We have an exciting opportunity for an Apprentice to join our Electoral and Democratic Services teams, working at the heart of democracy to support the delivery of electoral functions and decision making in Solihull.

As an Electoral and Democratic Services Apprentice, you will support both the Electoral Services Manager and Democratic Services and Scrutiny Manager.

In the Electoral Services team, you will be instrumental in supporting the delivery of elections and maintaining the integrity of the electoral process. The Electoral Services team is a fast-paced environment ensuring that people are registered to vote, and you will be handling enquiries by telephone, face to face and by email. You will support the team by resolving a wide range of enquiries ensuring a seamless experience for customers.

The Democratic Services Team provide elected Members with outstanding support and advice allowing Councillors to deliver services for Solihull and working on the Council’s response to key challenges. You will provide administrative support to the Team, help with the production of agendas, undertake research as directed, webcast committee meetings and attend committee meetings and produce notes.

As our Apprentice, you will work to achieve the Business Administration Level 3 qualification that is designed to equip apprentices with the skills, knowledge, and behaviours to excel in business service roles. This will take around 18-21 months to complete and will include on the job training and onsite assessment. 

This is a varied role, which will suit an adaptable, creative, and organised individual. You will have some experience of working with others and be a great team player and confident communicator. You will have a minimum GCSE grade 4 in Maths and English with good verbal and written skills.

The successful candidate will have the following:

• Good verbal and written communication skills and good numeracy and data analysis skills.
• Be computer literate with the ability to input and extract data accurately from systems.
• Be able to work effectively as part of a team, assist the team to achieve its deadlines.
• Be able to carry out routine clerical and general administrative tasks and work to prescribed procedures.
• Be able to lift up to 10kg.
• Have a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Be committed to good customer service, with an empathetic approach to challenging interactions.
• Be methodical and organised approach.

Due to the needs of the service, this post does involve regular meetings that run into the evening. These are generally scheduled well in advance. In addition, during busy election periods, you will also be required to work outside of normal hours which may include some evenings and weekends. 

Are you enthusiastic, highly motivated and eager to start a career in Electoral and Democratic Services? We would love to hear from you! 

In return, this is a great opportunity to be a key part of future election activities and part of the heart of the democratic process in Solihull. 

We also offer:

• A range of flexible working options, when evening work has been undertaken. However, given this is a training role you will be required to work in the office 4 days out of 5.
• Generous annual leave entitlements with the opportunity to purchase up to 10-days additional leave per year.
• A flexitime scheme with up to 24 days per year 
• Access to our Employee Assistance Programme – a 24 hour independent, free and confidential advice and support service
• Family and carer friendly policies.
• Access to the Local Government Pension Scheme.
• Employee benefits including staff discounts, subsidised travel passes and Cycle 2 Work Scheme.

To apply, please click on the link below.

If you have a specific question regarding this post or for an informal discussion, please contact either -

• Matthew Rossi, Electoral Services Manager, on 0121 704 8303 or matthew.rossi@solihull.gov.uk
• Jane Game, Democratic Services and Scrutiny Manager, on 0121 704 6051 or jagame@solihull.gov.uk.

Your application should be in your own words and reflect your own personal experiences

Closing Date: Wednesday 22 January 2025
 
 Interview date: Wednesday 12 February 2025

Please note that we reserve the right to close the job earlier if we receive a high volume of applications. We therefore encourage you to complete your application at your earliest opportunity.

This post is covered by the Fluency Duty, as outlined in the Code of Practice on the English language requirements for public sector workers.

Solihull Council is proud to be an Equal Opportunities Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees - a place where we can all be ourselves and succeed on merit. 

Solihull Council has a responsibility for, and is committed to, safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk, and requires all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Attached documents
JDPS.docx