Administrator – School Appeals

We are looking for an individual who is organised, customer focussed, able to work accurately under pressure and a committed team player.

Democratic and Electoral Services is a key service that operates at the heart of the Council. We undertake a range of functions including the provision of school appeals (admissions and exclusions) on behalf of schools across West Northamptonshire.

We are looking to recruit a full time (37 hours) administrator to join our team based at One Angel Square. The role is partly flexible and, once training has been completed, there will be the opportunity to work remotely for part of the working week.

The main duties of the role will include:

• Dealing with enquiries from customers, school appeal panel members, clerks and admission authorities.
• Logging incoming school appeals.
• Working with the Appeals Manager, preparing schedules for appeals.
• Making arrangements for appeal hearings, including ensuring the availability of delegates and booking rooms or virtual meetings and other resources.
• Notifying delegates of meeting arrangements in good time and circulate documents to all parties within set timescales.
• All other administration tasks within the job remit.

The successful candidate will be a well organised, efficient individual who has the skills required to help support this service at a time of high demand for school places. The post holder will be expected to maintain a good working relationship with volunteer panel members and professional clerks, ensuring high quality administrative support is provided to them.

The role involves working to statutory deadlines. As a result, there may be times of the year when the service is particularly busy and opportunities to take leave will be restricted. The successful candidate will need to be flexible in their working patterns.

We’re a new council, following one of the largest shake-ups in local government reform in recent history. As a new authority, we’re embarking on an exciting journey to deliver exceptional services for our residents, customers and communities.

Our vision at West Northamptonshire Council is ‘to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive’. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services.

At West Northants Council, it’s about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.

When potential is unlocked, talent thrives.

Choose a career that offers you a true sense of achievement, fills you with pride and challenges you in a positive way, every day.

West Northants Council, where careers thrive.

We offer a wide range of benefits to our employees, these include:

• Generous annual leave entitlement starting at 27 days annual leave per year, 28 days for senior managers (pro rata, depending on how many hours per week you work), plus bank holidays. An additional 5 days, linked to continuous service, and ability to purchase up to 6 weeks additional leave per year.
• Local Government Pension Scheme plus immediate life cover (3 times your annual salary from day one) and ill-health protection.
• Employee discounts with local and national retailers, days out, finance, health and beauty, travel and eating out plus lots more.
• Car Lease scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme - We have an employee support programme run by Health Assured, an independent, external organisation. Health Assured is available for you and your immediate family members, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and includes telephone counselling, legal advice, bereavement support and medical information.
• Ongoing training and development opportunities.
• A variety of flexible working options to support your work/life balance, including full or part time, term time, 9-day fortnight, etc. (subject to business needs).
• Our West Ways of Working – We want our workforce to thrive, and we equip our employees with the right technology to support hybrid and collaborative working, on or off site, depending on the role.
• Making a difference - If you want to use your skills and experience with an organisation that are genuinely invested in making a difference, are committed to improving people's lives, and whose success has a direct impact on the wellbeing of your family, friends and people in your local area, then West Northamptonshire Council is the place for you.

The council is in the process of implementing a new pay structure and terms and conditions which will be applicable to this role. The outcome could result in a future variation to the advertised salary, and this will be discussed at interview.