Applications are invited for the position of Parish Clerk and Responsible Financial Officer to manage the administration, personnel and finances of Hever Parish Council.

The Clerk provides all the administrative functions of the Council and is the principal point of contact for Hever parish residents, other local councils, contractors and professional organisations. This includes preparing minutes, agendas and project plans, all correspondence and financial matters/annual audit and planning applications.  Maintaining the parish council website/noticeboards/social media also required. The Clerk is also the Proper Officer and Responsible Financial Officer of the Council.

The post is interesting and varied and the successful applicant will be required to provide professional guidance in respect of all aspects of the Council’s work.  It is not essential to have experience of working in Local Government.

Evening meeting attendance will be required for ~ 6 evening parish meetings per year, the rest of the hours (20 hours per week in total) can be worked flexibly from home.

The salary will be in the range of £11.76 – £16.75 per hour depending on experience and annual appraisal.  There is a generous pension and working from home allowance.

The Council – Hever Parish Council has 10 Councillors, who make decisions and represent ~ 1,200 residents in Four Elms, Hever and Markbeech, Kent. See www.hever.org  The Council owns and maintains two play areas/recreation grounds, one closed cemetery, a pond and surrounding bank and a large “hut”.

The Role/The Person: The successful applicant will be a highly motivated and forward-thinking individual who can promote the interests of the community by forging strong local partnerships. They will manage the statutory obligations of the council, including its financial responsibilities. Ideally the candidate will have previous office-based experience with excellent computer literacy skills, the ability to multitask and provide both written and numerical support to the council and have some knowledge/interest of the area. The Clerk provides independent support to the Councillors, who vote on decisions. Confidence in basic accounting finance is also required.

We are looking for someone with a professional attitude, excellent time management skills together with flexibility and a can-do, hands on, proactive attitude and who is confident that they can work on their own using their own initiative. They must be an excellent communicator with good interpersonal skills

Whilst relevant experience is preferred, specific training will be provided where required e.g. finance, planning, local government. There will be a comprehensive handover and support from the Council members and experts.

The Offer: 20 hours of work per week will be flexible. All the work is from home, so it is essential to have good broadband access.  A computer/webcam will be provided and there is professional IT support.

Interested applicants should contact the Clerk asap, Christina Divall (clerk@hever.org) with any queries and for a formal job description and subsequently send a brief CV and set out reasons for applying in a covering letter.

The closing date for Applications is 30th November – which may close early subject to interest, with interviews provisionally planned for week commencing 6th December.  

Start date asap.