Information for Applicants

Information for Assembly Clerk Applicants

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 dependants or without. All applications for employment will be considered on the basis of merit.

 

Background

The Northern Ireland Assembly Commission (Assembly Commission) is the corporate body which provides the Assembly, or ensures that the Assembly is provided, with the property, staff and services required for the Assembly’s purposes. The Commission employs a Secretariat to serve the Assembly. The organisational structure of the Assembly Secretariat is illustrated on the Recruitment website.

The Clerking business area in the Northern Ireland Assembly directly supports Assembly business in the Chamber and in committees, including scrutiny and legislation.

Assembly Clerks are responsible for providing support for key functions of the Assembly, including the conduct of Assembly business, the passage of legislation and the work of the Assembly’s Committees.  Assembly Clerks normally carry out duties in one of the following areas.

The Bill Office supports the work of the Assembly in the management of legislation through its plenary and committee stages and is responsible for ensuring that the Acts, which finally emerge, fully reflect the deliberations and decisions taken by Assembly Members.  The Office is also responsible for providing advice to Members on the admissibility of proposed amendments, to the Speaker on the selection of amendments to Bills and for supporting the development of Members Bills. 

The Business Office supports the work of plenary sessions of the Assembly. The Office acts as the focus for procedural advice to the Speaker and Members on the conduct of Assembly business and is responsible for the production of Order Papers, proposed Amendments to motions, and the Minutes of Proceedings, which are the official legal record of the business of the Assembly.  The Business Office supports the Business Committee and processes Assembly questions and the laying of documents in compliance with Standing Orders and Speaker’s rulings.

Committee Offices have responsibility for supporting Committees established by the Assembly.  Committee teams prepare committee work programmes, plan inquiries, organise and service committee meetings, events and visits, record committee proceedings, commission research and advice, and draft speeches and committee reports.  Committee staff also provide analysis and advice to Committee Chairpersons, Deputy Chairpersons and Members. In addition, the Clerking and Members Support Office is responsible for the implementation of the Commission’s Member Development Strategy and provides the Secretariat support to the Independent Financial Review Panel.

All applicants must be capable of undertaking any of the functions associated with the work of the Bill, Business and Committee Offices.

 

Location

The successful applicant will be based in Parliament Buildings, Belfast.

 

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 noon on 28 September 2020.

 

You can access the application form here.

 

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

 

Stages of the Selection Process

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.

Abilitythe 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.

All elements will be assessed for this role and the selection methods 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.

Online Testing

Online verbal reasoning 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. 

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. 

Shortlisting

The selection panel reserve the right to use shortlisting as part of the selection process for this post. Should shortlisting be used, the shortlisting criterion listed in the Job Specification will be applied. The selection panel reserve the right to set a minimum standard for the shortlisting criterion which applicants must achieve in order to be invited to the interview stage of the selection process. If shortlisting is not necessary, all applicants who have demonstrated the essential criteria will proceed to the next stage of the selection process.  

Assessment Stage

As part of this stage of the selection process, applicants will be required to complete a written exercise.  There will also be an interview, which will address the information contained in the Job Specification and will assess elements of the Recruitment and Selection Framework. The Assessment Stage will also include the delivery of a presentation. The subject of the presentation will be advised to the applicant on the day of the interview and the applicant will be expected to present information to the selection panel.

Interviews are planned for week commencing 26 October 2020.

Further Interview Stage

The selection panel reserves the right to hold a further interview stage if deemed necessary. 

Further information on the Recruitment and Selection process is available in the Recruitment and Selection Framework and Guidance on the Recruitment and Selection for Applicants.

 

Guaranteed Interview Scheme

The Guaranteed Interview Scheme (GIS) has been developed for 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 all of 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 an assessment or test is used as a shortlisting tool then applicants applying under GIS will not be required to complete the assessment or test and will be offered a guaranteed interview, provided that they demonstrate in their application form that they meet the essential criteria for the role.

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 including those applying under GIS.

The application form will include a section on disability, and an applicant can indicate whether they wish to apply under the GIS for that particular role and the basis on which they qualify for the GIS.

Applicants with disabilities or a long term impairment, or health condition, who require reasonable adjustments to enable them to participate in any part of the selection process, should indicate this on their application. A member of the Human Resources Office will then contact the applicant to discuss.

 

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 (42 hours gross).  Working hours will be dictated by the level of business and sitting times of the Assembly and will involve work into late evenings on sitting days and intermittently at weekends and on public holidays. 

In addition to the usual public and privilege holidays, there is an annual leave allowance of 25 days, increasing incrementally by one day per year up to a maximum of 30 days. Please be aware that a major influence in determining when leave can be taken will be the parliamentary timetable.

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

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

Details of our employee benefits are available on our recruitment website www.niarecruitment.org.

 

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 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 520327.

Further information about the Assembly can be obtained on the Internet at website: www.niassembly.gov.uk

 

The ‘Information for Applicants’ does not constitute any term or condition of employment.