Part Time Member Enquiries Officer

About the role

Part Time Member Enquiries Officer

Permanent, Part Time

Up to £27,338 per annum, pro rata - pay award pending

Location: Chelmsford

Please note that this is a Part Time post, offering 29.6 hours per week (4 full days per week). The working days this post can be flexible, depending on business needs and will be discussed and agreed at the interview.

Do you have strong written and verbal communication skills? Do you enjoy providing high quality customer service?

The Member Enquiries Team manages enquiries from County Councillors and Members of Parliament and we are seeking a new Member Enquiries Officer to join the team.

We are seeking an excellent communicator to join our team to request information and prepare responses on a wide range of queries and complaints to support our elected representatives engage with their residents.

Accountabilities:

Manage requests for information and service requests (written, verbal and face-to-face). This may involve meeting with Councillors and officers to discuss problems and advise on standards that can reasonably be expected.
To provide a speedy and courteous response to proposals, queries and complaints from customers, both internal and external.
Diffuse difficult situations, negotiating and handling objections and complaints in a diplomatic and tactful way to achieve the best possible customer satisfaction.
Proactively seek customer feedback and ensure managers are aware of customer views.
Assist in maintaining a comprehensive record keeping system to provide full information to colleagues in the future.
Ensure projects and programmes from functional teams are regularly updated and customers (internal and external) are kept appraised of progress.
Take responsibility for self-development, learn from mistakes and take positive steps to improve individual performance.
Take shared responsibility for the whole team and actively support development of a team culture with high professional standards and a commitment to continuous development.

The Experience You Will Bring:

Ability to record information accurately and pay attention to detail in written and oral communication.
Excellent communication skills and able to communicate clearly on all levels.
Previous telephone customer services and complaints handling experience with demonstrable customer service skills.
Experience of engaging with elected members.
Strong IT skills including use of Microsoft packages (Word, Excel, Outlook etc.).
Evidence of Continuous Professional Development.
Self-motivated and resilient approach to work.

The post sits within Democracy and Transparency, a service within Legal and Assurance/Corporate and Customer Services that brings together Democratic Services (Member and Civic Support, Committees and Council support, Statutory School Appeals) Member Enquiries and Information Governance and Transparency.

As a service our vision is to:

Support our members and the democratic process by providing excellent services and high-quality advice; and to help the public to exercise their rights to information.

To find out more about the role and to see if it would suit you, please speak to Joanna Boaler, Head of Democracy and Transparency or Richard Buttress, Democratic Services Manager. Interview date to be confirmed. Interviewers: Joanna Boaler and Richard Buttress

To read more about us please visit: Corporate Services

Why Essex

Essex County Council has a location to be proud of. Our 1,300 square miles stretch from Constable Country to the Thames Estuary, from the dynamic M11 corridor to the traditional seaside resorts of Clacton and Walton. England’s oldest town, Colchester, and two of its newest – Basildon and Harlow – are right here. Along with the City of Chelmsford, the county town, they form our major population centres. It means real choice and makes Essex the ideal place for your career. Read more about us here.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process.

We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community here.

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email resourcing.team@essex.gov.uk

Downloads

Pay and Reward, Our Ways of Working, About Us, Organisation Behaviours