Job title: Casual Ceremonies Assistant

Salary: £13.05 per hour plus 12.07% holiday pay

Hours: Casual – no fixed hours

Contract: Casual

Location: Based in Merrion House, central Leeds

Leeds Register Office is responsible for registering all births, deaths, marriages and civil partnerships which take place in Leeds.

With around 2,000 civil ceremonies taking place each year in Leeds our pool of Casual Ceremonies Assistants play a key role in delivering our front-line services. You will perform and register marriages and civil partnership ceremonies at Leeds Civic Hall and at over 50 other licensed venues across Leeds. You will also lead Naming and Renewal of Vows ceremonies as well as Citizenship ceremonies for those who have recently acquired British Citizenship.

About you

As a Casual Ceremonies Assistant you will:

have the confidence and presence to perform ceremonies in a clear, warm and professional manner

play a lead role in controlling and organising ceremony groups
have excellent customer care skills with experience of dealing sensitively, efficiently and professionally with customer enquiries.

be able to prepare hand written documents in a neat and legible manner

be flexible, reliable and able to work to deadlines with minimal supervision

have good decision making skills and be able to act on your own initiative to deal with issues arising

be able to analyse and interpret complex legislation and information on behalf of customers

About the role

The work will be available on a casual, “as and when” basis and cannot be guaranteed. Whilst the bulk of the work will take place on Saturdays, ceremonies will also be allocated on all other days of the week depending on the demand for ceremonies. Demand will be seasonal with winter months offering much less work than summer months. There is no fixed pattern of work although ceremonies will take place between 9.00 am and 5.00 pm. Work is allocated to suit your offered availability but this cannot be guaranteed.

You will perform all ceremonies in accordance with statutory requirements and agreed procedures but will also, wherever appropriate, make extra efforts to incorporate customer requests to personalise the ceremony.

You will be required to identify and report sham marriages and civil partnerships to the Home Office as well as to recognise and take appropriate action to deal with forced or predatory marriages.

As a Casual Ceremonies Assistant you will be taking part in and helping to make lasting memories for couples on their special day. If you enjoy working closely with members of the public there can be few more satisfying roles.

You will also be responsible for the accurate recording of information during the ceremony. Your involvement in the ceremony will then create a permanent piece of Leeds’ history by being recorded in the historic civil registration records dating back to 1837.

In delivering our services you will also be representing Leeds City Council so have the opportunity of displaying our values and demonstrating what a great service the council can provide to members of the local community. Best City Ambition

What we offer you

We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:

a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions

a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further

How to apply

Please complete the online application form.

Read our guidance for further advice. Please check your information carefully and ensure you complete all sections before submitting your application.

If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the role please contact Steve Coupe, Superintendent Registrar. Call 0113 3789595 or email Stephen.coupe@leeds.gov.uk.

We welcome applications from everyone and actively seek a diverse range of applicants from all backgrounds and cultures. We particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to, women, carers, veterans as well as LGBT+, ethnically diverse, disabled and care experienced people.

This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa.

If you do not have the right to work in the UK, you must consider your own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker visa route before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you'll usually need to be paid the standard salary rate of at least £41,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria

Job description

Job purpose

To perform marriages, civil partnerships, citizenship and other ceremonies
To register marriages and civil partnerships

Responsibilities

To register and perform marriage and civil partnership ceremonies at the Register Office and other licensed venues in accordance with service performance standards
To perform Naming, Re-affirmation of marriage vows and Citizenship ceremonies.
To play a lead role in controlling and organising ceremony groups, using own initiative to deal with matters arising and ensuring that statutory requirements are observed
To adhere to Leeds City Council Values in all customer contact.
To provide a professional service, recognising and responding sensitively to the needs of customers and to consistently achieve high levels of customer satisfaction
To maintain a polite and professional manner in difficult or abusive situations
To record details of marriages and civil partnerships manually with high levels of accuracy and specific attention to statutory instruction.
To identify and report sham marriages/civil partnerships according to statutory guidance
To recognise and take appropriate action to deal with forced or predatory marriages
To be responsible for the safekeeping of schedules and related documents and any monies received in the course of official duties
To handle personal information sensitively and confidentially with due regard to GDPR, the Data Protection Act and relevant Registration legislation
To maintain a working knowledge of the relevant regulations and to keep up to date on legislation and procedural changes
Participate in appraisal, training, and development activities as necessary to ensure up to date knowledge and skills.
To assist in staff training, coaching and mentoring, where required
To work collaboratively with colleagues to meet customer expectations
To be available to work at agreed times, which may be pre-arranged or arranged at short notice
To use own initiative and judgement to take ownership of and resolve most customer enquiries but knowing when to seek help and advice
Contribute to the overall ethos, work, and aims of the service by attending relevant meetings, training days/events as requested.
Be aware of and comply with Leeds City Council policies and procedures e.g., child protection, health, safety and security, confidentiality, and data protection, reporting all concerns to an appropriate person
Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding, and promoting the values, standards, and equality & diversity policies of Leeds City Council.
Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse of equal opportunities, ensuring compliance with relevant policies and procedures.
The duties outlined are not meant as an exhaustive list and will also comprise any other duties within the spirit of the post commensurate with the job evaluation outcome for this post.

Qualifications

Four GSCEs (Grade A-C) or equivalent including Maths and English or other appropriate qualifications.

Location and working hours

Location - The registrars service is based at Merrion House, Merrion Way, LS2 8BB. The main ceremony rooms are based in Leeds Civic Hall although the postholder will also be required to attend ceremonies at any of the premises registered for ceremonies within the City of Leeds.

Hours – There are no fixed hours of work or minimum contracted hours. Attendance will be subject to availability and mutually agreed with the Superintendent Registrar. The postholder will be required to work mainly on Saturdays depending on ceremony availability although there may also be occasional working on all other days of the week, dependent on demand and particularly during peak season.

Personal Specification

Method of assessment will be through the council’s standard application form.

Essential requirements

It is essential that the candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria for the post within the context of the specific role duties and responsibilities: Candidates will only be shortlisted for interview if they can demonstrate on the application form that they meet all the essential requirements.

Skills required

Able to control and manage groups of people
To have the confidence and presence to perform ceremonies in a clear and professional manner.
Able to communicate confidently, effectively and sensitively with a wide variety of customers
Good customer care skills and a commitment to meeting the needs of service users
Able to analyse and interpret complex legislation and information on behalf of customers
Able to demonstrate patience, tact and understanding and to deal with difficult situations in a calm, confident and effective manner
Ability to prepare hand written documents in a neat and legible manner
Awareness of and ability to respect and maintain confidentiality
Good decision making skills and able to act on own initiative to deal with issues arising
Adaptable and flexible and able to cover other duties at short notice.

Knowledge required

4 GCSEs (grade A-C) or equivalent including Maths and English Language or other equivalent qualification

Experience required

Working in an unsupervised role
Working as a member of a team
Experience of controlling and dealing with groups of people
Experience of making presentations to groups of people
Working to and applying agreed standards and procedures
Experience of accurately creating and updating manual forms

Behavioural and other Characteristics required

Able to travel to various work locations across Leeds
Tolerant, impartial and open-minded
Mature judgement, courteous, tactful and sympathetic
Articulate and confident disposition
Leads by example.
Smart, professional and well presented.
Self motivated and able to work on own initiative.
Able to understand and observe Leeds City Council equality and diversity policies.
Carry out all duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health and Safety Policies.
Effective and active listening skills using diplomacy and tact and being sensitive to the needs of others from all communities and backgrounds.

Desirable requirements

It is desirable that the candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria for the post within the context of the specific role duties and responsibilities: Candidates are not required to meet all the desirable requirements however these may be used to distinguish between acceptable candidates.

Knowledge required

Knowledge of the various pieces of legislation and policies relevant to the Registration Service
Customer services NVQ Level 2

Experience required

Experience of working in the Registration Service
Experience of working in a customer oriented environment