GUIDELINES FOR APPLICANTS. Parliamentary Officer (Hansard Editor) August 2013

Transcription

1 GUIDELINES FOR APPLICANTS Parliamentary Officer (Hansard Editor) August 2013 Thank you for your interest in a position in the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. General information Please find enclosed information about: The position and conditions of employment The Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. Requirements of short-listed applicants. Further information about the Office of the Clerk is available on the Office s website: When making an application for the position please include your curriculum vitae, together with a covering letter outlining why you wish to work for the Office and why you feel you are qualified for the position. All candidates selected to attend an interview may bring whanau or other support.

2 Information about the position, role, and terms and conditions of employment: Remuneration Part time employees are paid an hourly rate based on salary band 2: $44,778 - $55,156. Appointment is likely to be made up to around $50,500. Progression by increments within a band in the Office's salary scale recognises the value of institutional knowledge to the Office. Increments are normally two steps after six months in the position, two steps after one year, and two steps annually thereafter up to a reference point for the band. Decisions on progression beyond the reference point are made on the basis of the employee s accumulated skill, knowledge and experience. Hours of work for part time The hours of work can be negotiated, and can include the following: Normal sitting weeks (usually about 30 per year) Tuesday and Wednesday: 1 pm to 15 minutes after completion of the person s last scheduled turn (potentially pm) Thursday: 9.30 am to 15 minutes after completion of last scheduled turn (potentially 7.35 pm) Friday: work until 15 minutes after completion of the last editing turn or allocated transcript, to a maximum of 7 hours 35 minutes, as agreed with the Manager (Hansard). During weeks when the House has an extended sitting (9am to 1pm on a Wednesday or Thursday or Friday; 7.30pm to 10pm on a Thursday) Start work at 9am on the morning of the extended sitting and work until 15 minutes after completion of the person s last scheduled turn. During urgency (continuing beyond the normal finish time on the sitting day until midnight or beyond in the case of extraordinary urgency, potentially resuming at 9am the following day) All urgency sitting hours, starting 30 minutes before the House sits and working until 1 hour and 30 minutes after the House adjourns. Penal rates of pay Part-time employees will be paid overtime for all time worked after 8 hours at the rate of T1.5 for first 3 hours and T2 thereafter, except that T2 is paid for all overtime worked between 10.30pm and 8am, or between midday Saturday and 8am Monday, or on public holidays. The Office will endeavour to give you a 9-hour break between one urgency day and the next. Holidays Because the work is irregular, part time employees do not earn annual leave but will be paid 10 percent of their earnings as holiday pay in December each year. This provides them with holiday pay during the Christmas/New Year office closedown and into January when they are unlikely to have any work.

3 No public holidays will fall on days on which they are scheduled to work. Sick leave Employees are entitled to up at least five days of sick leave over a period of each year of work, and more based on the proportion of a full year worked when this exceeds 25 weeks in the year.

4 Position Position name: Parliamentary Officer (Position 2) Role name: Hansard Editor The Position Description and Role Description define this job in detail. The following is a summary. Role: Parliamentary Officer (Hansard Editor) Office: House Services Location: Parliament House, Wellington Salary: Band 2: $44,778 - $55,156 Background: Hansard is located within the House Services group of the Office of the Clerk. Its function is to provide transcription and editing services for the House and its committees, and to produce the report of parliamentary debates (Hansard). Purpose: To produce final transcripts of debates and associated proceedings of the House of Representatives, prior to their publication; and to provide transcripts to select committees and conferences as required. Responsible to: Parliamentary Officer (Team Leader Hansard Editing) Parliamentary Officer (Team Leader Hansard Reporting) Responsible for: No staff responsibilities Working relationships: RESPONSIBILITIES Hansard Internal: Manager (Hansard), Team Leader (Hansard Reporting), Team Leader (Hansard Editing), Team Leader (Hansard Publishing), Te Kaiwhakahaere - Ngā Ratonga Reo Mäori, other Hansard staff, other Office of the Clerk staff External: Parliamentary Service staff, members of Parliament. Prepares a transcript of a segment of debate or other proceedings of the based on the audio record and a summary made in the Chamber. Prepares incorporations for inclusion in each day s Hansard. Edits and verifies a segment of Hansard text in preparation for publishing, ensuring that the text conforms with Hansard editing and style guidelines, reflects the procedures of the House, but remains as far as possible faithful to the words and manner of the speaker.

5 Liaises with the Kaiwhakahaere - Ngā Ratonga Reo Mäori when issues of interpretation/translation arise during transcription. Assesses and incorporates changes proposed by members once the Yellow is returned. Participates in rostered laser reading. This is a senior role, requiring excellent procedural and Hansard knowledge. Contributes to continuous improvement and the maintenance of a consistent Hansard style and quality record of debate by providing feedback to the reporting and editing processes, and researching and compiling material for inclusion in Hansard style and reference manuals. Designs and prepares content of Hansard manuals Word Style Book, Reference List, Hansard Style File, Committee Manual, and Precedent Manual and on an ongoing basis identifies need for and prepares entries for these manuals in consultation with senior staff. Maintains HPS tools, including lists, autocorrects, and dictionary for spellchecking. Arranges, as required, Hansard-focused Te Reo Māori training for Hansard. Participates in ongoing training. Select committees and conferences Monitors committees and conferences, using Log Notes or other technologies. Prepares, according to the appropriate editing and style guidelines and established quality and timeliness standards, a transcript of select committee evidence based on the audio record and monitor s log notes of the hearing. Prepares, according to appropriate editing and style guidelines, a transcript of parliamentary conferences, including press conferences. Coordinates, or assists the Transcription Services Coordinator to coordinate, the work of staff involved in transcribing conferences, including quality-checking and collating the transcripts. General Maintains up-to-date personal copies of all Hansard and other office manuals. Prepares, in consultation with the Clerk of the House, articles on events in the New Zealand Parliament for the international quarterly publication, The Parliamentarian.

6 Coordinates photographs and production of the Parliamentary Shield at the end of each parliamentary session (normally each three years). Performs any other duties associated with the reporting of the House. Provides editing and proofreading services to the wider office, as required. COMPETENCIES The position description for Parliamentary Officer, level 2, sets out the competencies for all roles within the position. The competencies below elaborate on these by providing greater detail on any specific skill and knowledge requirements of this role. Appointees will either possess these skills or will have the ability to acquire them. Parliamentary/ specialist knowledge Demonstrate sound keyboard skills, and an ability to work effectively with computer technology and software, particularly the MS Office suite, which is the base system for the Hansard Production System. Possess highly developed proofreading and attention to detail skills. Demonstrate a highly developed knowledge of English usage, grammar, spelling and construction, sufficient to accurately reflect the spoken word in text. Have a good general knowledge of New Zealand and international current affairs. Have an understanding of the New Zealand parliamentary process. Maintain sufficient knowledge of parliamentary procedures to: recognise the procedural components of a transcript and to use appropriate manuals to correctly record and verify the proceedings or in consultation, work through unusual or complex procedural issues, recognising that these require different treatment to the normal accurately verify the correctness of form, wording and placement of information relating to the sequence of events, and decisions made, for the passage of legislation, debates on Estimates/financial reviews and other procedures. Has a well developed understanding of editing principles and Hansard publishing style. Qualifications and experience Has proven experience in editing or a publishing/editing qualification. Has a tertiary qualification and/or several years relevant work experience.

7 Te reo and tikanga Māori Has an appreciation of tikanga Māori as it may affect the work of the Office, sufficient to seek further advice. A working knowledge of Te Reo Māori, sufficient to understand the context of simple phrases and to identify when translation is required. Health and safety requirements Work safely and ensure the safety of others who may be affected by their work. Comply with Office s health and safety policies and procedures. Understand and comply with Office s health and safety policies and procedures. Encourage others to work in a safe and healthy manner. Cooperate with management to continually improve safety and health and participates in the health and safety programme. Be aware of hazards in and around places of work; remove hazards (if easily done); and immediately report all hazards and accidents to their manager and to the Senior Human Resources Adviser. Keep health and safety representatives informed of health and safety issues. Attend all emergency drills. Advise visitors of hazards and evacuation routes and supervise them during their time in the complex. Cooperate fully with any rehabilitation plan designed to help their recovery and return to work if needed.

8 Information on the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives The position of the Clerk of the House dates back to when the House of Representatives first met in In 1988 the Clerk of the House of Representatives Act established the Office of the Clerk as a stand-alone Office of State. It is not part of the Public Service and is separate from the Parliamentary Service. Its brief is to provide services to Parliament as opposed to Government or members in their party or individual capacities. The function of the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives is to note and maintain the records of the House of Representatives and its committees and provide specialist legal, professional and administrative services to the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives in the performance of their duties as members of the House and its committees. The Speaker is effectively the Minister for the Office of the Clerk. The Clerk of the House is the principal permanent officer of the House, and the employer of the staff of the Office, of whom there are about 120. The Office has four business groups. These are: Parliamentary Relations and Policy House Services Select Committee Services Organisational Performance and Public Information Hansard is within the House Services business group. Hansard provides a record of debate in the House (Hansard) edits the text of the proceedings for consistency and accuracy produces hard copy and electronic reports of proceedings transcribes evidence from some select committee hearings produces index for Hansard contributes reports to the quarterly Commonwealth Parliamentary Association journal, The Parliamentarian. provides information to the public via the Internet

9 REQUIREMENTS OF SHORT-LISTED APPLICANTS Selection process Shortlisted applicants will be asked to attend a panel interview. The selection process is also likely to involve reference checking and psychometric testing. Declaration by a prospective employee Interviewees will also be asked to complete a declaration covering: The validity of information provided for the selection process Permission to work in New Zealand Any criminal convictions Permission to consult nominated or agreed referees Use of documents associated with the appointment process Any secondary employment Conflicts of interest Any existing impairments, illnesses or other conditions which could affect their ability to perform the duties of the job applied for to a fully competent standard, or could be aggravated by the job, or could affect anyone s health and safety at work. (The existence of such a condition will not automatically preclude you from employment with the Office.) Proof of qualifications Applicants selected for interview are asked to provide proof of any qualifications that they reference in support of their application. Security and Criminal Conviction checks Before offering an appointment, the Office checks with the Parliamentary Service whether the proposed appointee has come to the attention of Parliamentary Security. The Office will request from the Ministry of Justice a copy of any criminal convictions held on their computer systems for the person who is appointed to the position. Any disparity with the information provided in the pre-employment declaration may lead to dismissal.

10 ROLE DESCRIPTION (July 2013) Role: Office: Location: Parliamentary Officer (Hansard Editor) Hansard, House Services Group Parliament House, Wellington Salary: Band 2 Background: Purpose: Responsible to: Responsible for: Hansard is located in the House Services Group of the Office of the Clerk. Its function is to provide transcription and editing services for the House and its committees, and to produce the report of parliamentary debates (Hansard). To produce final transcripts of debates and associated proceedings of the House of Representatives, prior to their publication; and to provide transcripts to select committees and conferences as required. Parliamentary Officer (Team Leader Hansard Editing) Parliamentary Officer (Team Leader Hansard Reporting) Parliamentary Officer (Team Leader Hansard Publishing) No staff responsibilities Working Relationships: Internal: External: Manager and other senior staff in Hansard, Te Kaiwhakahaere - Ngā Ratonga Reo Māori, and other Office of the Clerk staff. Parliamentary Service staff, members of Parliament. RESPONSIBILITIES Hansard Prepares a transcript of a segment of debate or other proceedings of the House based on the audio record and notes made in the Chamber. Prepares incorporations for inclusion in each day s Hansard.

11 Edits and verifies a segment of Hansard text in preparation for publishing, ensuring that the text conforms with Hansard editing and style guidelines, reflects the procedures of the House, but remains as far as possible faithful to the words and manner of the speaker. Liaises with the Kaiwhakahaere - Ngā Ratonga Reo Mäori when issues of interpretation/translation arise during transcription. Assesses and incorporates changes proposed by members once the draft Hansard is returned. Participates in rostered laser reading. This is a senior role, requiring excellent procedural and Hansard knowledge. Contributes to continuous improvement and the maintenance of a consistent Hansard style and quality record of debate by providing feedback to the reporting and editing processes, and researching and compiling material for inclusion in Hansard style and reference manuals. Designs and prepares content of Hansard manuals Word Style Book, Reference List, Hansard Style File, Committee Manual, and Precedent Manual and on an on-going basis identifies need for and prepares entries for these manuals in consultation with senior officers. Maintains HPS tools, including lists, autocorrects, and dictionary for spellchecking. Arranges, as required, Hansard-focused Te Reo Māori training for Hansard staff. Participates in on-going training. Select committees and conferences Monitors committees and conferences. Prepares, according to the appropriate editing and style guidelines and established quality and timeliness standards, a transcript of select committee evidence based on the audio record and monitor s log notes of the hearing. Prepares, according to appropriate editing and style guidelines and established quality and timeliness standards, a transcript of parliamentary conferences, including press conferences. Coordinates, or assists the Transcription Services Coordinator to coordinate, the work of staff involved in transcribing conferences, including quality-checking and collating the transcripts. General Maintains up-to-date personal copies of all Hansard and other office manuals. 2

12 Prepares, in consultation with the Clerk of the House, articles on events in the New Zealand Parliament for the international quarterly publication, The Parliamentarian. Coordinates photographs and production of the Parliamentary Shield at the end of each parliamentary session (normally each three years). Performs any other duties associated with the reporting of the House. Provides editing and proofreading services to the wider office. COMPETENCIES The position description for Parliamentary Officer, level 2, sets out the competencies for all roles within the position. The competencies below elaborate on these by providing greater detail on any specific skill and knowledge requirements of this role. Appointees will either possess these skills or will have the ability to acquire them. Parliamentary/ specialist knowledge Demonstrates sound keyboard skills, and an ability to work effectively with computer technology and software, particularly the MS Office suite which is the base system for the Hansard Production System. Possesses highly developed proofreading, and attention to detail skills. Demonstrates a highly developed knowledge of English usage, grammar, spelling and construction, sufficient to accurately reflect the spoken word in text. Has a good general knowledge of New Zealand and international current affairs. Has an understanding of the New Zealand parliamentary process. Maintains sufficient knowledge of parliamentary procedures to: recognise the procedural components of a transcript and to use appropriate manuals to correctly record and verify the proceedings or in consultation, work through unusual or complex procedural issues, recognising that these require different treatment to the normal accurately verify the correctness of form, wording and placement of information relating to the sequence of events, and decisions made, for the passage of legislation, debates on Estimates/financial reviews and other procedures. Has a well developed understanding of editing principles and Hansard publishing style. Work experience Has proven experience in editing or a publishing/editing qualification. 3

13 Te reo and tikanga Mäori Has an appreciation of tikanga Maori as it may affect the work of the Office, sufficient to seek further advice. Has a working knowledge of Te Reo Māori, sufficient to understand the context of simple phrases and to identify when translation is required. Health and safety requirements Works safely and ensure the safety of others who may be affected by their work. Complies with Office s health and safety policies and procedures. Understands and complies with Office s health and safety policies and procedures. Encourages others to work in a safe and healthy manner. Cooperates with management to continually improve safety and health and participates in the health and safety programme. Be aware of hazards in and around places of work; removes hazards (if easily done); and immediately reports all hazards and accidents to their manager and to the Senior Human Resources Adviser. Keeps health and safety representatives informed of health and safety issues. Attends all emergency drills. Advises visitors of hazards and evacuation routes and supervises them during their time in the complex. Cooperates fully with any rehabilitation plan designed to help their recovery and return to work if needed. 4