Paralegal

Job Title: Paralegal Reportingto: Directorof Governanceand Support Services Grade: Scale 6 Salary: £31,537 to £33,699 p.a.

Location: Belfast Main purpose of job To provide high-quality administrative and paralegal support to the Northern Ireland Local Government Commissioner for Standards including supporting the adjudication process.

Take responsibility for information governance including maintaining records, supporting decision- makingprocedures,andcoordinatingresponsesto Subject Access Requests(SARs), Freedomof Information(FOI),and Environmental Information Regulation(EIR)requestsinaccordancewith legal and policy requirements.

Provide research and legal support to the maladministration teams within NIPSO.

Summary of principal duties and responsibilities Local Commissioner for Standards Adjudication Support Prepare, manage and maintain case files and documentation for NILGCS adjudication processes.

Provide administrative support to the Commissioner and Adjudication Team, including scheduling and record-keeping.

Managethetechnicalaspectsofadjudicationreviewsandadjudicationhearings whether virtual or in person.

Information Governanceand Data Protection Draftandco-ordinateresponsestoinformationrequestsunderthe UKGDPR, FOIA, EIR, and Data Protection Act 2018.

Log,trackandmonitortheprogressofinformationrequestsandensurestatutory deadlines are met.

Legal Matters Draftresponsesandpreparecorrespondenceinrelationtolegalissuesforconsideration by the relevant Manager or Director.

Maintainlegalinformationdatabasesandrecordsmanagement.

Support wider legal and governance functions as required, including legal research or drafting.

Conduct research and prepare reports on legal issues for consideration by the relevant Manager or Director General Responsibilities & Duties Adheretothe NIPSOvaluesoffairness,impartiality,openness,respectandintegrity.

Adhere to and promote the Office policies on Equality of Opportunity and Dignity at Work,demonstratingacommitmenttotheprinciplesofequality,fairnessanddiversity in all aspects of work.

Have due regard for ones own safety and that of others, behaving appropriately at all times and reporting all accidents no matter how minor.

Takeresponsibilityforthedevelopmentofownskillsandknowledgethroughproactive engagement in the internal performance review processes.

Undertakead-hoc,cross-functionalprojectworksupporting thedevelopmentofthe Office and service provision as requested by your line manager.

This job description is subject to review and amendment as the demands of the role and the organisation evolves.

Therefore, the postholder will be required to be flexible and adaptable and aware that they may be asked to perform tasks, duties and responsibilities which are not specifically detailed in the job description but which are commensurate with the role.

PERSON SPECIFICATION ESSENTIAL CRITERIA Applicants must, as at the closing date for receipt of applications, be able to demonstrate by providing personalandspecificexamplesontheirapplicationformthattheyhaveaminimumoftwoyearsrelevant experience of: Providinglegaladvicetoseniormanagersandstaff; (AF, I) Workinginalegalorgovernanceadministrativerole; (AF) Adheringtoconfidentiality,dataprotectionandinformationhandlingrequirements;(AF, I) Usinginformationtechnologyincludingremotecommunicationchannels(MSTeams, Webex); and (AF, I) Managingcompetingprioritiesand meetingdeadlines.(AF, I) DESIRABLE CRITERIA In additiontothe aboveessentialcriteria, NIPSOreservestherightto onlyshortlistthose candidates whocan alsodemonstrate,byprovidingpersonalandspecificexampleson theapplication formthat they have: ademonstrableknowledgeof GDPR, FOIoradministrativejusticeprocedures.(AF) aminimumof2yearsexperiencesupportingadjudicationorcomplaintscasework.(AF, I) SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES Applicants must be able to demonstrate evidence of the following skills, competencies and attributes which will be tested at assessment centre and/or final interview: Oral and Written Communication Collaborative Working Attentiontodetail Organisational Skills Continuous Improvement WORKING FOR US Remuneration Thesalaryforthispostiscurrentlyequivalentto NJCScale6whichis£31,537to£33,699 Location Therolewillbebased at NIPSO, Progressive House,33 Wellington Place, Belfast, BT16 HN.

Working Arrangements We operate hybrid working arrangements i.e.

a mix of working from home and from the officewhich offers employees additional workstyle choices.

Candidatesshouldnote that whilstwe do have aflexible approach,theoperational requirements are likely to require office based working a minimum of 2 days per week.

Successful applicants also have the opportunity to request Flexible Working from the 1st day of their employment.

Management will give full consideration to the flexible working request.

However,noemployeecan beguaranteed flexibleworkingandtheneedsof theorganisationwill take priority Working Hours Thepostisfull-time(37hoursperweek),subjecttoa probationaryperiodof9months.

Pension The successful candidate will be eligible to join the NICS Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Annual Leave Annualleaveentitlementis25daysannualleave,plus12dayspublic holidays.

Other benefits We have a generous occupational sick pay and maternity, paternity and adoption leave/pay arrangements, as well as a suite of work-life balance policies.

Employees also have access to an Employee Assistance Programme.

Weprovidesupportforongoingtrainingandprovidedevelopment opportunitiesforallstaff.

In 2022 we implemented a coaching framework to ensure all employees of NIPSO receive regular support and guidance from their line manager.

SELECTION PROCESS Applications for the post can be made on Get Got Jobs Portal by clicking Apply below.

Completed application and monitoring forms are to be completed no later than 12noonon22 September 2025.

Applicants who meet the shortlisting criteria will be invited to participate in a selection and assessment process.

Intheeventofahighvolumeofapplications NIPSOreservestherighttoapplyadditionalcriteria in order to achieve a manageable shortlist of applicants.

Reasonable Adjustments NIPSO are committed to ensuring equal access to employment opportunities for all individuals.

Applications from disabled applicants are welcome.

If you require any reasonable adjustments at any stage of the recruitment and selection process, please contact us.

Guidancenotesforcompletingyourapplicationform NIPSO is committed to providing equality of opportunity for all job applicants.

The information you supply on this application form will be treated in the strictest confidence and will be used solely for assessing your suitability for the post.

A candidate found to have knowingly given false information, or to have wilfully suppressed any material fact will be liable to disqualification from the process, or if appointed, to dismissal.

All appointments are made on merit and in accordance with our Recruitment and Selection Policy.

Any canvassing of officers directly or indirectly in connection with an appointment will automatically disqualify the candidate.

Applications will only be accepted on the specific NIPSO application form.

Incomplete application forms will not be considered.

CVs, letters or any other supplementary material will not be accepted in place of, or in addition to, completed application forms and will not be made available to the shortlisting or interview panel.

Pleasealsonote: Applicationswhicharereceivedaftertheclosingdateortimewillnotbeaccepted.

It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure the completed form, together with the completed Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form, is returned by the closing date for applications.

Qualifications You will be asked to provide original qualification certificates (or, where you have mislaid your original certificates, a certified statement of results from the relevant awarding body) and proof of memberships etc.

that are relevant to the post applied for before any offer of employment can be made.

If you believe that your qualification is equivalent to the one required, you must provide specific evidence to demonstrate its equivalency in comparison to the qualification that was specifically detailed in the person specification.

If you possess any professional qualifications, please include the full details and include the date of the award.

If you have membership of a professional body please include the name of the body or organisation, the type of membership you hold (e.g., student, associate, fellow etc.), the date when this grade of membership was obtained and the expiry date (if any).

If the membership has lapsed, please state this.

Experience It is necessary to state your exact dates and periods of employment as at the application closing date (month/year) because this is calculated to the nearest month for shortlisting purposes.

The shortlisting panel will only consider the information asked for in each separate box on the application.

You will be required to clearly demonstrate, by giving personal and specific details on your application form, how you meet the experience detailed in the person specification in the relevant box.

If you do not supply sufficient information on your application form to clearly demonstrate that you meet the criteria, you will not be shortlisted.

Conflicts of Interest Given the breadth of the Ombudsmans jurisdiction (namely her roles in investigating complaints about all public service providers in Northern Ireland and in investigating and adjudicating on alleged breaches of the NI Local Government Code of Conduct for Councillors), it is important that any actual or perceived conflicts of interest are declared.

On successful appointment, a pre-employment check will be to ask to consider and declare whether or not you have any actual or perceived conflicts of interest.

Any interests that would impact your ability to carry out the role independently may result in not being able to progress your offer of employment.

For further assistance you may wish to consult the Northern Ireland Audit Office good practice guide on conflicts of interest.

Selection and Assessment Process Shortlisting will take place during week commencing 22 September 2025.

Candidates who demonstrate that theymeetthe essentialcriteria and if required,the desirable criteria, will be invited to attend a competency-based interview.

Interviews are envisaged to take place during week commencing 06 October 2025.

Further details of the process will be provided to candidates invited to interview.

A reserve list of candidates may be held for a period of twelve months and may be activated on a merit basis if a vacancy arises within that period.

Principles of the Appointment NIPSO is committed to providing and promoting equality of opportunity and to the principle of recruiting on the basis of merit only.

We welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates regardless of their gender, including gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, having or not having dependants, pregnancy and maternity, religious beliefs, political opinion, race, ethnic origin, colour or nationality, sexual orientation, disability, age, Trade Union membership or non- membership or criminal records.

All NIPSO offers of employment are conditional and subject to successful pre-employment checks and the successful applicant will be required to: providedocumentationtoconfirmtheiridentityandtheirrighttoworkinthe UK; provide documentation to verify information already provided on the application form, e.g.

qualifications, professional registration, driving licence, etc.; provide a basic Access NI Check, which the successful candidate must obtain and the cost of which will be reimbursed upon appointment; provide satisfactory references, one of which must be from the candidates current or most recent employer provide a declaration on whether or not you have any actual or perceived conflicts of interest.

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