GUIDELINES FOR APPLICANTS. Parliamentary Officer (Policy) August 2013

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1 GUIDELINES FOR APPLICANTS Parliamentary Officer (Policy) 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 Appointment is likely to be made within a salary range from $62,000 to $70,000 per annum. Hours of work Staff are paid for eight hours per day and 40 hours per week and may be required to work these hours. The minimum full time hours of work required are 37 hours and 55 minutes per week. The hours are normally worked by agreement between 7.00am and 6.00pm, Monday to Friday. However, core hours may operate, between which the employee must be at work, and staff may be required to work outside their usual hours in order to provide the Office s services. Annual leave Employees are entitled to five weeks annual leave, up to six days of which must be used during the Christmas/New Year Office closedown period. Sick leave For employees with less than two years of recognised service the annual entitlement of sick leave is 10 days per annum. Employees with more than two years of recognised service are allocated 15 days of sick leave per annum. Unused entitlements can be accrued up to 260 days. Entitlements are pro-rated for part-timers and employees on fixed term appointments, with a minimum entitlement of five days per annum. Sick leave may also be used to care for dependants. Position The following is the role description for the Parliamentary Officer (Policy) role. A position description for the Parliamentary Officer position is available on request. Please note that the role description covers three team members and each team member has a different range of duties. The position being recruited for now will primarily focus on the development of parliamentary policy and assisting to establish a system for cross-office input into this work. This will provide the opportunity to work with a range of senior staff across the office.

3 ROLE DESCRIPTION Role: Office: Location: Salary: Background: Parliamentary Officer (Policy) Parliamentary Relations and Policy Group, Office of the Clerk Parliament House, Wellington Band 6: roles with responsibility for select committees supported by the Parliamentary Relations and Policy Group, the Registrar of Pecuniary and Other Specified Interests, and the co-ordination of parliamentary policy work led by the Deputy Clerk The Parliamentary Officer (Policy) is part of the Parliamentary Relations and Policy Group which develops the Office s advocacy for Parliament and provides parliamentary capacity building. The group: Provides procedural and parliamentary policy research and development Provides advice on parliamentary law and legal services for the Office and the Parliamentary Service Provides parliamentary education services for members of Parliament, other participants in the parliamentary process, and the public Facilitates engagement with the international parliamentary community. Purpose: Responsible to: Responsible for: The Parliamentary Officer (Policy) is assigned a mix of duties which may include managing the provision of secretariat services as a clerk of committee to select committees supported by the Parliamentary Relations and Policy Group, providing support to the Registrar of Pecuniary and Other Specified Interests of Members of Parliament, or secretariat services to support the co-ordination of parliamentary policy work led by the Deputy Clerk. In addition, the Parliamentary Officer (Policy) role has responsibility for managing and contributing to the provision of procedural and parliamentary policy research services and support for citizens initiated referenda processes. The Operational Manager (Policy) No staff responsibilities Working relationships:

4 Internal: External: Clerk of the House, Deputy Clerk of the House, Clerk-Assistants, Operational Managers, other Parliamentary Officers (Policy), Legislative Counsel, other staff in the Parliamentary Relations and Policy Group, Parliamentary Officers (Table), Clerks of Committee, meeting and committee support staff in Select Committee Services and the Table office, members of the Information Services team, and other staff of the Office of the Clerk. Registrar of Pecuniary and Other Specified Interests of Members of Parliament, the Speaker of the House and staff of the Speaker s Office, Parliamentary Service, members of select committees supported by the Parliamentary Relations and Policy Group, members of Parliament generally, Parliamentary library staff, Serjeant-at-Arms, Party Whips, the Cabinet Office of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, policy staff within government departments and the Law Commission, members of the public, staff of the Electoral Commission and Statistics New Zealand. RESPONSIBILITIES Each Parliamentary Officer (Policy) will be assigned a mix of the duties outlined below by the senior manager, and will be placed at a salary level in this role, according to his or her knowledge and experience. Secretariat Services select committees supported by the Parliamentary Relations and Policy Group Procedural advice Provides procedural advice to the Chairperson and other committee members Provides advice on general aspects of parliamentary practice. Management of services Plans, allocates and organises the work of the committee secretariat Monitors the progress of all work undertaken by the secretariat Ensures that all papers prepared for the committee meet the Office s standards for quality, timeliness and presentation Provides advice and assistance to committee members and their executive assistants as required, and ensures effective liaison and communication is maintained between the secretariat and Members offices, and other agencies, such as Parliamentary Counsel Office, government departments, and the Office of the Auditor and Controller-General and the Registrar of Pecuniary and Other Specified Interests.

5 Meeting administration Implements the procedures, systems and practices for meeting administration in accordance with OOC guidelines Overseeing the preparation of notices of meetings, agendas and prepare minutes Attends all meetings of the committee Plans and manages the committee s programme of work Advises the committee on the application of tikanga Māori to meeting administration Arranges committee meetings with visiting committees, parliamentary delegations or other visitors. Items of business Implements the procedures and practices set by the Office, for the Standing Orders Committee s consideration of bills, inquiries or other matters Provides procedural advice, research, and information services to the committee Prepares correspondence arising out of committee meetings Develops and maintains a network of contacts in the subject area of the committee s jurisdiction Arranges the committee s publicity requirements Drafts reports on the items of business before the committee Organises the final publication and presentation to the House of the committee s reports. Register of Members Pecuniary and Other Specified Interests: services to the Registrar Management of services Plans, allocates and organises the work to support the Registrar Monitors the progress of all work undertaken by the secretariat Ensures that all papers prepared for the Registrar complies with the Office s standards for quality, timeliness and presentation Provides and coordinates advice and assistance to the Registrar, and members of Parliament and staff as required, and ensures effective liaison and communication is maintained between the secretariat and Members offices, and the Office of the Auditor and Controller-General

6 Maintains the records relating to the Register, including within the Office s information management systems, and organises the destruction of records in accordance with Standing Orders Implements the requirements of Standing Orders to compile and maintain a register of pecuniary and other specified interests of members of Parliament. Service delivery Provides and coordinates advisory, research, and information services to the Registrar Develops and maintains a network of contacts in the subject area of the Registrar s jurisdiction Facilitates, if requested, the provision of advice from the Office of the Controller and Auditor-General and any independent specialist advice to the Registrar Drafts a summary of member s returns for the register Administers systems to support any Registrar s inquiry requested by a member about another member s obligations, and provides advice to Registrar on such inquiries Arranges the Registrar s publicity or media liaison requirements Organises the final publication and presentation to the House of the summary of annual returns. Secretariat services to support the co-ordination of parliamentary policy work Management of Service Plans, allocates, and organises parliamentary policy work led by the Deputy Clerk of the House Monitors the progress of all work Ensures that all papers meet the Office s standards for quality, timeliness and presentation Prepares agendas, minutes and attends all relevant meetings Plans and manages the work programme Maintains records within existing Office information management systems including a database to track progress of parliamentary policy issues Provides advisory, research, and information services Develops and maintains a network of relevant external contacts Assists with preparation of submissions or reports for the Clerk of the House

7 Assists with delivery of training and education programmes for staff and others on parliamentary policy issues. Secretariat services to Clerk s procedural meetings Co-ordinates contributions, researches and identifies material for weekly briefing and debriefing Prepares agenda for meetings Prepares procedural notes and documents references to procedural resources and parliamentary information sources Maintains and updates records of procedural notes Coordinates access and delivery of procedural notes into knowledge management systems. Procedural research Contributes to co-ordinating procedural research and maintaining an accessible record of procedural advice across the Office Processes responses to references in the House Prepares commemorative motions and obituaries Contributes to processes for updating, reprinting and providing enhanced access to Standing Orders and Sessional Orders Provides research services for the development of Speakers Rulings, and processes for updating and reprinting of Speakers Rulings and supplements Provides research, and editorial and formatting assistance for new editions of Parliamentary Practice in New Zealand, and other procedural and parliamentary publications, such as Notes on Parliamentary Law and Procedure, Parliament Matters and The Table; and external presentations Coordinates and oversees processes to prepare publications for publishing to the parliamentary website Maintains the glossary of parliamentary terms on the parliament website Prepares replies to correspondence to the Speaker on parliamentary procedural matters Contributes to timely responses to parliament-related questionnaires, the ANZACATT ecatt info-share service and research enquiries.

8 Policy research Contributes to the research and writing of parliamentary policy submissions and other policy work for the Clerk of the House. Citizens Initiated Referenda Assists with meeting the requirements of the Citizens Initiated Referenda Act 1993 including answering enquiries, liaising with the petitioner, coordinating staff to carry out tasks to ensure compliance with the Act Research and coordination of advice to the Clerk on determination of wording and statutory obligations Ensures effective communication and liaison is maintained with petitioner, Ministry of Justice, Enrolment Services and Government Statistician. Knowledge Management Contributes to the development, maintenance, design and delivery of knowledge management systems across the Office Champions the importance of the sharing of working knowledge across the Office. Other responsibilities As required by the Senior Manager Parliamentary Relations and Policy.

9 COMPETENCIES The position description for a Parliamentary Officer, Level 3, sets out the competencies for all roles within the position. The competencies below provide more detail on the specific skills and knowledge requirements of this role. Appointees will either possess these skills or will have the ability to acquire them. Parliamentary/specialist knowledge A detailed knowledge of parliamentary procedure as it relates to legislative, House and select committee procedures, sufficient to provide advice to members, Ministers and their staff, and to coach staff. The ability to prepare written explanations of or guidelines on procedural issues, and present issues in verbal presentations. Experience in policy analysis. Good analytical skills and the ability to deal with complex information. The ability to recognise and act directly using own knowledge and initiative to work through unusual or complex procedural and parliamentary policy issues. An advanced understanding of English usage, grammar, spelling and composition, and high quality writing, editing and proofreading skills. An understanding of pre-press processes for the publication of documents. Tikanga Maori Have an appreciation of tikanga and te reo Māori as it may affect the work of the Office.

10 Information about 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 Further information about the Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives can be found at:

11 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 phone interviews, 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.