Legal, Governance and/or Elections Services. You must be admitted as a solicitor or barrister with extensive post qualification experience and a high level of legal expertise, including a sound knowledge of local government law. A high level of political awareness, and the skills to work effectively and inspire trust and credibility with elected members, are both essential.

About us:

Wigan Council has been voted ‘Overall Council of the Year’ at the APSE (Association for Public Service Excellence) Awards. We are signed up to the Greater Manchester Continuous Service Commitment ensuring that your service will be continuous or 'unbroken' between the supporting organisations.

The Progress with Unity plan is a place movement for change for the next decade, bringing a new era for Wigan Borough. It draws on the strengths of our individual organisations, recognising that together we can achieve much more for our communities by delivering on our 2 place missions; create fair opportunities for all children, families, residents and businesses and make our towns and neighbourhoods flourish for those who live and work in them.

Here at Wigan, we are proud to support flexible working patterns, when the service can accommodate this. We also take a blended approach to where we work, depending on the work we do. This may include working from home, the office, or the community. We like to thank our employees for their hard work and commitment by giving them the opportunity to access a range of exclusive rewards and benefits click here to find out more about working for #TeamWigan.

To be appointed to this role you must be able to prove your right to work in the UK. Please visit the link below to check you qualify to apply. Please note, at present we are not a licenced sponsor. Prove your right to work to an employer: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Prove your right to work to an employer

If you think this job is for you and you would like an informal chat to learn more about the role, please contact Justine Laney on Justine.laney@wigan.gov.uk who will arrange a call with Sarah Johnston - Director Finance and Legal.

To apply please submit your CV, along with a supporting statement of no more than 3 sides of A4.

Interview date: Friday 1^st May 2026

This is a politically restricted role

If you have completed the GM Elevate (Leadership Development) Programme, please indicate this within the ‘About You’ or ‘Supporting Statement’ section of your application.