Business Strategy & Governance Officer

Overview

We are looking for a collaborative, proactive and highly organised Business Strategy & Governance Officer to join the Communities Strategy & Governance team. You will play a key role in helping our service areas plan effectively, make robust decisions and deliver well for residents.

This is an exciting opportunity for applicants who enjoy working at pace, building strong relationships and supporting effective governance, planning and decision-making across a varied and high-profile directorate.

About us

Buckinghamshire Council is a relatively new organisation that combines the strengths and expertise of the previous five councils in the county to create positive change for local people, communities, and businesses. We are firmly focused on the future and have made a clear commitment to serve residents better and to provide stronger representation for Buckinghamshire, both locally and nationally. 

The Communities Directorate covers a broad and diverse range of services which make a real difference to residents, communities and places across Buckinghamshire. Our Strategy & Governance team plays a key role in supporting those services to operate effectively, meet corporate requirements and deliver against strategic priorities.

We are a collaborative and supportive team, working closely with senior leaders, Members, corporate business partners and colleagues across the Council. Our work is varied, fast-moving and often high profile, with opportunities to influence how the directorate plans, manages risk, makes decisions and communicates with colleagues.

About the role

In this role, you will act as the Strategy & Governance Business Partner for one or more Communities service areas, helping colleagues navigate business planning, governance, decision-making, business assurance and reporting requirements. You will build a strong understanding of service priorities, provide expert advice, and support effective forward planning across the directorate.

You will also contribute to directorate-wide activity, including coordinating forward plans and agendas, supporting Member briefings and Cabinet Member reports, helping to deliver staff engagement activity and events, and identifying opportunities to improve processes through better use of systems, SharePoint, automation and artificial intelligence.

Any-Desk:

As an ‘any-desk’ worker, you’ll need to be connected to our network to access digital folders and resources, but this can either be from home or an office location when required. You will be required to work from the office a couple of times a week, depending on your role and team requirements.

About you

You will bring substantial experience of business planning, governance, decision-making or a related area. You will be confident working with colleagues at all levels, including senior officers and Members, and able to provide clear, practical advice on complex processes and requirements.

You will be organised, proactive and able to manage a busy and varied workload with competing deadlines. You will have strong analytical and problem-solving skills, excellent communication and influencing skills, and the confidence to identify issues, recommend solutions and support service improvement.

Strong Microsoft Office skills are essential, including tools such as Teams, SharePoint and Lists. Experience of systems such as Pentana or ModGov would be helpful.

If you are someone who enjoys building relationships, making sense of complex information, supporting good governance and helping services deliver well for residents, we would welcome your application.

Other information

Please refer to the attached Job Summary and Person Specification for full details of the role.

• Number of vacancies: 1
• Contract type: Permanent
• Working hours: 37 hours per week
• Salary: Grade 7
• Location: Gateway, 2 days per week
• Closing date for applications: 22/09/2026
• Interview date(s): Week commencing 05/10/2026
• Assessment process: In-person, Walton Street or Gateway office Aylesbury

The team work flexibly with a minimum of 40% in the office; more as required depending on business needs (including team building / management requirements).

If you would like to discuss this opportunity before applying, please contact:

Cheryl Platts, Head of Strategy & Governance (Communities)
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 01296 383407

This post is covered by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent cautions and/or unspent convictions

For further information on how long it takes for cautions and convictions cautions to become spent, please refer to our guide on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (updated 2023) | Nacro

We understand that candidates may use AI tools to assist with their applications. While we welcome innovation, we expect all submissions to reflect your own experience, skills, and achievements accurately. Please ensure your application is truthful and demonstrates your personal capabilities, as this will be assessed during the selection process.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

• a fair and inclusive culture
• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

About the Business Unit

Our Communities directorate works across the county to deliver a number of the key customer-facing services that our residents, businesses and visitors rely on every day.

This directorate includes a wide range of services, including:

• collecting and disposing of waste and recycling
• maintaining our roads and Rights of Way network and parking
• ensuring the delivery of school transport, and supporting sustainable travel including public bus services and School Crossing Patrollers
• managing Country Parks
• leisure facilities, museums, theatres and libraries, as well as developing our Cultural Strategy
• Licensing, Environmental Health and Trading Standards
• Cemeteries and Crematoria

The customer is central to how we develop and deliver all of these services, which help promote our rich and vibrant culture and special environment.

We are looking for enthusiastic, ambitious and committed individuals to join our team and help us to continue to make Buckinghamshire a great place to live, work and visit. This is an exciting time for us as we bring together the services previously run by five separate councils before Buckinghamshire Council was created. Whilst making major changes to contracts affecting residents across Bucks, we continue to focus on delivering great customer service. You will join us on our journey of continuous improvement - whether that’s through developing strategies and ways of working or delivering services on the ground, every person in Communities is a valued member of the team.

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/