Authorisation of changes to the establishment, within budget and withoutmajor service or policy implications, affecting no more than five posts(irrespective of their post number) in any single case, is delegated to the ChiefExecutive (Item 6 on page 8-4 of the Constitution).

Authority for Decision

1-4To split the current full time post of Procurement & Income Assistant. into two posts of 20 hours each in Procurement and Income. To fund

the additional three hours a Weekfrom the vacant post in Payments,0045, and fund the shortfall in 2015/16 from that post as well.

Reasons

That:1. With effect from 18 May 2015 the Procurement & Income Assistant,

post M267 be re-named' as Procurement Assistant and the hours bereduced from 37 to 20 a week and a revised Job Description andPerson Specification be adopted. .

2. With .effect from 18 May 2015 the remaining functions of theProcurement & Income Assistant be transferred to a new post ofIncome Assistant at Grade 3 for 20 hours per week based on theattached Job Description and Person Specification.

3. That a one off virement from Payments (C510) post 0045 of £2,850 bemade to each of Procurement (C511) and Income, C505, in 2015/16 tocover the extra hours and salary as the current post is atapprenticeship rates.

4. That with effect from 1April 2016, the hours of post 0045 in Paymentsbe reduced from 37 to 34.5 a week. The saving of £1,800 be split as£900' to each of Procurement, C511, and Income, C505, to cover the1.5 extra hours for these posts compared to the 18.5 hours per weekcurrently budgeted for.

Recommendations

Geoff Parker - Chief Executive

Officer Making the Decision

John Casey - Head of Finance & PropertyServices

Officer Requesting Decision

Decision under Delegated Powers

5. Funding for these changes will come from a vacant post in Payments(C510), with £5,700 being vired in 2015/16 and then the hours for thatpost, 0045, being reduced from 2016/17 from 37 to 34.5 to fund theadditional three hours in these posts. Post 0045 is a scale 4 post so areduction of 2.5 hours is sufficient to fund the 3 hours needed.

4. The revised Procurement role will be for 20 hours per week and the 'new'Income role will also be for 20 hours per week. The JOs and PSs will bebased on the-current one for post M267 but with the Procurement andIncome elements being separated out. After due consideration it wasagreed that there was sufficient work to increase the combined hours to 40from 37 and it was the view that 20 hour posts would be easier to recruitto.

3. Whilst the apprenticeship has worked well for the individual they havestruggled with spending half a day in one role and then half a day in theother. This has often resulted in tasks not been finished in either sectionas well as confusion from other colleagues as to where they were workingand when. Similar problems have been encountered with other split rolesin Finance. )

2. After consultation with the two .section heads it has been agreed to splitthe post in two and upgrade the hours to 20 in each role.

1. The current Procurement & Income Assistant, postholder M267, hasresigned with effect from 15 May 2015. This postholder was an apprenticealthough the actual substantive role is a grade 3 post.

Background

Decision and Date

Comments from HR HR Advisor: Anna Cairns (22/4/15) Where necessary the Organisational Change process has been followed and staff have been consulted with in line with the Policy. Therefore, there are no HR reasons why these changes cannot be implemented. Financial Implications The financial implications are set out below:

2015/16 2016/17

(Full Year)#

£ £

Post M267, Procurement & Income Assistant -13,300 -22,600

Revised Post M267 Procurement Assistant (10 months in 2015/16)

9,500 12,200

New Income Assistant 9,500 12,200

Virements from Payments post Q045 -5,700 -1,800

Net Effect 0 0

# - top of scale and will use the substantive Grade 3 funding for these posts plus the virement. Risk Management No specific risks have been identified with this report Key Decision: No Background Papers: None

Division: Financial Services

Job Title: Procurement Assistant

Grade: Scale 3 (Subject to JE) Part Time 20 hours per week

Post Number: M267

Base/Location: Southfields, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 2TU

Responsible To: David Howkins

Responsible For: Nil Staff

Key Relationships/ Liaison with:

Internal Customers and external suppliers Utility Companies and Eastern Shires Procurement Organisation

Job Purpose

To assist the Procurement Manager in providing an efficient and effective Procurement service to the Council.

Preparation of orders from authorised requisitions and monitoring the Financial Management System’s (Agresso) logistics module

Input utility bills and process through to payment.

Liaise with utility and other suppliers, as well as colleagues throughout the council, with queries and clarification requests as appropriate

Main Duties and Responsibilities

1.

Assist Senior Purchasing Officer maintain close liaison with the Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation (ESPO) on all matters relating to the supply of utilities and to undertake all enquiries, correspondence, records using Systems Link (Energy Manager) etc, in this respect.

2. Input utility bills for all Council services and liaise with council wide staff and the utility companies on any queries in relation to those invoices.

3. To assist in the operation of Central Procurement operations and ensure compliance with Contract Standing Orders and Financial Regulations.

4. Obtain quotations in accordance with contract Standing Orders and Financial regulations for those purchasing requirements not covered by ESPO or other Central Procurement arrangements.

5. Provide cover in all postal procedures including opening, date stamping, entering into appropriate records, distribution, collection and despatch.

6. Assist with the maintenance of the council’s electronic Procurement Tool Kit and Contract register.

7. Assist with the purchasing, receipt and issue of orders for goods and services in accordance with approved systems, as required.

8. Undertake research and sampling and to assist with the preparation of reports as directed by the Procurement Manager.

9. Assist with the training of staff on the integrated Purchase Ordering/Commitment Accounting system of the authority.

10. Deputise for the Senior Purchasing Officer as and when required.

11. Communicate effectively with Officers of the Council and suppliers of goods and services to the authority.

12. Maintain confidentially of data at all times.

13. Delivery of an effective and appropriate service to all service users, fairly and without discrimination.

14.

As a term of your employment you can be required to undertake such other duties commensurate with your grade, and/or hours of work, as may reasonably be required of you at your initial place of work or at any other of the Authority's establishments.

Special Factors

This job description sets out the duties and responsibilities of the job

at the time when it was drawn up. Such duties and responsibilities

may vary from time to time without changing the general character of

the duties or the level of responsibility entailed. Such variations are a

common occurrence and cannot in themselves justify a

reconsideration of the grading of the job.

Charnwood Borough Council is seeking to promote the employment of

disabled people and will make any adjustments considered reasonable

to the above duties under the terms of the Equality Act 2010 to

accommodate a suitable disabled candidate.

Date Prepared/Revised: 21/04/2015

Division: Financial Services

Job Title: Procurement Assistant

Grade: Scale 3 (Subject to JE) Part Time 20 hours per week

Post Number: M267

Essential Desirable How

assessed

Qualifications

GCSE or equivalent Maths & English

App/Doc

GCSE or equivalent Maths & English grade A to C

App/Doc

ECDL or similar IT qualification

App/Doc

Experience Ability to analyse Financial and other information

Previous working experience within an office environment

App/Int App/Int

Skills/Knowledge Computer literate, including working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook

App/Int

Experience of working with IT systems. App/Int

Interpersonal Skills Able to communicate effectively with internal and external customers; by letter, email and telephone

App/Int

Effective communication and team work skills

Int

Other requirements Able to work quickly and accurately under pressure.

App/Int

Ability to work on own initiative Able to work within a team and provide support to team members Work with and protect at all times, confidential and commercially sensitive information. Flexible approach to hours of work.

App/Int App/Int App/Int Int

An understanding of, and commitment to equal opportunities, and the ability to apply this to all situations.

App/Int

Must be able to perform all the duties and tasks of the job with reasonable adjustments, where appropriate, in accordance with the provisions of the Equality Act 2010.

Key: App = Application form Test = Test Int = Interview

Pre = Presentation Med = Medical questionnaire Doc = Documentary evidence (e.g. certificates)

Prepared by: David Howkins Date: 21/04/2015

NOTES If it is a new post or an existing post that has substantially changed, a copy of the job description and person specification must be sent to Corporate HR Business Support Team, email hrcorporate-support’leics.gov.uk, in order for the post to undergo Job Evaluation for grading.

Person specifications must not include any reference to years of experience, attendance record and appearance or any other requirement that could be perceived as discriminatory. Guidance on completing the person specification In general, person specifications should include details of:

1. Qualifications - Qualification requirements which are not necessary to undertake the job should be avoided, as they are potentially discriminatory. The use of professional or academic qualifications should be avoided where they are not demonstrably and genuinely needed to undertake the job. Instead appropriate testing should be used to gather information on a candidate’s abilities. The challenge is to be very specific about the skill or level of skill required to carry out the post and then to test for it. Evidence of appropriate skills, knowledge and experience should be considered as an alternative. Where a qualification is necessary, an equivalent qualification should also be taken into account e.g. qualifications gained overseas or National Vocational Qualifications.

The use of basic Maths or English qualifications as evidence of relevant numeracy or literacy skills is a commonly included criterion that should be considered very carefully before inclusion in a person specification. These criterions could be seen to discriminate against persons who have acquired similar levels of skill through experience and vocational training. Furthermore an academic qualification is no guarantee that the applicant will have the particular skills needed. Some exceptions to this rule would be:

Where a national qualification standard has been adopted by the Council with which it must comply.

Where there is a statutory requirement for persons to be appropriately qualified in order to perform their function, e.g. Solicitors.

Where it would be unrealistic to test a body of knowledge on account of its scope e.g. Education, Engineering etc, and where it is reasonable to rely on that professional qualification as evidence of competence.

Recruiters must always challenge the inclusion of academic qualifications in person specifications. If in doubt you should seek advice from HR.

2. Experience - Consider the type of experience required (if any). Also consider what types of experience may be valid, e.g. voluntary work.

3. Skills/Specialist Knowledge - Is there any specialist knowledge or skills required, e.g. management competencies, Surveying, Accounting or IT.

4. Interpersonal Skills - What ‘people’ skills are required for effective performance in the job, e.g. communication, listening, negotiation, counselling skills.

5. Other Requirements

The 2 requirements shown must always be included. There may also be other requirements that are necessary for the particular job e.g. “To be able on occasion to work outside normal office hours”, “To be able to travel throughout the Borough, (may be using own transport)”, etc. You must not refer to appearance or attendance record or include any other requirement that could be perceived as discriminatory.

Division: Financial Services

Job Title: Income Assistant

Grade: Scale 3 - Part Time 20 hours per week

Post Number:

Base/Location: Southfields, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE11 2TU

Responsible To: Senior Income Officer

Responsible For: Nil Staff

Key Relationships/ Liaison with:

Internal and external customers, banks/building societies, Debt Recovery Agencies

Job Purpose

To assist in the issue and collection of sundry debtor invoices for Council services and carry out reminder/recovery action and monitoring in respect of outstanding accounts.

To assist in the identification, reconciliation and posting of bank income via the Council’s Income Management System, AIM.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

1.

Assist in the preparation and issue of sundry debtor invoices for Council services, issuing of reminders, following up and negotiating with debtors both face-to-face and by telephone, monitoring of arrears and referring outstanding accounts for appropriate action.

2. Assist in the maintenance of the Garden Waste Collection Service customer accounts and subscription records on the Council’s Financial Management System, Agresso when required.

3. Meet service requests and resolve customer queries through the effective management of cases on the CRM, (Customer Relationship Management System), Lagan.

4. Liaise with Internal Customers, (Services), External Customers, Customer Contact Centre, Customer Service Centre, Banks/Building Societies, Debt Recovery Agency and any other parties as appropriate.

5. Upload new instructions via ClientWeb to the Council’s Debt Collection Agency. Monitor and reconcile existing instructions to the Financial Management System, Agresso. Identify accounts for write off.

6. Help maintain existing Direct Debit records and set up new Direct Debit Instructions on the Financial Management System, Agresso.

7. Process BACS files on the Financial Management System, Agresso and BACS submissions using Microgen Bacway IP Software

8. Reconciliation and input of departmental banking through the Department Banking Database to the Financial Management System, Agresso.

9. Identification and allocation of un-posted bank payments to the Council’s Income Management System, AIM

10. Deal with written and telephone enquiries from customers, process telephone card payments and general clerical duties within the section

11. Maintain confidentially of data at all times.

12. Delivery of an effective and appropriate service to all service users, fairly and without discrimination.

Special Factors

This job description sets out the duties and responsibilities of the job

at the time when it was drawn up. Such duties and responsibilities

may vary from time to time without changing the general character of

the duties or the level of responsibility entailed. Such variations are a

common occurrence and cannot in themselves justify a

reconsideration of the grading of the job.

Charnwood Borough Council is seeking to promote the employment of

disabled people and will make any adjustments considered reasonable

to the above duties under the terms of the Equality Act 2010 to

accommodate a suitable disabled candidate.

Date Prepared/Revised: 16/04/2015

Division: Financial Services

Job Title: Income Assistant

Grade: Scale 3 – Part Time 20 hours per week

Post Number: MXXX

Essential Desirable How

assessed

Qualifications GCSE or equivalent Maths & English

App/Doc

GCSE or equivalent Maths & English grade A to C

App/Doc

ECDL or similar IT qualification

Or Demonstrable experience identified within the section below

App/Int

Experience Experience of computerised accounting systems

App/Int

General office experience

App/Int

Experience of computerised accounts receivable system

App/Int

Experience of Credit Control

App/Int

Skills/Knowledge Excellent PC/keyboard skills, including working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook

App/Int

Experience of Direct Debit and BACS processing

App/Int

Interpersonal Skills Able to communicate effectively with internal and external customers; by letter, email and telephone

App/Int

Effective communication and team work skills

Int

Other requirements Ability to work under pressure and prioritise workload to achieve deadlines with accuracy

App/Int

Ability to work under own initiative as well as being able to adhere to defined procedures

App/Int

Ability to apply discretion and confidentiality to work environment

Int

Ability to be flexible in a changing environment

Int

An understanding of, and commitment to equal opportunities, and the ability to apply this to all situations

App/Int

Must be able to perform all the duties and tasks of the job with reasonable adjustments, where appropriate, in accordance with the provisions of the Equality Act 2010

Key: App = Application form Test = Test Int = Interview

Pre = Presentation Med = Medical questionnaire Doc = Documentary evidence (e.g. certificates)

Prepared by: Sarah Allen Date: 16/04/2015

NOTES If it is a new post or an existing post that has substantially changed, a copy of the job description and person specification must be sent to Corporate HR Business Support Team, email hrcorporate-support’leics.gov.uk, in order for the post to undergo Job Evaluation for grading.

Person specifications must not include any reference to years of experience, attendance record and appearance or any other requirement that could be perceived as discriminatory. Guidance on completing the person specification In general, person specifications should include details of:

6. Qualifications - Qualification requirements which are not necessary to undertake the job should be avoided, as they are potentially discriminatory. The use of professional or academic qualifications should be avoided where they are not demonstrably and genuinely needed to undertake the job. Instead appropriate testing should be used to gather information on a candidate’s abilities. The challenge is to be very specific about the skill or level of skill required to carry out the post and then to test for it. Evidence of appropriate skills, knowledge and experience should be considered as an alternative. Where a qualification is necessary, an equivalent qualification should also be taken into account e.g. qualifications gained overseas or National Vocational Qualifications.

The use of basic Maths or English qualifications as evidence of relevant numeracy or literacy skills is a commonly included criterion that should be considered very carefully before inclusion in a person specification. These criterions could be seen to discriminate against persons who have acquired similar levels of skill through experience and vocational training. Furthermore an academic qualification is no guarantee that the applicant will have the particular skills needed. Some exceptions to this rule would be:

Where a national qualification standard has been adopted by the Council with which it must comply.

Where there is a statutory requirement for persons to be appropriately qualified in order to perform their function, e.g. Solicitors.

Where it would be unrealistic to test a body of knowledge on account of its scope e.g. Education, Engineering etc, and where it is reasonable to rely on that professional qualification as evidence of competence.

Recruiters must always challenge the inclusion of academic qualifications in person specifications. If in doubt, you should seek advice from HR.

7. Experience - Consider the type of experience required (if any). Also consider what types of experience may be valid, e.g. voluntary work.

8. Skills/Specialist Knowledge - Is there any specialist knowledge or skills required, e.g. management competencies, Surveying, Accounting or IT.

9. Interpersonal Skills - What ‘people’ skills are required for effective performance in the job, e.g. communication, listening, negotiation, counselling skills.

10. Other Requirements

The two requirements shown must always be included. There may also be other requirements that are necessary for the particular job e.g. “To be able on occasion to work outside normal office hours”, “To be able to travel throughout the Borough, (may be using own transport)”, etc. You must not refer to appearance or attendance record or include any other requirement that could be perceived as discriminatory.