Clerical Supervisor Recruitment Opportunity

Assembly Grade: 7

Salary: £32,122 – £33,232

Deadline for applications: Completed Application Forms must be submitted no later than 12 noon (UK time) on Monday 20 February 2023

Please retain a copy of this booklet for your reference throughout the selection process (you can download a PDF version of this booklet using the link above).

Foreword

Thank you for your interest in the position of Clerical Supervisor (AG7) in the Northern Ireland Assembly (the Assembly).

The Assembly operates in a dynamic political and parliamentary environment, and as a newly appointed Clerical Supervisor you will be provided with an excellent opportunity to make an important and valued contribution to Assembly business at Parliament Buildings.

Working at the Assembly offers a rewarding career. This is an exciting opportunity to join a high-profile organisation with a dedicated and inclusive team.

In turn, we offer a competitive salary, excellent pension provision and a range of other employee benefits listed on the Recruitment website.

Please read the information provided in the candidate information booklet carefully and if you are interested in this exciting post, I would encourage you to submit your application.

If you would like to find out more about the post before making an application please contact Trevor Allen on trevor.allen@niassembly.gov.uk or telephone 02890 521216.

Gareth McGrath
Director of Parliamentary Services

About Us

The Assembly is at the heart of political and public life as the democratically elected parliament that represents the interests of Northern Ireland and its people.

Established as a key element of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement, the Assembly comprises 90 Members and has three main functions – making legislation, scrutinising the Executive and representing constituents.

The staff, services and facilities which are needed to support the work of the Assembly are provided by the Assembly Commission, a corporate body comprising the Speaker and five Members of the Assembly. The day-to-day running of the Assembly is delegated to the Clerk/Chief Executive and the Senior Management Team.

The Assembly Commission provides the infrastructure (including Parliament Buildings), facilities and staff to allow the Assembly and its Committees to meet and to encourage public awareness of, and engagement with, the parliamentary process. It also pays the salaries of Members and reimburses the expenses which enable them to undertake their duties both at the Assembly and in their constituency offices.

The Assembly Commission is a high-achieving and professional organisation providing impartial support to the Assembly and its Members. The Assembly Commission is independent of the Executive and the Northern Ireland Civil Service.

The Assembly Commission has approximately 370 staff and an annual revenue budget of £51m. The organisational structure is illustrated on the Northern Ireland Assembly Recruitment website.

Contents

• About the Role
• Core Responsibilities
• The Person
• Essential Criteria
• Skills & Behaviours
• Equal Opportunities Statement
• Location
• Completing the form
• Recruitment and Selection Framework
• Stages of the Selection Process
• Guaranteed Interview Scheme
• Key Employee Benefits
• Terms and Conditions of Appointment
• Equality Monitoring
• Merit List
• Communication during the recruitment process
• Further Information

About the Role

Clerical Supervisors are responsible for providing support for the full range of activities carried out across the Assembly Commission.

Clerical Supervisors will be assigned to a business area within either the procedural or corporate functions of the Assembly Commission but may be transferred to other business areas as required. Clerical Supervisor is the first level of line management.

Procedural work covers supporting the parliamentary process, and servicing and supporting the work of the Assembly including plenary business and committee meetings. Staff carrying out parliamentary work deal frequently with Members of the Legislative Assembly (Members), as well as a range of other internal and external stakeholders. 

Corporate work is focused mainly on supporting the day to day running of the Assembly and includes work carried out by a range of business areas. Clerical Supervisors may rotate between any of the Clerical Supervisor positions within the different business areas and Directorates. The organisation chart on the recruitment website provides further details.

Core Responsibilities

The main duties and responsibilities of the job: 

• Collating and preparing the agenda and papers for meetings in a timely manner;
• Attending meetings, minute taking and capturing actions/notes and proactively following up on actions to ensure timely delivery;
• Maintaining effective relationships with key stakeholders including Members, managers, officials from Executive departments and members of the public;
• Providing guidance and assistance to Members, their staff and other parliamentary staff on policy and procedural issues in relation to their business area;
• Researching and preparing accurate and timely information;
• Reviewing all incoming correspondence and prioritising next steps as necessary;
• Drafting correspondence ensuring that work is accurate and presented in the corporate format;
• Using electronic systems to produce accurate and timely statistical information or reports to assist decision makers;
• Managing and developing individual staff members or a small team to ensure the delivery of team objectives;
• Quality assuring the work of staff to meet agreed service standards;
• Publishing information on social media e.g. Committee social media presence and the Assembly webpages/platform and keeping relevant homepages up to date;
• Effectively using Microsoft Office and bespoke internal Assembly Commission software systems and databases to prepare, produce and present documentation including letters, memos, presentations and reports of a consistently high quality;
• Checking and processing invoices for payment through electronic payment system;
• Monitoring spend against budget and reporting to line managers or budget holders;
• Managing information and records in accordance with established policies and statutory requirements including the gathering of information and co-ordination of responses to information requests including Freedom of Information requests;
• Complying with all Assembly Commission’s staff policies and procedures including Equal Opportunities and Dignity at Work policies and procedures;
• Carrying out other duties that the Assembly Commission reasonably requires of you.

The Person

You enjoy working as part of a team and have the ability to communicate clearly and effectively as you carry out your new and important role in a parliament.

You can deliver high quality work to tight timeframes and take responsibility for your own work.

Essential Criteria

At the closing date for applications, applicants must have either:

1. At least a primary degree, minimum 2.2 classification, in any subject. Applications will be considered from applicants with formal qualifications of an equivalent or higher standard to those stated;

AND

At least two years’ experience in a) – d) listed below:

OR

2. Four years’ experience in each of the following:

a) Planning and organising workload using own initiative to deliver high quality work to deadlines.

b) Communicating accurately and clearly (both in writing and orally) complex or detailed information to stakeholders such as colleagues, managers, customers or members of the public.

c) Contributing to the planning, allocation, monitoring and evaluation of resources e.g. people, finances.

d) Effectively using Microsoft Office to manage information, create documents and assist in providing a quality service to stakeholders such as colleagues, managers, customers or members of the public.

Skills & Behaviours

The following Assembly Skills and Behaviours will be assessed during the selection process:

Delivering a quality service

…is about providing a high-quality and efficient service to our customers. It is thinking ahead, managing resources effectively and delivering work on time and to a high standard. It is also using professional or technical expertise to enhance service delivery.

Building relationships and effective communication

…is creating and maintaining positive, professional and respectful internal and external working relationships through effective and appropriate communications.

Managing and leading self and others

… is setting high standards for ourselves. It is about guiding, motivating and developing others to achieve high performance. It is about engaging others in delivering a corporate vision of excellence, expertise and innovation in support of the Assembly as a parliament.

Equal Opportunities Statement

The Assembly Commission is committed to equality of opportunity in employment and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified applicants irrespective of religious belief, political opinion, race, age, gender, disability, marital status, sexual orientation or people with dependents or without.

All applications for employment will be considered on the basis of merit.

Location

The successful applicant will be based in Parliament Buildings, Belfast. The role offers hybrid working whereby staff will have the opportunity to work from home for part of the week, should they wish to do so.

Completing the form

Only the information presented in the application form will be considered by the selection panel. CVs or other supplementary material will not be accepted in place of, or in addition to, completed application forms. Completed online forms must be submitted by 12 noon (UK time) on Monday 20 February 2023.

Launch the application portal and complete the application form.

Application forms submitted after the closing time and date will not be accepted.

Recruitment and Selection Framework

There are five elements within the Recruitment and Selection Framework:

Experience – the knowledge or mastery of an activity or subject gained through involvement in or exposure to it.

Ability – the aptitude or potential to perform to the required standard.

Technical – the demonstration of specific professional skills, knowledge or qualifications.

Assembly Skills and Behaviours – the actions and activities that people do which result in effective performance in a job.

Strengths – the things we do regularly, do well and that motivate us.

The elements that will be assessed for this role are Experience, Ability, Assembly Skills and Behaviours and Strengths and the selection method(s) that will be used are detailed below. Further information on the Recruitment and Selection Framework are included in the Guidance on Recruitment and Selection for Applicants.

Stages of the Selection Process

Online Testing

Online testing may be used as a shortlisting tool. Invitation to test does not imply that an applicant possesses the essential criteria. The tests will be held online and instructions and further information will be issued to applicants after the closing date for applications. Only those applicants who meet the minimum standard and who score highest in the tests, will be considered for the next stage of the selection process: the eligibility sift.

Online testing is planned for week commencing 20 February 2023

Eligibility Sift

The essential criteria reflect the experience and knowledge that an applicant must possess in order to be able to undertake the role. An eligibility sift will be carried out on the basis of the information contained in the essential criteria section of the application form. You must therefore demonstrate clearly in your form how, and to what extent, you meet with the essential criteria for the post.

Interview

There will be an interview which will assess the Essential Criteria and elements of the Recruitment and Selection Framework.

Interviews are planned for week commencing 26 March 2023

Guaranteed Interview Scheme

The Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS) supports applicants with disabilities or those with a long-term impairment or health condition, that is expected to last for at least 12 months and which means that they cannot meet the shortlisting criteria. In these instances, provided that they have demonstrated in their application form that they meet the essential criteria for the role, the applicant will be invited to interview. If you are applying under GIS it is therefore important that you include all relevant information in your application form. You should refer to the Guidance on Recruitment and Selection for Applicants for more information.

In instances where an assessment or test forms part of the selection process and is not a shortlisting tool, then all applicants must meet the minimum standard required for that assessment or test, including those applying under GIS.

When considering applications made under GIS, the Human Resources Office reserves the right to request medical information from the applicant’s general practitioner (through the applicant and with their consent).

If you are disabled and consider that you require reasonable adjustments to enable you to participate in any part of the selection process, please indicate this on the application or contact us at recruitment@niassembly.gov.uk.

You can get advice or assistance with making an application from your local Jobs and Benefits Office – contact details are available on NIDirect:

View the contact details of your local Jobs and Benefits Office

Key Employee Benefits

We offer an annual leave allowance of 25 days, increasing by one day per year up to a maximum of 30 days. In addition, we offer 12 days of public and privilege holidays.

The Assembly Commission will enrol you into the Civil Service Pension Scheme from the first day of employment. Staff contribute between 4 and 9% of salary and the Assembly Commission contributes a further 28 to 35% of salary, depending on your rate of pay.

We also offer a range of non-salary benefits which include hybrid working; supportive family friendly policies; flexi-time; health and wellbeing initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme; supported learning and development; Cycle to Work Scheme; Payroll Giving; and volunteering opportunities.

The successful applicant will be given suitable training, including formal specialised courses as necessary.

As an equal opportunities employer, we are happy to talk about the possibility of flexible working in this role with the successful applicant.

View further details of our employee benefits.

Terms and Conditions of Appointment

This is a permanent appointment. The successful candidate will be an employee of the Assembly Commission. All appointments are subject to the satisfactory completion of a six-month probationary period.

The standard working week is 37 hours, excluding meal breaks. Working hours will be dictated by the mode of operation of the Assembly and may involve work into late evenings and on occasions, at weekends and on public holidays.

The taking of annual leave may be influenced by the Parliamentary timetable.

Equality Monitoring

Under Fair Employment legislation, we are required to monitor the community background and gender of those applying for jobs. You must therefore complete the equal opportunities monitoring section of the application form when applying for the post.

Merit List

The merit list of applicants deemed to be appointable will remain “live” for 18 months from the date it is signed and may be used to fill any further permanent or fixed term opportunities for the same post.

Communication during the recruitment process

The Assembly Recruitment Team will issue most communication electronically. You should therefore regularly check your email account to make sure you do not miss any important communication. Please note, sometimes the Recruitment Team emails are automatically filtered as spam by email providers.

Further Information

If you require more information on the recruitment process, please contact the Assembly Recruitment Team on 02890 521741.

Further information about the Assembly can be obtained on the Northern Ireland Assembly website.

The Candidate Information Booklet does not constitute any term or condition of employment.