Customer Services Assistant - Working for Essex

About the role

Customer Services Assistant

Fixed Term, Part Time

£25,081 per annum

Location: Ingatestone

Closing Date: 19th February 2026

Please note this vacancy is available as a fixed term contract or secondment opportunity for up to 6 months

Please note this is a part time position working 11.5 hours per week. The pro rata salary will be £7,795.45 per annum

Working Pattern

Every Saturday 9am to 5pm and Monday 3pm to 7pm

To read more about our business area, please visit:

Climate, Environment and Customer Services

The Opportunity

The Customer Services Assistant will ensure a high level of customer service at Face to Face front-line locations across the County, working with a wide range of customers, volunteers, stakeholders and partners.

The role will welcome and interact with all customers and identify their individual needs, actively seeking to meet those needs to provide a quality service and enable customers to make full use of the facilities available.

As part of Customer Operations, the Face to Face Service provides a customer focused service through library locations across Essex. Face to Face Services also specifically includes Registration, Library and Coroners Service responsibilities.

Accountabilities

Understand the needs of customers and deliver the best possible outcomes through exemplar customer service.
Provide support and training to customers using information communications technology (ICT) equipment and software.
Answer telephone enquiries from customers promptly (including operation of a switchboard where appropriate), providing accurate information – including referral to other services as appropriate - in a timely fashion.
Oversee and provide customers with guidance in the use of self-service equipment.
Comply with the individual responsibilities for Health Safety & Welfare in the workplace, including ensuring safeguarding children, in accordance with work role.
Undertake all stock circulation and management procedures, including sorting, shelving and tidying of returned material, reservations, fines, membership and similar activities.
Contribute to promotional activities, marketing and display work and the achievement of agreed targets for income generation.

Contribute to the compilation of statistical returns, and any other general administrative duties.
Responsible for locking and unlocking, as necessary, acting as keyholder.
Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.

The Experience You Will Bring

Possess a European Computer Driving Licence or NVQ Level 2 in IT or equivalent ICT skills or demonstrably equivalent ability.
Ability to work with a high level of speed and accuracy including experience of handling confidential and sensitive information.
Experience of working with the public in a customer-orientated service. Understand the need to deliver a service that has our customers as the focus of activities.
Ability to communicate in a manner which is easily understood and tailored to meet the needs of the audience.
Experience in working in a busy customer facing environment and delivery high quality customer services across a large organisation.
IT literate in MS office programmes and ability to learn to use in-house IT systems and processes quickly.
Using own initiative and working effectively as part of a team to resolve problems and meet desired outcomes.
Awareness of the services which public libraries, registration and coroners service currently offer to customers.

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

In February 2025, Greater Essex was accepted onto the Government’s devolution priority programme, which will see local authorities in Essex work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority by May 2026. You can read more about devolution and local government reorganisation (LGR) on our careers site.

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.

Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

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 queries on this role or require anything further, please email jamielea.wallis@essex.gov.uk

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