Joining a small professional team, the post holder will work alongside the Clerk, Asst. Clerk and Estates Supervisor in the delivery of office based support to the Council; servicing committees; attending to general enquiries from members of the public and supporting the Mayor with their busy appointments dairy. The post holder will report to the Asst. Clerk on a day-to-day basis under the overall responsibility of the Clerk.
Duties involve liaising with councillors, council contacts and members of the public and requires good communication skills (both written and verbal) and the ability to deal with situations in a confidential, impartial and diplomatic manner.
Key responsibilities:
To act as first point of contact to all visitors to the Guildhall
To provide the Clerk, Assistant Clerk and Estates Supervisor with administrative support in all aspects of the Council’s functions
To work with the Mayor of the day in relation to their appointments diary
To open and distribute incoming mail
To maintain the Petty Cash imprest system.
Filing
Website updates
Day to Day Contact
Working closely with the Clerk, Assistant Clerk and Estates Supervisor; and on occasion with the Council’s Honorary Archivists
Liaising and communicating with Council members (councillors) including the Town Mayor
Training:Customer Service Practitioner Apprenticeship Standard Level 2:
Providing customer service products and services for businesses and other organisations including face-to-face, telephone, digital and written contact and communications
The Customer Service Practitioner Apprenticeship Standard at Level 2 combines the knowledge, skills and behaviours required of the standard and includes functional skills in maths and English
Delivery will be in the workplace over the period of the apprenticeship. with an assessor or coach through a combination of assessing, coaching, training and mentoring
The minimum duration on the apprenticeship is 12 months, with an additional 3 months for an externally assessed end point assessment
A total of 15 months plus functional skills if required
Prior learning and experience will also be taken into consideration
Further information on the standard can be viewed here - https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/customer-service-practitioner-v1-1Training Outcome:
Upon successful completion of the apprenticeship, the post holder will be sufficiently experienced and have gained a wide range of transferable skills, to seek employment in many administrative roles
Experience of local government will be particularly attractive to prospective employers, opening up a range of opportunities including those in other local authorities (Councils) or education authorities (Schools/colleges)
A career as a Town Clerk could be achieved with additional study/qualification
A basic understanding of office procedures, as well as enhanced communication, organisational and diplomacy skills, will provide a great foundation for a more industry-specific career, such as in legal or medical administration
The apprenticeship will provide experience with Event Management and Customer Support which could lead to opportunities in the events industry
Employer Description:Harwich Town Council is a parish council, within the first tier of local government. Working with, but independently of, the district and county councils, Harwich Town Council assists in the delivery/retention of services to some 18000 residents across the 5 wards of Harwich and Dovercourt.
The Council has 16 councillors (inc Town Mayor), 3 permanent staff members and 3 seasonal Leisure Attendants; and has a precept of £208k in 2020/21.
The Council owns the Grade I Listed Guildhall in Harwich, where the offices are located, and also owns properties to the rear of the former Magistrates Court in Main Road, leased to local community groups. The Council also operates 6 allotment sites and manages the seafront Putting Greens and Skateboard Park, in Wick Lane. The Guildhall is home to the town’s archives, which date back many hundreds of years, and are well looked-after by our 2 experienced Honorary Archivists.Working Hours :To be discussed at interview.Skills: Communication skills,IT skills,Attention to detail,Organisation skills,Customer care skills,Problem solving skills,Administrative skills,Team working,Initiative,Non judgemental,Patience....Read more...
