​OFFICE OF THE CLERK OF TYNWALD

FURTHER PARTICULARS

Post:                          Head of Legislative Services

Responsible to:         Deputy Clerk of Tynwald 

Responsible for:        Legislative Services Team(s)    

BACKGROUND 

Tynwald is the parliament of the Isle of Man and has unlimited, though not exclusive, legislative competence. It has three Chambers: the 24-member House of Keys, which is popularly elected; the 11-member Legislative Council, which is for the most part elected by the House of Keys; and the 35-member Tynwald Court, comprised of the first two Chambers (referred to as the “Branches of Tynwald”) sitting together. 

The Office of the Clerk of Tynwald is an organisation of around 25 people with annual net expenditure of around £2 million. (This figure excludes Members’ emoluments.) The Office aims to deliver services of the highest quality to Tynwald and the public, while maintaining a reputation for excellence both on and off the Isle of Man. Despite Tynwald’s tricameral structure, the Office operates as a single organisation providing support to all three Chambers. 

The Head of Legislative Services will play a pivotal role at the heart of the Office’s senior management team. The postholder will lead the team delivering core parliamentary services including research, the clerking of scrutiny and procedural committees, administrative support for sittings, publications and delivering Hansard.  The postholder may be required to undertake duties outside of office hours from time to time usually agreed in advance.  

The postholder will also lead delivery and development across the full range of the Office’s services to Members and the public, exploiting technology to improve efficiency while motivating staff and engaging positively with stakeholders and customers.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 

The tasks and functions of the post holder as Head of Legislative Services are: 

1.           Management –  

a.      being accountable for the performance and delivery of the Legislative Services team by ensuring the delivery of high-quality outputs and services, on time and within budget;  

b.      supervise, coach and review the work performed by the team; 

c.       as a member of the senior management team supporting the Clerk and the Deputy Clerk by providing advice, acting as line manager to section heads, serving on recruitment and selection panels and exercising functions set out in the Office’s Staff Management Procedures  

2.           Service delivery – co-ordinating all aspects of delivering effective and efficient legislative services to Members of Tynwald and the public.  

3.           Chamber duties – to exercise the function of the Third Clerk of Tynwald as set out in the Standing Orders of Tynwald; to be able to deputise for the Clerk of the Legislative Council and potentially for the Secretary of the House of Keys.  

4.           Research – ensuring the delivery of high quality, informative parliamentary briefing papers and research services to committees and individual Members. 

5.           Committee – clerking at least one permanent scrutiny committee, which will involve managing inquiries into a range of economic, social, environmental, constitutional or financial topics. 

6.           Editorial – peer reviewing team work to ensure quality, accuracy and timeliness of work; ownership of the Tynwald house style guides. 

7.           Publications – supporting the delivery of material for publication on a variety of platforms ensuring that it is produced and published within predetermined timescales. 

8.           Hansard – alongside overall responsibility for the timely and accurate publication of the Official Report to build and maintain business relationships with external customers and service providers.  

9.           Communications – managing and developing the profile of legislative services offered by the Office of the Clerk of Tynwald to Members of Tynwald, the public and other parliaments. 

10.        Information management – managing information and records in accordance with established policies and statutory requirements. 

11.        Project management – delivering specific projects as required by the Clerk of Tynwald and taking a full and active part in any cross-team working required to achieve this. 

12.        Other duties may be specified by the Clerk of Tynwald from time to time.

THE SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATE 

The following criteria are essential: 

·         proven track record of delivering services to strict deadlines 

·         strong written English language skills with experience of proof reading  

·         a high attention to detail 

·         the ability to analyse information and to understand and explain complex arguments  

·         practical experience of effective team leadership with a proven track record of getting the best from people 

·         team player with a flexible outlook and a can-do attitude

The following criteria are desirable: 

·         experience of working in a politically led environment 

·         experience of delivering public services 

·         experience of writing impartial papers for an external audience  

·         familiarity with digital editorial or publishing software 

·         familiarity with publication processes  

·         willingness to work outside of office hours

INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY 

The Office of the Clerk of Tynwald offers an inclusive workplace culture and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates regardless of their ethnicity, race, gender, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, age, marital status or whether or not they have a disability.   

TERMS AND CONDITIONS 

This post is remunerated on salary scale from £48,842 and £56,875 and has an annual leave allowance of 21 days on appointment. 

The Office of the Clerk of Tynwald operates a flexi scheme for hours of work. This requires that staff normally work a 37-hour week, but there may be flexibility regarding starting times and finishing times within the constraints of the needs of the Office and subject to agreement with the postholder’s line manager. The postholder will be required to work on Tynwald Day, a public holiday in the Isle of Man. 

Staff employed in the Office of the Clerk of Tynwald are officers of Tynwald and not employees of the Public Services Commission (PSC). However, they are generally employed under PSC terms and conditions. Should an existing PSC civil servant be appointed to this post, they would cease to be classified as a civil servant, but would continue in the Government Unified Pension Scheme and years of service would be taken into account in determining annual leave allowances etc.

SELECTION PROCESS 

To apply for this role please submit to the Deputy Clerk, Joann Corkish, by 12 noon on Tuesday 12^th October 2021: 

·         a completed application form (Pdf); 

·         a CV, which must include the information specified at the top of the application form; and 

·         a research paper of 1200 - 1500 words – see Research Exercise brief​.    

If you require assistance in applying for posts, please contact us.  

The interview will incorporate a scenario exercise, materials for which will be provided shortly before the interview. Any shortlisted applicant who would require particular arrangements to attend or take part in an interview should let us know once they receive their invitation to interview. 

Shortlisted candidates will be assessed by means of  

                                i.          the previously submitted research paper 

                               ii.          a Personal Profile Analysis  

                             iii.           a proof correction exercise 

                             iv.          a management exercise 

                               v.          45-minute interview 

The intention is to hold interviews on 01 November 2021.

FURTHER INFORMATION 

Potential applicants are encouraged to contact the Deputy Clerk, Joann Corkish, by telephoning 01624 685511 or by emailing j.corkish@tynwald.org.im to arrange an informal discussion before applying.