Different councils may deliver these services in different ways, but the idea is the same - these are the functions that support the organisation as a whole and help it to run smoothly. For example IT, finance, policy research, marketing, human resources etc.
The quality of its support services is a fundamental factor to the success of any organisation. In local government the functions that are based in this area have a huge impact on the success of council services. Employees are required to have a good understanding of how local government operates as well as expertise in their chosen professional area. Skills, experience and qualifications acquired in this area are transferable, which is useful for staff who want to progress within other council departments.
In larger councils it is often found that the same function has a corporate and a departmental presence. This is most prevalent in areas such as human resources and legal services that are corporate but may also be found in large service areas such as education or social services.
The following career profiles show some of the jobs you could do to support your community:
- Democratic Services Officer
- Elections Manager
- Elections Officer
- Executive Office Manager
- Scrutiny Commission Adviser
- Community Development Officer
- Economic Development Officer
- External Funding Officer
- Inward Investment Officer
- Regeneration Officer
- Accountancy Assistant
- Accountant
- Accounting Technician
- Auditor
- Budget Support Officer
- Cashier
- European Officer
- Finance Officer
- Fraud Investigation Officer
- Group Manager, Accounting
- Revenues Officer
- Call Centre Agent/Customer Service Adviser
- Customer Services Assistant
- Receptionist
- Senior Translator/Interpreter
- Telephonist
- Equalities Officer
- Payroll Assistant
- Payroll Officer
- Personnel/Human Resources Officer
- Principal Industrial Relations Officer
- Training Officer
- Business & Corporate IS Manager
- Computer Aided Design (CAD) Operator
- Data Management Officer
- Data Preparation Team Leader/Supervisor
- Graphic Designer
- Information Systems Co-ordinator/Webmaster
- Information Technology Officer
- IT Helpdesk Co-ordinator
- IT Technician
- Systems Analyst & Programmer
- Team Leader, Service Support Unit (Environment)
- Web Technician