Ceremony Officer - Working for Essex

About the role

Ceremony Officer

Fixed Term, Part Time

£15.52 per hour

Location: Essex

Working Style: Operational field-based worker

Fixed Term Contract from 1st April - 31st October 2025.

£15.52 hourly rate. £29,942 per annum (Full Time Equivalent).

Part-time Seasonal Ceremony Officer opportunities available in Essex offering set hours at the following locations -

Laindon - 350 hours
Brentwood - 250 hours
Rayleigh - 250 hours
Chelmsford - 250 or 300 hours
Maldon - 250 hours
Rochford - 250 or 300 hours

Location and hours can be selected at the next stage of the application process, after you click Apply.

All annualised hours to be completed between 1st April and 31st October 2025.

Closing Date for applications: 17th January 2025.
2 days mandatory training sessions will be held in person at Chelmsford on the 4th & 11th April 2025.
You will need to be available to observe at least 2 ceremonies between 5th & 10th April 2025.

The county of Essex is one of the most popular places in the country to get married, and you can understand why. With its rolling countryside contrasted with its compelling coastline, our beautiful county is adorned with an eclectic assortment of venues, from rustic barns to enchanting castles; some being the most hash tagged and sought after venues in the whole country.

As well as being one of the most esteemed locations to hold a ceremony, the Registration Service in Essex is also one of the largest authorities in the country. It is responsible for registering almost 6,000 Essex citizen’s life events each year, including Marriages, Civil Partnerships, and non-statutory ceremonies. The Registration Service has a duty to meet Essex County Council’s (ECC) statutory and legal obligations regarding registrations which are set and overseen by the General Register Office (GRO), whilst also ensuring that customers receive a high-quality service in line with GRO guidelines and standards.

If the idea of playing a significant role in many people’s milestone occasions appeals to you, take a look at the role in more detail, we’d love to hear from you. Essex County Council are committed to being an employer that values difference, and we’d love to recruit talented individuals from a diverse range of backgrounds to support with our busiest time for ceremonies.

The Role

Naturally, our ceremonies reach a peak across the summer months, and we are looking for individuals who can demonstrate positive behaviours and the ability to embrace a flexible and modern approach to work to balance our high seasonal demand. The busiest days for ceremonies tend to be over the weekends and Bank Holidays, but we have other busy days of the week which differ across the districts of the county. Your working hours will vary and can be subject to change at short notice depending on the operational needs of the service, so your flexibility and availability are key in ensuring that every ceremony request is met throughout the year.

You will be given one of our base locations across the county, but your work is unlikely to be limited to this area, and you will be required to work flexibly across other districts. We have venues across the whole of Essex, some are in more rural, harder to reach locations and due to the nature of the role, you will be required to travel between venues within a specified timeframe, therefore you must be able to drive and have access to your own vehicle.

Being an integral component during important milestones in our customers lives, it is vital that you ensure that customers receive high-quality and exceptional customer service across our suite of Wedding, Civil Partnership, and non-statutory ceremonies. Working with customers at life changing and emotional times requires intuition, sensitivity, and enhanced organisational and people skills. Our Ceremony Officers should possess excellent and articulate communication skills with the confidence to manage both small and large groups. You may also have the opportunity to undertake training to conduct memorable ceremonies as well as register them.

Working in a small team, our Ceremony Officers will either precisely register Marriages or Civil Partnerships via the national registration system (RON), completing the necessary legal paperwork and certification, or they verbally officiate the ceremony which may include non-statutory ceremonies such as Renewal of Vows, Naming or Commitment ceremonies. Your work must therefore be accurate and have high attention to detail. You will also demonstrate a level of computer literacy in order to access and update various systems.

This is a rewarding role offering great personal satisfaction, where you have the privileged opportunity to meet a hugely diverse range of people in some of the country’s most stunning venues. If you have excellent interpersonal skills, can adapt your communication style to different customers, have high attention to detail and a flexible working ethos, then we would love to hear from you and have you as part of our team.

Read Beth's journey as a Ceremony Officer - https://workingforessex.com/blog/beths-journey-as-a-ceremony-officer

Accountabilities

Responsible for ensuring that ceremonies are legislatively compliant, ensuring that all statutory and legal regulations are strictly adhered to as set out by the General Register Office (GRO), and that all ceremonies are conducted and registered in an accurate and timely manner.
Responsible for ensuring integrity of stock management and data protection in relation to ceremonies and an understanding of the repercussions surrounding any breaches.
Use specialist skills, knowledge, and experience to deliver effective and professional ceremonial activities with exceptional levels of customer service in order to enhance the customer experience during some of the most important and significant milestones in our customers lives.
Advocate the work that the Essex Registration Service undertakes and demonstrate positive behaviours, alongside the ability to embrace a flexible and modern approach to working, which will often take place across structural boundaries to support the service in meeting customer demand.
Work collaboratively and professionally with appropriate internal stakeholders across a variety of teams to define and develop working requirements in support of key outcomes and professional levels of service.
Build strong, appropriate relationships with external partners to ensure compliance with all regulations and encourage positive engagement, enhancing the reputation of the Essex Registration Service.
Be an excellent and articulate communicator with competent administration and IT skills with the confidence to use a variety of programmes in order to facilitate daily work.
Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

Ability to develop knowledge and skills within the workplace and to work independently.
Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written. Experience of public speaking and working with the public.
Experience of being in control of large groups of people and evidence of a commitment to customer care and service improvement.
Experience of following prescriptive processes in a consistent manner whilst dealing with detailed legal procedures. Preferable to have experience of working in a statutory environment.
Demonstrable ICT skills with knowledge and practical application of the MS Office suite of programmes.
Experience of working in a statutory environment, with evidence of embracing change and working collaboratively with partners to improve customer service.

To read more about us please visit Climate, Environment and Customer Services

Why Essex? Essex County Council has a location to be proud of. Our 1,300 square miles stretch from Constable Country to the Thames Estuary, from the dynamic M11 corridor to the traditional seaside resorts of Clacton and Walton. England’s oldest town, Colchester, and two of its newest – Basildon and Harlow – are right here. Along with the City of Chelmsford, the county town, they form our major population centres. It means real choice and makes Essex the ideal place for your career. Read more about us.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process.

We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

What you should do next

Please apply via the Working for Essex website, ensuring you upload an up-to-date CV and supporting statement when prompted.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community.

If you have any queries regarding this role, or require anything further, please contact christine.simmons@essex.gov.uk

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