About the role
The Electoral Services Officer (Engagement) is responsible for promoting and encouraging participation in electoral registration and elections. This is a varied role, that in addition to helping deliver electoral registration and election projects, also involves developing relationships with stakeholders and other council services to improve electoral registration rates, encourage voter turnout and boost involvement in all aspects of elections.
In this role you will help to formulate and maintain our public engagement strategy, use demographic and other sources of information to identify areas of focus, and work with other council services and stakeholders to support outreach activities in the community.
Additionally, you will help to develop a wide range of promotional materials such as audio and visual guides to improve accessibility, reduce barriers to participation and encourage engagement in local democracy and the wider democratic process.
What will you be doing?
You will be providing a full range of administrative and technical support within the Electoral Services team with particular focus on promoting and encouraging participation in the democratic process. You will also assist in the day to day delivery of electoral registration activities and all types of elections, providing guidance and support to our small team of electoral support officers as required.
You will be responsible for developing and delivering projects that help to improve awareness of the importance and relevance of local democracy. You will be identifying and supporting outreach activities and developing promotional materials and guidance that aims to boost the number of registered electors and improve voter experience.
You will be proactively engaging with local community groups, education facilities, under registered groups and others to build a network of contacts that will help you to understand current registration levels, promote electoral registration and elections within the community to ensure that everyone who is eligible to vote is able to do so.
You will assist with the formulation, development and maintenance of a comprehensive public engagement strategy and assist in developing other strategies and action plans that support the Council’s approach to modern public services and locally agreed performance and registration plans.
About you
We are looking for a highly motivated, approachable, and enthusiastic, team player to join our small, but very busy Electoral Services team.
You will have experience of building and maintaining relationships with other stakeholders and working as a team to develop and deliver defined projects and action plans.
Previous experience of electoral registration and elections, or a background in preparing promotional materials would be advantageous but not essential.
You will have experience of working with a wide range of people from diverse backgrounds within the community. You will have an understanding of the challenges and barriers associated with encouraging people to register to vote and participate in elections.
You will have excellent verbal and written communication skills and be confident in presenting complex information in an easy to understand way to a diverse range of audiences. The ability to work to a high degree of accuracy whilst under pressure to meet defined deadlines is essential.
Excellent IT skills are also essential. Knowledge of our election management system (Xpress) is desirable but not essential as full training will be given.
You must have a flexible approach and be prepared to work outside of normal office hours, including evenings, weekends, and Bank Holidays particularly during the annual canvass and in the run up to elections but also at short notice.
You must be willing to take annual leave to fit around the electoral services cycle of work and acceptance that leave will be restricted during Elections and when the Annual Canvass for the register of electors is taking place.
Our benefits
Here at North Northamptonshire Council, we’re transforming for the better, using all our creativity and imagination to create the best life for our local people.
You’ll find that we have a wide range of careers that may be more surprising that you think!
Why choose us?
We offer a vibrant working environment with:
- a competitive salary
- a pension scheme, where we pay a significant contribution on top of your contribution. It provides life cover and ill-health protection.
- lots of opportunities to develop your skills, knowledge and potential in a large unitary council
- generous leave entitlement (28 days, rising to 33 days) and bank holidays, plus the option to buy up to an extra 10 days
- hybrid and flexible working arrangements, where practicable for service needs to help you with a healthy work-life balance.
We provide a range of great benefits such as an Employee Assistance Programme, an Employee Benefits Scheme, wellbeing support, travel rates at HMRC rates, as well as supporting a range of active Employee Network Groups.
About us
Our Values and Behaviours
Our values define who we are and how we operate, by forming the foundation for how we interact with our customers, colleagues and provide our services. They are also at the forefront of our decision making and delivery and are:
Customer-focused
Respectful
Efficient
Supportive
Trustworthy
Our Key Commitments
Our key commitments help ensure that the priorities we make, now and in the future, maintain the necessary breadth of focus in those areas that we believe matter most.
We are proud to be a recognised Disability Confident Employer and is committed to providing an inclusive recruitment process and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role.
North Northamptonshire Council re-signed the Armed Forces Covenant in June 2024 which highlights the Council’s pledge to support the Armed Forces community. The council obtained the silver status award for the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) and we are now currently working towards achieving Gold status.
We aim to be a carbon neutral Council by 2030.
Further information can be found at Jobs and careers | North Northamptonshire Council (northnorthants.gov.uk)