A discreet architect of the smooth running of local authorities, the Town Hall Secretary is a multi-skilled professional who juggles law, budget, management and working closely with elected representatives. Find out more about this strategic, demanding but meaningful job, and the keys to getting into it. Find out more in this job description.
Town hall registrars work at the heart of the changes taking place in local government. Faced with the growing challenges facing local authorities - dwindling resources, the need to be close to citizens, the ecological and digital transition - their role is becoming strategic. A true conductor of the municipal administration, he or she ensures that political decisions are properly implemented and that the day-to-day running of the departments is smooth.
A versatile and demanding job in direct contact with elected representatives and the public, it combines legal expertise, management, budgetary management and project steering. While the responsibilities are many, they are also exercised in a meaningful framework, in the service of the general interest.
93 % of town hall secretaries consider their job to be meaningful.
National study "Working conditions of town hall general secretaries and development of the departmental network", ANDCDG, May 2025.
But the job can be stressful. Particularly in small towns, where versatility is taken to extremes. Often working in rural or suburban areas, it also requires a good sense of organisation and a great deal of rigour.
Recently upgraded, it's also a job that's recruiting! One third of town hall secretaries will be retiring by 2030. And there are already over a thousand vacancies.
What are the main duties of a town hall secretary?
The duties of a town hall secretary vary depending on the size of the local authority. They are often very extensive in small towns. They generally include :
Advice and assistance to elected representatives
- Assisting the mayor and elected representatives in drawing up and implementing local public policies
- Provide technical, regulatory and organisational support for policy decisions
Department management and coordination
- Manage municipal services (human resources, technical, finance, etc.)
- Ensuring that the work of the teams is coordinated and well organised (management)
- Ensuring compliance with hygiene, health and safety rules in the workplace
Administrative and regulatory management
- Preparing municipal councils and drafting resolutions
- Managing administrative acts and ensuring their legal compliance
- Maintain an ongoing regulatory and legal watch
Financial management
- Managing the municipal budget: preparation, implementation, monitoring and control
- Oversee spending and ensure transparency in public finances
Customer relations and services
- Managing local services: reception, drawing up civil status documents, issuing identity documents, handling complaints, etc.
- Ensure the smooth running of communal public services: canteen, nursery, library, school transport, etc.
Organisation of elections
- Managing electoral rolls and ensuring compliance with electoral law
- Coordinate logistics (posters, polling stations, etc.)
Projects and partnerships
- Oversee the town's development projects (planning, services, works)
- Manage relations with institutional partners and inter-communal structures
What is the working environment of a town hall secretary?
Town hall secretaries work for :
- municipalities (usually with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants)
- public establishments for inter-municipal cooperation
- local authority civil service management centres
They work as :
- official
- contractual (in municipalities with fewer than 2,000 inhabitants)
[Key figures]
The job of secretary general of a town hall exists in more than 29,000 local authorities.
Nearlyone out of two (45.6 %) work in a municipality of less than 500 inhabitants.
Nearly two out of three (72.2 %) carry out their duties in a municipality of less than 1,000 inhabitants.
Town hall registrars often work in small teams. In fact, in 77 % of cases, they work in a local authority with less than ten agents. And, in more than 9 % of cases, it is even the only agent.
One in four works for two local authorities.
94 % are women.
62 % occupy full-time positions. This is often the case in small towns, particularly where budgets are tight.
61 % of town hall secretaries in post come under the category C.
20 % of town hall general secretaries are contractual.
One in four is over 58 and 60 % have over 50.
More than 1,900 jobs are vacant.
On average, a job offer is published for 39 days and receives 3 applications.
Lastly, the Town Hall's General Secretary is among the 12 occupations with the highest shortage for recruitment to the local civil service.
Sources :
- National study "Working conditions of town hall general secretaries and development of the departmental network", ANDCDG, May 2025.
- Explanatory memorandum the law of 30 December 2023 aimed at upgrading the role of town clerk.
- The evolution of town hall general secretaries: questions and answers about the reform resulting from the law of 30 December 2023 - FNCDG and ANDCDG.
Upgrading the role of town hall general secretary
The Act of 30 December 2023 radically reformed the job of town clerk to :
- facilitate internal promotion
- strengthening training
- accelerate your career
Firstly, it creates the new position of "secretary-general of the town hall" for municipalities with fewer than 3,500 inhabitants, along with the obligation to appoint an agent. More specifically:
- in municipalities with fewer than 2,000 inhabitants, at least category B classification
- in municipalities with more than 2,000 inhabitants, at least category A (with the possibility of appointing a director-general of services in his place)
Promotion of staff to category C
On the one hand, the law provides for a requalification plan. Until 31 December 2027, category C town hall secretaries in the promotion grade (C2 and C3) may, by way of exception, be promoted to category B, with no quota on the number of recruitments. To qualify, they must have performed these duties for at least 4 years in a municipality with a population of less than 2,000.
In addition, the law introduces a training and promotion system permanent. The aim is to facilitate the promotion to category B of category C staff wishing to become secretary general of a town hall. They must have worked in a category C job for at least 8 years and undergo training leading to a professional examination.
In addition, from 1 January 2028, it will no longer be possible to recruit a category C employee. However, those in post before that date (civil servants, contract staff on permanent contracts) will be able to continue working.
Seniority bonus
To speed up their careers, town hall secretaries now benefit from a seniority bonus (6 months for every 8 years of service in this role). By reducing the time required between two steps, they can reach a higher step in their grade more quickly. This means better pay.
What training is needed to enter the profession?
To work as a Town Hall Secretary as a officialthe first step is to achieve a competition :
- attaché territorial, open to holders of a bac +3 diploma (category A)
- territorial editor, accessible with a baccalaureate (category B)
- territorial administrative assistant (category C)
Depending on the competition, the most suitable qualifications are :
- the bacs +3 to bacs +5 in public law, public administration, political science, economics or management
- the general bacs with a major in economic and social sciences or history-geography, geopolitics and political science, the technological bac STMG (sciences and technologies of management and administration) or the vocational baccalaureate in management and administration
However, a 3-year higher education qualification is increasingly advisable, given the increased status of the profession and the highly technical nature of the job.
Recruitment can also be carried out without competition under contractual status. Similar experience and relevant training (administrative management, accounting, secretarial) would be an asset.
Example of a job offer on www.emploipublic.fr
In addition, a university course and a national higher education diploma preparing for the job of secretary general of town halls could be created in the near future.
What skills do you need?
As a result of the recent reform, town hall secretaries are called upon to develop new skills and competences. cross-disciplinary and managerial skills. In addition, the increasing digitisation of municipal services means that there is a need to greater mastery of digital toolsThese include Teams for collaborative working, WordPress for website management and social networks for communicating with local residents. Not only do they need to be comfortable with the new technologies, they also need to be able to support their teams in this digital transformation. At the same time, users have growing expectations in terms of transparency, ethics and efficiencyThis demands rigorous management of public resources on the part of town hall secretaries, as well as the development of citizen participation and dialogue with residents. Finally, changes in local government (mergers of communes, inter-municipal cooperation, etc.) mean that skills have to be constantly upgraded.
The main issue is the ongoing training of these agents, who need to be able to take time off work to perfect their knowledge and skills over the medium and long term.
The evolution of town hall general secretaries: questions and answers on the reform resulting from the law of 30 December 2023 - FNCDG et ANDCDG
Hard skills
- Knowledge of how local authorities operate
- Budgetary and accounting management
- Legal skills (public law): public procurement, town planning, etc.
- Practice of office automation tools and business software (e.g. CIRIL, Berger-Levrault)
- Management and work organisation techniques
- Writing skills: drafting administrative and legal documents
Soft skills (behavioural skills)
- Sense of diplomacy, negotiation skills, discretion
- Leadership and communication (listening, mediation, conflict management)
- Ability to analyse and summarise
- Organisational skills, priority management, stress management
- Rigour, sense of public service and integrity
[Interview]
3 questions to Sylvie, Town Hall Secretary, Chahaignes (72)
What are the tasks that most punctuate your days at the Town Hall?
My days are packed! Between e-mails, letters, files to follow up (grants, works, contracts, etc.), preparing the town council meeting once every two months, finance (preparing the budget, entering commitments, checking and paying invoices, etc.), payroll, monitoring staff, supervising staff... you have to be everywhere. Not forgetting relations with residents, suppliers and government departments... and, last but not least, all the filing that has to be done at the same time.
What do you enjoy most about your job, despite the sometimes heavy constraints?
It's precisely this diversity that I like. There's never a dull moment. I also like the human contact, the exchanges, and above all the feeling of being useful. You get to see the real impact of your work on the life of the local community, and that gives meaning to what you do.
How do you view the upgrading of the profession that began in 2023?
It's vital to highlight the job of town hall secretary, which is often misunderstood and the victim of many prejudices. Too many people still imagine a passive civil servant, hidden away behind a desk, paid to do nothing. The reality is very different, especially in small towns where versatility is essential. It's a demanding job, mentally taxing, but also very rewarding in human and professional terms.
How much does a town hall general secretary earn?
For civil servants, the gross monthly salary depends on the grade, steps and seniority, according to the index scale of the civil service. On average, salary represents 80 % of a civil servant's remuneration. Bonuses are also paid.
| Town hall secretary | Former grade, status in extinction | 1 900 € à 2 900 € |
| Territorial administrative assistant | Category C | 1 400 € à 1 800 € |
| Territorial editor | Category B | 1 800 € à 2 900 € |
| Territorial attaché | Category A | 1 900 € à 3 300 € |
Please note: index-linked pay scales are also used as a basis for calculating the pay of non-civil servants.
What are the prospects for development?
The secretary general of a town hall can progress to :
- management positions in larger municipalities, with more specialised departments to coordinate, or in inter-municipal bodies (head of urban planning department, etc.)
- the job of general services manager
- other public services (hospital, state)
- consultancy work for elected representatives or associations, training or expertise (e.g. in a local civil service management centre)
Progression often requires successful completion of internal competitions or training courses leading to qualifications.
What are the advantages and constraints of the job of Town Hall Secretary?
- Stable employment in the civil service
- A high degree of autonomy and diversity of tasks
- A meaningful job, serving the general interest
- Close relations with elected representatives and residents
- The need to constantly adapt to regulatory changes
- Heavy workload, often under pressure
- Versatility required, particularly in small towns
- Remuneration can be unattractive given the responsibilities involved
