Receptionist/Clerical Assistant - Council HQ - SBO10510

Scottish Borders Council; Newtown St Boswells; On-site; GBP 18,000 - 23,000; Full time

Job summary

Scottish Borders Council is recruiting a Receptionist & Clerical Assistant based at the Council HQ in Newtown St Boswells. The role supports the Customer Advice & Support service with front-desk coverage and processing information in various IT systems.

You will handle calls, process Council Tax and Housing Benefit tasks, produce reports, and provide high-quality customer service across internal and external customers. Strong MS Office skills and attention to detail are essential.

Qualifications

• At least 5 SCE Standard Grades at level 3 or above including English and Mathematics or Arithmetic.

Responsibilities

• Handle calls through the main Council switchboard.
• Process and update information in IT systems to produce reports and bills.
• Provide cover for Headquarters Reception and back-office functions as required.
• Manage enquiries via the Homelessness and Financial Inclusion mailbox.
• Use Council systems including Business World, Intranet, OneDrive and MS Office.
• Manipulate, analyse and extract data in Excel.
• Process Council Tax Direct Debit requests and Housing Benefit payments.
• Issue Council Tax bills, reminders and warrants.
• Support service delivery with bespoke IT applications.

Skills

Customer service

Organisational skills

Attention to detail

Communication

Education

5 SCE Standard Grades including English & Maths

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Receptionist/Clerical Assistant - Council HQ - SBO10510

Contract Duration: Permanent

Role Purpose

An exciting opportunity has arisen for the post of Receptionist & Clerical Assistant based at Scottish Borders Council Headquarters in Newtown St Boswells within the CASS Business Support Team. This is a full time post providing administrative assistance to Customer Advice & Support.

The Business Support Team plays a vital role within the Customer Advice and Support Service, providing essential support across both Systems Support and Reception/Administration functions. This varied role requires excellent organisational skills, strong attention to detail, and a good working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications.

As a Business Support Assistant, you will be responsible for delivering high-quality administrative and customer support services to both internal and external customers. Key duties include:

• Handling calls received through the main Council switchboard.
• Processing and updating information within bespoke IT systems to produce reports, calculate bills and benefit entitlements, and maintain Council Tax, Non-Domestic Rates and BID accounts.
• Providing cover for Headquarters Reception and other reception or back-office functions as required.
• Managing enquiries received through the Homelessness and Financial Inclusion team mailbox.
• Using Council systems and applications, including Business World, Intranet, OneDrive and Microsoft Office packages.
• Manipulating, analysing and extracting data using Microsoft Excel.
• Processing Council Tax Direct Debit requests and Housing Benefit payments through designated payment systems.
• Indexing of Customer Advice Service emails.
• Producing and issuing Council Tax bills, reminders, final notices and summary warrants.
• Working with a range of bespoke IT applications to support service delivery.
• Providing excellent customer service and support to colleagues, customers and partner organisations.

This role would suit an individual who is customer-focused, adaptable, capable of managing competing priorities, and confident working with a range of systems and detailed information.

At least 5 SCE Standard Grades at level 3 or above (or equivalent) including English and Mathematics or Arithmetic or relevant comparable experience

Informal Enquiries

Informal enquiries may be made to Erin Hogg at

[e-mail]

.

Scottish Borders Council is committed to improving the diversity of its workforce to better reflect the communities we serve. We welcome applications from all minority groups and individuals who identify with one or more of the protected characteristics as defined by the Equality Act 2010. In particular from candidates who assess themselves as having a disability, under the Disability Confident Employer scheme this guarantees an interview to those individuals who meet the essential criteria of the post. All appointments will be made on merit.

Scottish Borders Council is committed to providing support for Armed Forces Veterans. Showing its commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant, the Council guarantees an interview to veterans who meet the essential criteria of the post. All appointments will be made on merit.

Employability Support –The Employability Service - For support on completing job applications, Scottish Borders residents can access free support from our specialist Employability Team. Please contact us via the switchboard 01835 824000 asking to be transferred to the Employability Service or email [e-mail]

You can also find more about the support we have to offer, by visiting our website for more information https://www.scotborders.gov.uk/help-finding-job/support-employment