Senior Registrar in Leeds

Salary: C3 £32,061 - £33,699

Hours: Full time (37 hours)

Contract: Permanent

Location: Based in Merrion House, central Leeds

As a Senior Registrar you will be taking up a senior position within the Leeds Register Office and join our dedicated staff in delivering a variety of essential front-line statutory services. The Register Office is responsible for registering all births, deaths, marriages and civil partnerships which take place in Leeds.

About You

The Senior registrar post provides a diverse range of roles and responsibilities. Your main responsibilities will be to attest notices of marriage and civil partnership, as well as registering births and deaths. The ability to enter manual and electronic information with high levels of accuracy is essential. You will also make arrangements for and perform marriage, civil partnership and citizenship ceremonies, so must be able to perform before and control groups of people. You must have excellent customer care skills with experience of dealing sensitively, efficiently and professionally with customer enquiries. You should be flexible and be able to adapt to regularly changing demands and priorities. You will also be a good team player but able to work independently with minimum supervision to make decisions and meet deadlines. Although your main base will be in Merrion House, you will also work occasionally at other locations across the city to attend marriage and civil partnership ceremonies or to register births and deaths.

Working hours are 8.30 a.m. – 5.00 p.m. Monday to Friday, although the service does operate a limited flexi-time scheme. The role also involves working on one in four Saturdays for which additional out of hours payments are made.

About The Role

The registrars service holds birth, death and marriage records for Leeds dating back to 1837, and for civil partnerships from 2005. As a senior registrar you will be supporting our customers at key stages of their lives, whether when registering a birth or a death, attesting a notice of marriage or civil partnership, or when performing ceremonies and sharing in the joy of the ensuing celebrations. In making a permanent record of these events, you will be creating a permanent piece of the social history of Leeds. If you enjoy working closely with members of the public there can be few more satisfying roles. 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.

What We Offer You

• 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.

Successful applicants will need to complete a BPSS check (Baseline Personnel Security Standard). 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. Ensure you are eligible before applying.

Job Description

Job purpose

To undertake all registrars appointment types and officiate at ceremonies.

Responsibilities

• To register births, deaths and still-births and to be personally responsible for all associated statutory and administrative functions.
• To process corrections and updates to historical registrations.
• To capture customer information for the Tell Us Once service.
• To ensure the security of registers, register pages, certificates, schedules, related documents and fees collected.
• To ensure the highest levels of accuracy in manual records and electronic registrations.
• To perform marriage, civil partnership and citizenship ceremonies.
• To ensure that all ceremonies are arranged in accordance with statutory requirements and meet customer needs.
• To liaise with and provide relevant documentation/information regarding notices and ceremonies, as appropriate, to the General Register Office.
• To identify and take appropriate action to deal with forced and sham marriages/civil partnerships.
• To provide a sensitive, polite and professional service to customers and to consistently achieve high levels of customer satisfaction.
• To take customer payments, reconcile and bank income in accordance with Financial Regulations and to provide accurate and timely financial information to management.
• To use own initiative and judgement to take ownership of and resolve most customer enquiries without assistance.
• To anticipate and identify potential problems and to use negotiating and trouble-shooting skills to resolve them.
• To support service delivery by managing own workload and prioritising effectively.
• To make timely returns of all events to appropriate organisations within and outside the council.
• To monitor the quality and accuracy of registrations and provide relevant feedback.
• To make registration appointments and maintain the status of bookings on the electronic diary.
• To assist in staff training, coaching and mentoring, where required.
• To handle telephone, email and work queue enquiries.
• To liaise with partners and stakeholders at a local and national level to provide a comprehensive service for customers.
• To have an awareness of other council services and to advise or direct customer enquiries appropriately.
• To maintain an up to date knowledge of relevant legislation, regulations and service developments.
• To handle personal information sensitively and confidentially with due regard to GDPR, the Data Protection Act and relevant Registration legislation.
• To support the implementation of new legislation and process change to ensure that the service is delivered efficiently and effectively.
• To work flexibly to meet the needs of the service, colleagues and customers.
• To assist in the development of specific projects, as required.
• To provide a Sunday service (9.00-10.00 a.m) on a rota basis for emergency death registrations.
• Flexible and adaptable to change and to assist other services as required commensurate to grade.
• Participate in appraisal, training, and development activities as necessary to ensure up to date knowledge and skills.
• Improve own practice through observation, evaluation, discussion with colleagues and appropriate CPD programmes.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues to achieve service targets, 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. The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and this role will be expected to work within these parameters.

Qualifications

• Four GCSEs (Grade A-C) or equivalent including Maths and English or other appropriate qualifications.
• Customer Services NVQ Level 3 desirable.

Location and working hours

Location - The registrars service is based at Merrion House, Merrion Way, LS2 8BB. The post holder will also be required to work from a variety of other locations including Leeds City Council Hubs and any building registered for marriages / civil partnerships as well as any other place where a ceremony has been arranged e.g. hospitals, hospices, prisons and private addresses.

Hours – 37 hours per week (Monday to Friday) plus one Saturday in four on a rota basis for which a Saturday enhancement is paid and a day taken in lieu. Overtime is paid for working any other Saturdays. There may also be a requirement to attend ceremonies on Sundays and Bank Holidays for which enhancements will also be paid. Must be available to share a Sunday rota (9.00 – 10.00 am) for emergency death registration.

Personal Specification

Method of assessment will be through one or more of the following application form, test, interview, and certificate.

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

• Excellent presentation skills with the ability to control and manage groups of people and perform ceremonies in a clear and professional manner.
• Able to take ownership of and make decisions to effectively resolve a range of registration enquiries with minimal supervision.
• Able to analyse and interpret complex registration legislation and information on behalf of customers.
• Commitment to delivering high quality customer care and meeting the needs of customers.
• Able to communicate confidently, effectively and sensitively with a wide variety of customers.
• Able to demonstrate patience, tact and understanding and to deal with difficult situations in a calm, confident and effective manner.
• Good command of written English with the ability to prepare written documents in a clear and legible manner.
• Inputting electronic information with the highest levels of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and comply with Data Protection, GDPR and other relevant legislation.
• Able to work independently and to manage own workload within time constraints.
• Adaptable and flexible and able to cover other duties at short notice.
• Able to monitor accuracy and data quality of other staff and provide feedback.

Knowledge required

• Knowledge of relevant Registration Service legislation, policies and procedures.
• 4 GCSEs (grade A-C) or equivalent including Maths and English Language or other equivalent qualification.

Experience required

• Registering births, deaths, still-births and marriages.
• Providing a face to face public service working to customer care standards.
• One to one interviewing in situations requiring sensitivity.
• Working as part of a team, supporting colleagues to meet targets and deliver a responsive service.
• Accurately creating and updating manual and electronic forms.
• Working flexibly, adapting to and dealing with conflicting demands.
• Working independently and managing own workload within time constraints.
• Working with sensitive or confidential information.
• Monitoring work quality and providing feedback.
• Handling cash on a regular basis, reconciling and recording fees received.

Behavioural and other Characteristics required

• Able to travel to various work locations across Leeds.
• Mature judgment, articulate and confident disposition.
• Effective and active listening skills using diplomacy and tact.
• Open-minded and embraces change as a challenge and opportunity.
• Self-motivated and leads by example.
• A professional approach and presentation.
• Committed to continuous improvement.
• 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.
• Willingness to actively participate in training and development activities to ensure up to date knowledge, skills, and continuous professional development.
• Understand and embrace our values, behaviours and codes of conduct.

Desirable requirements

Knowledge Required

• Knowledge of the latest developments and good practice in the Local Registration Service.
• Attesting notices of marriage and civil partnership.
• Customer services NVQ Level 3.

Experience required

• Experience of making presentations to groups of people.
• Training, coaching and mentoring staff.