The City of Wolverhampton Council has an exciting opportunity and is looking for an Apprentice to join the Electoral Services team ahead of a busy year with the following elections scheduled to take place:

Local Elections, Police and Crime Commissioner election, Combined Authority Mayoral election, General Election.

It’s a great opportunity to develop your skills in a fast paced and dynamic environment.

This fantastic opportunity may be of interest to someone about to start their career journey or someone currently employed who is looking for a career change? It may also interest to graduates that are interested in working in the public sector. It’s a great opportunity to work in such a varied service. You’ll experience working with elected members, MP’s, dealing with electors, supporting with the recruitment and training of staff for election duties, assisting with booking polling stations and preparing equipment for polling stations and the count.

We are seeking a flexible and committed individual who has good communication skills, attention to detail and commitment to completing the apprenticeship training. The successful candidate will work in a busy team with a varied workload.

• Fixed term contract for 18 months
• Salary: £20,606 (per-annum)
• Hours: 37 Hours per week

City of Wolverhampton Council is a forward-thinking organisation that is passionate about the recruitment and development of apprentices within the organisation. The apprenticeship vacancies we provide here gives you the opportunity to join the largest employer in the borough, whilst gaining new skills with on-the-job training and recognised qualifications.

City of Wolverhampton Council hold a high retention rate of apprentices who go on to gain full time employment within the authority. Please use the following link to find out more about apprenticeships within City of Wolverhampton Council - Apprenticeships and Internships | Our Careers | WV Jobs | City of Wolverhampton Council

 

This apprenticeship will support the administration of electoral registration and delivering elections. Under the direction of the Senior Electoral Services Officer, assist with maintaining the electoral register on a daily basis, carrying out the annual canvass, delivering elections and referendums and responding to customer enquiries in relation to all Electoral Services activity. Applicants should have experience of general office duties and providing administration and customer service support. Experience of working in Electoral Services would be an advantageous but is not essential. The ability to accurately input data and handle confidential information is key to this role. Ideally you will have excellent communication, administration, IT, and organisational skills with the ability to manage a diverse task list to meet required deadlines.

The successful apprentice will receive on the job training and will complete a Level 3 Business Administrator Level 3 apprenticeship standard - https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/business-administrator-v1-0

Please note: if you already have previous Level 3 qualifications in a similar area, please contact the Organisational Development Team on the email below to check you are eligible to apply.

This opportunity will allow the apprentice to further develop their knowledge, skills and behaviours in this area and be a part of a fantastic team. You will be supported by experienced staff who can assist you with your work and study to give you the experience to apply for other roles within the Council.

To provide a customer friendly, positive and professional response over the telephone, email or face to face to customers (public, council staff, candidates, agents and Councillors).

 

With support and guidance, take responsibility for the resolution of customer enquiries. Work with Customer Service colleagues to ensure all customer enquiries in relation to electoral registration and elections are correctly diagnosed, responded to, tracked and followed up as required.

 

Assist with supporting the Council’s delivery of elections and referendums, undertaking such duties to ensure their smooth planning and provision, including assisting in the appointment of election staff and the co-ordination of postal receipt procedures.

 

With support and guidance, provide a comprehensive administrative support service to the Electoral Services team, including preparing paperwork and correspondence, filing and copying.

 

Assist with receiving and processing applications from electors for inclusion on the Register of Electors and assisting in preparing it for publication in accordance with statutory requirements.

 

Assist with receiving and processing applications for postal or proxy votes, and dealing with any related correspondence

 

Assist with receiving and sorting returned postal votes, including checking personal identifiers in line with statutory requirements.

 

Assist supporting the Council’s involvement with any electoral reviews, pilots or initiatives organised by the Government or Electoral Commission.

 

With guidance, keep abreast of all electoral registration changes to provide up to date information to Customers.

 

With support, cover routine tasks in the absence of other staff (e.g. Service voters, monthly claims, etc.).

 

Support with accessing and maintaining any computerised or paper information systems that may be required to provide information, access to services, advice and support for customers.

 

With support and guidance, comply with the disposal and archive process for confidential documents.

 

With support, manage the distribution and despatch of internal and external post.

 

With support and guidance, work across the Governance service to provide administrative support where required.

 

To complete all required elements of the agreed apprenticeship training and attend any college or training events as directed. Further information about the Apprenticeship Standard is detailed in the link below: https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/business-administrator/

 

Requirements

ESSENTIAL/DESIRABLE

1. Personal Skills

 

• Good written and oral communication skills
• Self-motivated, personal drive and enthusiasm
• Ability to work as part of a team
• Flexibility and adaptability
• Commitment to working in customer focused environment
• Ability to organise and prioritise workload
• Able to work under pressure and to tight deadlines
• Willingness to work extended periods and outside normal office hours during peak periods (i.e. elections)
• Personal pride in delivering excellent service
• A positive and ‘can-do’ approach

2. Experience

 

Essential

• Working in a customer-facing environment

Desirable

• Working in electoral services in a local authority context
• Working with Xpress (or similar) electoral registration software

3. Knowledge

Essential

• Strong working knowledge of local government legislation and practice, particularly in relation to electoral legislation.
• Good understanding of the political context to the work of local government and its decision-making processes. (Good ICT skills, using equipment)

Desirable

• An interest in local government and/or public service, and current affairs

 

4. Special

Requirements

 

Essential

· Willingness to attend additional training as appropriate

5. Education

 

Essential

· GCSE passes at Grades A – C/4 in Maths and English or passes in relevant college entry numeracy/literacy tests

 

Desirable

· Previous Level 2 qualifications in Customer Service or business administration

 

If you would like to discuss this apprenticeship or require more information about the role then please email: sara.roberts@wolverhampton.gov.uk or OD.Team@wolverhampton.gov.uk

This campaign is currently open to internal employees only.

 Our working arrangements

All council roles are allocated to either a fixed, field or flexible work style. Some roles are agile which enables and empowers employees to maximise their performance and productivity, whilst maintaining a healthy work life balance.  Roles with a fixed workstyle work in a fixed permanent council location.  Roles with a field workstyle are usually allocated where employees are required to be out working in the community with a minimum requirement for ‘touch down’ space at any council location. Roles with a flexible workstyle have a flexible base location to meet the needs of the business and employees can work from a mixture of home or any council office, partner/client, or external location, as required to meet service requirements.

 

Please refer to the Job Description for further information on the workstyle assigned to the role you are applying for.

 

For more information about working for our organisation including the culture of the Council, the Council plan and vision, staff equality forums, core HR policies and much more please click here.

Diversity

We are committed to building a workforce that is reflective of the diverse community we serve. We want to attract the best applications from people of all backgrounds and underrepresented groups because we strongly believe in adding value through diversity, inclusion, and equality. Our employees enable us to deliver services that are accessible, inclusive, and reflective of Wolverhampton residents.
Our status as a Disability Confident Employer showcases our commitment to people with disabilities or health conditions, advocating for their opportunities and potential. We've received the Stonewall Silver Award, emphasising our dedication to the LGBT+ community by nurturing an inspiring, inclusive, and equal workplace. As of March 2023, the RACE Code Quality Mark signifies our active engagement with racial equality. These recognitions validate our continuous efforts towards fostering an inclusive work environment that respects and values our diverse employees.

As part of our commitment as a Disability Confident employer, a Gold Award Armed Forces employer and our commitment to supporting care leavers - we offer a guaranteed interview as long as your application meets the essential criteria for the post. 

We encourage, inspire and value an inclusive culture here at the council where employees can flourish, thrive and be themselves. We have four staff equality forums for employees to join. These help to ensure our employees have a voice, they feel empowered to speak up and where everyone is treated with respect - Learn more about the staff equality forums here

Recruitment of Ex-Offenders

We are committed to the fair treatment of all our employees, potential employees, or users of our service regardless of offending background. The Council uses the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) for any vacancies that require a DBS check to obtain information about applicants to assess their suitability for employment in positions of trust. We do not discriminate unfairly against any individual on the basis of a conviction or any other information revealed as a result of a DBS disclosure - Learn more here

 

Employment Information & Support

If you are considering applying for an apprenticeship or a role where the salary is (Grade 2-5), and would like to visit us to learn about the application, interview process and what it is like to work for the council, please click on this link to find out more - Learn more here  

 

Pay Award

Local Government Employers and trade unions are currently in negotiations to agree the 2023/2024 annual pay offer for employees. Once pay settlement is agreed this will be backdated to 1 April 2023. More information on the current pay offer can be found here Employer circular - Local government pay 2023 | Local Government Association

Supporting documents
Leve 3 Electoral Services Apprentice Role Profile.docx