Employment at elections - Postal Votes Supervisor

The purpose of Postal Vote Supervisors is to assist Postal Vote Managers with the day-to-day operations at the postal voting processing delivery. Postal Vote Supervisors are responsible for overseeing Postal Vote Assistants, receiving, sorting, and processing of returned postal votes in preparation for the main election count. Postal Voting Supervisors are also responsible for working alongside Managers to review electorate signature and date of birth, on identified mismatches. 

The roles of Postal Vote Supervisors are undertaken in a pressurized environment and the greatest of care must be taken to ensure that mistakes are not made. They will work closely with a team of Postal Vote Managers to oversee the process.

You will be paid as per the scale of fees for the Poll.

As a Postal Vote Supervisor, you will:

• Comply with any instructions given to you
• Take charge of the postal vote management process
• Ensure that the team act impartially at all times and respect confidentiality of material handled
• Maintain the secrecy of the process
• Supervise the Postal Vote Assistants throughout the daily process of return delivery

Before election day Postal Vote Managers are required to

• Complete the online training or attend a briefing session

Postal Vote Supervisors will work for approximately 10 hours on any given day. The working hours per day will be dictated by the level of postal vote return. You will be required to provide your own refreshments and take appropriate breaks throughout the day to avoid tiredness. Postal voting staff are permitted to leave the premises during these hours.

Postal Vote Supervisors are not permitted to have carried out duties on behalf of any political party or candidate at the election. All staff will be required to sign their agreement to this and to maintain the secrecy of the poll.

Essential

• Ability to work independently under pressure
• Ability to work well with others / part of a team
• Ability to act upon instruction
• Literate and numerate
• Good timekeeping
• Ability to treat people fairly and with respect at all times
• Ability to remain politically neutral
• Not connected to, nor will assist, any candidate or party at the election
• Compliance with requirement for secrecy and instructions regarding the use of social media
• Acceptance of waiving the Working Time Directive for the period of employment

Desirable

• Previous work as a supervisor or assistant at election processes
• Previous customer-service experience
• Diplomacy and tact when working with candidates, agents, and observers
• Working knowledge of the electoral process