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Jobs and training

Working for the council

We have a reputation for delivering high quality services, however, we're not complacent and with true Yorkshire resilience, we constantly strive for further improvement. Our current successes provide a great foundation for shaping exciting, innovative approaches and opportunities.

Take a look at our vacancies to see what part you could play in the future of our great city.

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Who we are

Along with our partners, we serve over 200,000 residents in and around York. Local communities depend on the statutory services we deliver and we take pride in keeping York clean, safe, productive and resilient. A strong council can also be an empowering force - transforming lives, communities and generations. We deliver lots of important but little-known services which make a big difference to those who need them.

Working for us is more than just a job. A career in Local Government provides unique opportunities to make a real difference to our communities, with a diversity of roles which can't be matched elsewhere.

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Where we are

Situated in North Yorkshire, York is a wonderfully compact city. Find out more via Visit York.

If you're thinking about relocating to York to work at City of York Council, or if you’d like to find out more about our dynamic city and some of the exciting future developments, take a look at the ‘Its All York’ video, produced by The York BID.

London and Edinburgh are both less than two and a half hours by train, and neighbouring Leeds, Hull, Harrogate, Northallerton and Middlesbrough are also easy to reach by road or rail. Our ambition is to be one of the best-connected cities in Europe.

On our doorstep are National Parks, areas of areas outstanding natural beauty, quaint villages and market towns, and the Yorkshire coast.

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Where we're going

Regardless of our financial constraints, we know we need to change. Residents tell us they want services that are joined-up, easy to access and responsive to their needs. Communities tell us they want more control over their future and their local areas.

We're constantly striving to be more streamlined, focused and agile, and able to deliver more with less.

We're focusing our efforts on several key priorities:

  • frontline services
  • a prosperous city for all
  • a council that listens to its residents

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What matters to us

It’s really important to us that our staff are capable, confident people, working positively for York. Working for the council means we don’t just want to be proud of what we do, we also want to celebrate how we do it.

That's why we all share a set of 3 key values which help guide what we do and how we engage with our communities, our residents and each other.

In spite of the changes taking place, our values are enduring. Collectively and as individuals, they guide our behaviour, the decisions we make every day, and how we effectively plan for the future.

Our employees are at the heart of our service delivery, and everyone who works for the council plays an equal part in our success. So it’s up to all of us to bring our values to life, working together to improve and make a difference.

We encourage applications from people at all stages of their career, and in particular we welcome applications from under-represented groups.

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Our offer to you

We employ passionate and determined problem-solvers who work together for the benefit of our city. We invest heavily in our staff, providing them with a working environment where they can flourish.

As an organisation we promote:

  • professional development
  • remote working
  • employer-supported volunteering
  • healthy working environments

Being a people-centred organisation means we invest in the talent and wellbeing of our staff. There are many different ways in which we make this happen, including:

  • providing work which offers the chance to make a difference to the lives of our residents and colleagues
  • supportive management who enable you to thrive and fulfil your potential
  • recognition for your hard work through talent management and staff awards
  • support through a rapidly changing environment
  • investment in professional and personal development
  • a reward package which recognises your contribution
  • employer-supported volunteering

We offer a generous employee benefits package including;

  • flexi-time, term-time only, job sharing and part-time working options
  • 25 days’ annual leave rising to 30 days' after 5 years continuous local government service
  • an additional 5 days paid leave for foster carers
  • access to the local government pension scheme and optional Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVC) scheme
  • family friendly working policies including:
    • dependant care leave – a maximum of 5 days per annual leave year to deal with emergencies
    • maternity leave – 52 weeks leave regardless of length of service. Employees with more than 1 years continuous service are entitled to 6 weeks at 90% pay, followed by 12 weeks at half pay plus Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP), followed by 21 weeks SMP
    • adoption leave - 52 weeks leave regardless of length of service. Employees with more than 1 years continuous service are entitled to 6 weeks at 90% pay, followed by 12 weeks at half pay plus Statutory Adoption Pay (SAP), followed by 21 weeks SAP
    • paternity leave - Employees with more than 26 weeks service are entitled to one week’s full pay paternity leave and one week’s statutory pay paternity leave. Employees with less than 26 weeks service are entitled to one week’s paternity leave on full pay
    • parental leave - up to 18 weeks – unpaid and after 1 years continuous service with the council
  • employee recognition programme – long service awards, employee and team of the month awards
  • employee wellbeing scheme and assistance programme including access to counselling, financial guidance, fitness and lifestyle advice, chaplaincy and expert advice and guidance covering a wide range of issues.
  • a one-stop staff benefits platform including:
    • discounted retail and supermarket shopping, holidays, travel, cinema and theatre tickets and eating out
    • 'salary sacrifice' schemes to spread the cost of cycling to work, car leasing, gym memberships, household, ICT and electrical items, and charity donations
    • access to discounted bus and train tickets for travel to work, and to a health cash plan
    • periodically discounted classes (through York Learning)
    • staff lottery where a cash prize is drawn every month

Great people are at the heart of everything we do - we realise that great people provide great services. As an organisation we look for individuals who are motivated, resourceful, accountable, honest, skilled, caring and engaged. Above all, we are looking for people who are passionate about making a difference to the lives of our residents and visitors to York.

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How we support you

We want our employees to thrive and grow, and feel valued and supported in the workplace.

Annual Personal Development Reviews (PDRs) and regular 1-2-1 meetings with your manager will keep you on track with your objectives and give you a chance to discuss your own development needs.

We are committed to making sure all our employees receive the best learning and development opportunities to help deliver excellent services to our city. Our comprehensive training will equip you with both the technical and the soft skills you will need to perform at your best.

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Starting out

If you are in the early stages of your career, or are looking for a career change, then we are keen to support your development.

We offer a variety of apprenticeships, and summer and winter graduate internships via the city’s universities. We also offer work experience placements wherever possible.

Whilst we don’t currently offer a dedicated graduate programme, we have a variety of roles which would be a great place to start out after graduation.

Find out more by following the links below:

  • benefits of working for us - including flexible working, holiday entitlement, pension scheme, sick pay and our commitment to staff development
  • equality and diversity - we are committed to making our recruitment policies accessible and responsive to our local residents and communities
  • we're proud to be a Disability Confident employer which supports fair recruitment practices; we're one of thousands of organisations removing barriers to disabled people in employment and benefitting from their skills
  • iTrent gives access to employees to view payslips online and update their personal details via our HR self-service system

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Also see

Recruitment Team

Human Resources (HR) Business Centre

West Offices, Station Rise, York, YO1 6GA

Telephone: 01904 552523