Customer Services Support Officer - REQ002887

INTERNAL ONLY VACANCY. This post is open to existing Leeds City Council employees only. Applications will not be considered from external candidates.

Job title: Customer Services Support Officer

Salary: C1 £28,598 - £31,022

Hours: 37 hr Mon - Fri

Contract: Permanent

Location: Merrion House, 1st Floor West, 110 Merrion Centre, LS2 8BB with Hybrid Working in place

As a Customer Services Support Officer, you will be hard working, committed and enthusiastic thriving on working as a team to deliver an Interpreting and translation service that meets the needs of the citizens of Leeds.

Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions.

About you

As a Customer Services Support Officer, you will bring to the role:

Excellent listening and communication skills
Excellent attention to detail
A willingness and ability to learn
The ability to work under pressure and multitask

About the role

As our next Customer Services Support Officer, you will play a vital role in helping the Citizens of Leeds access Council services with the co-ordination of interpreters and translations.

Your role will be to co-ordinate a comprehensive Interpreting and Translation service to ensure non-English speaking customers have interpreters to access Council services. You will process requests for interpreting and translations as well as dealing with all enquiries from clients and suppliers. The role involves financial duties including raising orders, goods receiving, authorising supplier payments and other financial duties and investigating and actioning complaints.

The service is a fast-paced environment and therefore you should show self-resilience in being able to work in a demanding service.

You will be office based whilst training then hybrid working with a combination of working in the office and homeworking.

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
flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements

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

Apply for this job online. Please complete the online application form.

Read our guidancefor 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 Diane Coombes, Section Manager.Call 0113 3788394 or email diane.coombes@leeds.gov.uk

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be carried out on preferred candidates. Read our recruitment of ex-offenders policy.

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 visaroute 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. Please ensure you are eligible before applying.

Job Description

Job purpose

The Interpreting & Translation Team provides the co-ordination of interpreters and translators for non-English speaking customers accessing Council and other services. We are looking to appoint a Customer Services Support Officer who is hard working, committed and enthusiastic and who wants to help make a real difference.

Responsibilities

To provide a welcoming customer service function and always maintain a polite and professional manner.
To support, encourage and assist Clients and Suppliers to access services via the self-serve Interpreting and Translation database.
To be a key point of contact within the translation process, advising Clients on the best process to meet their individual needs. Assigning work to translators, monitoring deadlines and ensuring final delivery of projects are completed in an efficient and timely manner.
To provide general information around language issues within the translation process. For example, appropriateness of tone of voice, requirements for typesetting (formatting), and whether specialist translators are required.
To monitor all aspects of the Interpreting and Translation service and be proactive in resolving queries. These may include processing new and outstanding bookings, queries, amendments, and finance.
Maintain accuracy of information taken and prioritise workload whilst multi-tasking and meeting tight deadlines.
To use own initiative and judgement where appropriate, providing quality outcomes for Clients and Suppliers from a range of options.
To deal effectively and efficiently with enquiries from interpreters and translators regarding bookings, and payments.
To investigate and resolve queries in all aspects of the position.
To work closely with the Finance team to enable them to make payments to interpreters and translators and make the necessary recharges to internal departments.
To assist with the production and effective dissemination of leaflets, publicity material and newsletters to promote the service to Council Departments, Communities and other agencies.
To raise stationery and supplier orders.
To deal with all aspects of finance including raising orders, goods receiving, amendments, raising credit notes and invoice and interrogating financial system to resolve finance queries in accordance with Financial Regulations.
To work as part of a team, to support and assist colleagues, to attend regular team meetings and take minutes and attend training courses as required
To work flexibly to meet the needs of customers, and the ongoing development of the service.
To have clear and effective communication within the team and with requesters/ customers (agencies/stakeholder)
To contribute actively to the development and promotion of the service.
To keep up to date with all relevant service developments, and to work in partnership with other departments and agencies to ensure optimum service delivery.
To support and advise new and existing staff as appropriate, including undertaking a ‘buddying’ role, and to demonstrate the Interpreting and Translation Team functions to visitors as appropriate.
To always maintain complete confidentiality and to sign a declaration to that effect.
To share knowledge of best practice with colleagues and managers across the service.
To promote and deliver positive solutions to achieving equal opportunities in all aspects of service delivery and human resources, focusing on equality of outcome.
To carry out duties in accordance with the Council’s Values.
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

Minimum grade C GSCE in Maths and English

Essential requirements It is essential that the candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria for the post. Candidates will only be shortlisted for interview if they can demonstrate that they meet all the essential requirements.

SKILLS

Ability to case record effectively
Ability to deal sensitively with a wide range of enquiries
Ability to respect confidentiality
Ability to work to customer care standards
Ability to develop productive working relationships with health partners, Council departments and other agencies
Ability to communicate effectively with a wide range of people, face to face, over the telephone.
Excellent organisational skills
Ability to prioritise and organise own work
Ability to work under pressure and multitask
Ability to remain calm when dealing with clients who may become upset/aggressive

KNOWLEDGE

An understanding of the Interpreting & Translation field
Good level of understanding of the public sector

EXPERIENCE

Experience of working in a customer services environment
Experience of working to tight deadlines, and with competing priorities
Experience of using a variety of computer packages

BEHAVIOURAL AND OTHER RELATED CHARACTERISTICS

Ability to work effectively as part of a team
Totally committed to excellent customer care and putting the customer at the heart of everything you do
Willing to be adaptable and flexible
To work on own initiative, without supervision, and to show self-reliance and foresight

Essential Behavioural & other Characteristics

Understand and embrace Leeds City Council Values and Behaviours and codes of conduct.
Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the Best City Ambition of Health & Wellbeing, Inclusive Growth and Zero Carbon
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.
Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade.
Participate in appraisal, training, and development activities.
Be aware of and comply with Leeds City Council policies and procedures.
Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding, equality & diversity policies of Leeds City Council.
Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse, reporting any concerns to the appropriate person.
The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and the role will be expected to work within these parameters.

#INT

#LI-DNI

Apply for this job