Office Administrator

• This role will be located at the Council’s Civic Centre in Southborough, which includes Council Offices, Multi-Functional Hall and Community Rooms, Library, GP Surgery, Retail Unit, and Sports Pavilion.
• Southborough Town Council is currently looking for a motivated and proactive individual to act as our Office Administrator. You will need to be confident in dealing with a range of different people, sometimes in sensitive and difficult situations. Strong organisational and problem-solving skills are essential, as well as keen attention to detail.
• You will need to be able to effectively communicate by telephone, in writing, and face-to-face. We are also looking for someone who can work well on their own initiative, with support from Senior Officers.
• Ideally, candidates should have experience in local government, although this is not essential.
• You will need a sound knowledge of both Microsoft Word and Excel, as well as the ability to learn and use in-house databases. Marketing and social media experience would also be an advantage.
• The Council considers this to be a customer-focused role, so good spoken and written English are fundamental to the role.
• Whilst this role involves administration, it also involves regular site visits to Town Council-owned land, as required, so you will need to be comfortable in doing this. Please note that there is petrol cost allowance for site visits.

• This is a full-time role based in the Council Offices at the Southborough Civic Centre.
• Salary is from £24,958 per annum.
• CVs will only be accepted if attached to a completed application form.
• Closing date for applications is Friday 24 March 2023.

please contact:
Finance Officer
TEL: 01892 352545
EMAIL using the apply button:

Responsible to

Deputy Town Clerk.

Objectives

To work with the Town Clerk and Deputy Town Clerk to provide the Council with high quality administrative support. To ensure that the Council’s services are delivered in an efficient fashion, whether provided by staff or by an external contractor.

Current Specific Responsibilities.

To liaise with the Deputy Town Clerk regularly regarding all relevant issues.

To act as the first point of contact for members of the public contacting the Council in person, by email, or telephone, and ensure that any queries are dealt with quickly and in a polite and helpful manner.

To be responsible for all basic administration procedures within the office, i.e., post, banking, ordering of supplies, invoicing, working with the Council’s Finance Officer in controlling the various sites utility costs etc.

To act as Committee Clerk to the Planning and Transportation Committee, responsible for writing the agenda, attending the meetings, writing accurate minutes, and uploading the committee’s decisions to the planning portal promptly, and where appropriate, to follow up any other matters as required.

To proactively administer all day-to-day cemetery matters sensitively and empathetically, including liaison with external contractors, funeral directors, memorial masons, and bereaved families. This includes written correspondence and telephone assistance. To register burials/memorials and maintain the online database in a timely fashion with attention to detail. This includes regular cemetery site visits to assist bereaved families with grave selection, as well as working with the Ground Staff Team on grave measurement, as required for both burials and memorial installation. This will also involve working closely with the Deputy Town Clerk on memorial inspections, or any other health and safety and cemetery management issue.
To administer allotment matters, including the letting of plots, regular site/plot inspections, maintenance of databases, plot holder correspondence about plot maintenance and notices to quit, as required. This includes working with the Council’s Finance Officer on invoicing and chasing for outstanding fees, as well as taking responsibility for all associated allotment tenancy paperwork. Additionally, liaising with the Ground Staff Team and external contractors to problem-solve and address any site issues.

To administer all the Council’s wayleaves, which includes maintaining an accurate database of wayleave residents, invoicing, and chasing for outstanding invoices as required by the Council’s Finance Officer.

To assist with the administration of all Annual Events e.g. Remembrance, Christmas Lights.

To assist the Deputy Town Clerk with the Council’s social media and website, as required.

To assist with the Communications Group, which includes agendas, minutes, advertising space, and the preparation of articles, and working with local organisations on their submissions for the Newsletter.

To assist the Town Clerk in implementing the decisions of the Council and its committees, as and when required.

To maintain an accurate filing system for all Council documents, invoices, deeds, land registrations, burial records etc.

To attend training courses and conferences as required by the Council.

To carry out any other duties as required by, or for, the Council, including working flexibly with other staff to ensure suitable staff cover etc, which is likely to involve having a good working knowledge of the work of other staff.