About the job

Job summary

We are looking for a Publications Enquiries Officer to join our Journal Office at the House of Lords. This is an exciting opportunity to work in our Printed Paper Office (PPO), which is a ‘front-of-house’ service where you will be responsible for ensuring all necessary printed documents are available to members and staff and responding to customer enquiries. There is also variety in the role as you will also be supporting the Procedural Centre and Conduct teams on a regular basis, giving you exposure and experience in multiple areas.

Due to the customer facing aspect of the role, this is an opportunity to work on-site in the Palace of Westminster. This is a fantastic position for someone who likes working in fast-paced, customer focused environment and can communicate effectively with multiple stakeholders to advise on wide-ranging enquiries and issues.

Job description

You’ll be accountable for –  

• Acting as a point of contact for members in the PPO, providing professional advice on papers and redirecting queries to other teams where appropriate.

• Checking all papers laid before the House for compliance with requirements and triaging and escalating issues as required.

 

• Liaising with government departments about laying papers, including advising on laying requirements.

 

• Taking receipt of new papers, completing all associated administrative tasks and ensuring compliance with document registration, filing and archiving processes.

 

• Maintaining House databases and records, ensuring that information on papers and the House’s membership is accurate and up to date.

 

• Supporting resilience across the wider Journal Office by developing new skills and working regularly in other areas at the same grade.

 

For the full list of role duties and responsibilities, please see the attached job description.

Person specification

What we’re looking for –

• Strong customer service skills including the ability to deal with a range of customers and queries in a front-line role.

 

• Professionalism including being organised and able to respond to urgent requests and prioritise tasks accordingly.

 

• Good oral and written communication skills and interpersonal skills.

 

• Strong team-working skills including the ability to be flexible within a team and take responsibility for ensuring that the office is covered and enquiries are dealt with promptly.

 

Benefits

What you’ll get in return

• 30 days annual leave (increasing to 35 after one years’ service)
• Generous pension scheme
• Discounts from well-known brands and retailers
• Parliamentary health and wellbeing programme
• The opportunity to witness history in the making.

The work we do is vital to the House of Lords, and you will be a pivotal member in the team strengthening the work of the House. The House of Lords is the second chamber of the UK parliament. It is independent from and complements the work of the House of Commons to:

• Make laws
• Check and challenge the actions of the government through questions and debates
• Investigate public policy and provide a forum of independent expertise

Things you need to know

Selection process details

Please complete your online application by 23.55 on Sunday 03 March 2024.

If you require any reasonable adjustments during the application process, please contact hlrecruitment@parliament.uk or call 020 7219 5973.

Job offers are standardly offered at the minimum of the salary range.

The House of Lords Administration is committed to increasing diversity and maintaining an inclusive workplace culture. We welcome applications from all candidates regardless of their age, caring responsibilities, disability, gender/sex, gender reassignment/trans status, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation and socio-economic status. The Administration will also consider flexible working arrangements and reasonable adjustments.

We welcome and encourage job applications from people of all backgrounds. For this role we particularly welcome applications from groups which are currently underrepresented within the team, including applications from Black, Asian and ethnic minority candidates and candidates with disabilities.

 

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is counter-terrorist check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.