Research and Information Assistant (Members Services)
Service: Administration and Legal Services
Grade scale: Grade 2 Level 2 - 3
Reports to: Members Services Officer
Purpose of the job
To deliver a wide ranging, professional, and confidential administrative support service to elected members, ensuring the effective and efficient conduct of their civic, community, and council business.
Key tasks and responsibilities
- Provide a comprehensive, high-quality administrative support service, ensuring the timely progression and resolution of actions in liaison with Elected Members.
- Deliver IT support, guidance and development assistance to Elected Members, providing information, advice and practical support to enable them to carry out their duties effectively.
- Attend a variety of meetings, providing procedural and administrative advice, progressing agreed actions and preparing accurate minutes and records of proceedings.
- Liaise with Elected Members, Chief Officials, Council Resources, external agencies and a wide range of public bodies and organisations to progress enquiries and secure effective outcomes.
- Assist the Members Services Officer in the planning, co-ordination and delivery of civic hospitality events and other civic engagements.
Person specification
|
Criteria |
Essential |
Desirable |
|---|---|---|
|
Education, qualification and training |
Educated to National level 5 or equivalent. |
|
|
Skills, knowledge and experience |
Demonstrate excellent IT skills with knowledge and experience of IT systems such as MS Excel, MS Word and MS Teams. Demonstrate excellent communication skills, both written and verbal Demonstrate the ability to prioritise workload, deliver results against agreed timescales and achieve deadlines. |
Experience working with Elected Members. Minute taking experience. Knowledge and understanding of Council Resources. |
|
Personal qualities |
Self-motivated and able to work to a high standard with minimal supervision. To work in a flexible, adaptable manner and to always act with discretion and tact. Demonstrate good attention to detail. Punctual, reliable and dependable. Ability to respond effectively to changing priorities. |
Displays and enables leadership through sharing knowledge and skills. Willingness to undertake continuous professional development including relevant courses and qualifications to support learning. |
|
Other |
Inclusive and supportive team player. To demonstrate behaviours consistent with honesty and openness: treating people consistently, fairly and with respect |
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Safer recruitment checks
As part of our approach to good practice and safer recruitment we carry out a number of pre-employment checks:
- Asylum and Immigration right to work in the UK.
- Reference check: external candidates require 2 references, one of which must be from present or most recent employer; Internal candidates require 1 reference from current line manager.
- Candidate Disclosure Scotland check, where applicable.
Behaviour framework
Efficient
- Punctual and conscientious in your approach to work.
- Use council resources efficiently, avoiding waste and unnecessary expense.
- Identify inefficiency in processes and communicate this to your manager.
- Meet deadlines and targets in your day-to-day work.
- Understand the impact of wasteful behaviours on the environment and you act to minimise this impact.
- Use of information technology to achieve best outcomes.
Flexible
- Willing to learn new tasks and accept new ways of working.
- Willing to be flexible in your approach to work to meet changing service delivery needs, deadlines and urgent priorities.
- Help team members when they have urgent deadlines and prioritise your work accordingly.
- Understand the need for change and are open to this across your working life.
Performing
- Is polite, professional and friendly to customers and apply customer care standards and attitudes at all times.
- Works safely to maintain the safety of yourself and other raising concerns about unsafe working practices.
- Meets standards of work required in your role in terms of quality and output.
- Uses initiative to solve problems and raise potential issues.
- Acknowledges when mistakes are made and learns from them.
- Seeks feedback on your performance to learn and improve.
Working with others
- Works alongside internal and external colleagues to meet common objectives.
- Has professional relationships with colleagues and is aware of dignity at work standards.
- Actively and respectfully listens to people in order to understand them and their views.
- Contributes appropriately in team and other meetings and discussions.
- Presents words and views clearly in a way that other people find meaningful.
- Respects diversity and promotes equality of opportunity when working with colleagues and members of the public.
Leading
- Role models the standards of behaviours expected of a South Lanarkshire Council employee.
- Displays and enables leadership through sharing knowledge and skills, seeking guidance and providing support to your colleagues, team and the wider community.
- Is aware of and adheres to professional codes of practice and the council’s code of conduct and understand how these impact on employment with the council and public perception of council employees.