Thank you for your interest in working for the Town of Gawler. The Town of Gawler adheres to the principle of equal employment opportunity and merit based employment decisions. You will ideally possess a commitment to the Vision, Mission and Values of the Town of Gawler.

Our Culture is the shared values, norms and expectations that guide our staff in terms of how they approach their work and interact with each other, and on behalf of the community.

OUR VISION: (what we are trying to achieve)

• Staff to deliver a liveable, cohesive, active, innovative and sustainable council area for the community.

OUR MISSION: Lead, collaborate and deliver

OUR VALUES: (who we are, what we do)

• TEAMWORK - Respectful and collaborative to all, listening, engaging and responding
• INTEGRITY - Responsible and accountable for our actions
• INCLUSION - Foster positive relationships within the organisation and greater community
• CREATIVITY - Encourage, source and deliver creative outcomes
• HAPPINESS - Promote a caring and optimistic environment where staff are happy to work.

The Town of Gawler is committed to excellent customer service and best practice management.

We believe that what we do is important and makes a difference to our community so we want to employ talented people to help us achieve our goals. In aiming to be an ‘employer of choice' we are providing a range of benefits to employees of the Town of Gawler and a list of these is available below.

You are encouraged to find out as much as you can about the Town of Gawler and the position you are applying for. On our website you will find information about current employment opportunities at the Town of Gawler including:

• a brief description of each vacancy; and
• a copy of the position description for you to print or download.

We conduct pre-employment checks which may include:

• a referee check
• a Police check
• a criminal record check (for certain positions)
• a medical assessment (including drug and alcohol testing)
• an Australian Work Eligibility check
• sighting of relevant qualifications
• assessment tests.

The information below sets out what you need to know and do to apply for a position with us.

The Advertisement

Obtain the Position Description and review the role’s key result areas and essential criteria. It might be helpful to contact the nominated contact person to ask any questions you have about the role that might assist you in your application.

Your Application

Your application is an important part of the selection process. To give yourself the best opportunity to become the preferred candidate, you will benefit in spending time preparing your application. The following information will provide guidance on how you might go about preparing your application. As a minimum, it should contain the following:

1) Covering Letter

Your letter will be about one page in length and should entice the selection panel to want to read the remainder of your application. It is your opportunity to sell yourself.

2) Statement of claims against Selection Criteria (Essential Criteria) requirements

Your statement of claims will outline your experience and skills in relation to the Selection Criteria. It is the heart of your application. This statement will be anything up to 3 pages long.

As the selection criteria is so important, the best way to present this statement is to address each criterion with its heading, i.e. 1) Qualifications, 2) Knowledge and Experience, 3) Skills, and then offering a clear and concise explanation as to how you believe you meet each one.

A selection panel will determine how well applicants meet the Selection Criteria and prepare a short list for interview. For each position, there are essential and desirable criterion in the position description. To be eligible for consideration as a candidate, you must substantially meet the essential criteria. If you are unable to do this, your application is unlikely to be considered further.

If you closely meet the essential criteria, the next level of consideration is the desired criteria. Meeting most of the desired criteria will enhance your chances to proceed to interview.

3) Resume (or Curriculum Vitae)

Your resume should show:

1. who you are
2. how you can be contacted
3. your academic qualifications
4. your specific job skills
5. employment history (particularly any relevant history that relates directly to the requirements of the position)
6. the names and current telephone numbers of two referees (who can speak about your employment skills and experience)
7. copies (only) of relevant qualifications (including academic transcripts), skills, certificates, licenses and other supporting documents. These documents should verify your claims and act as a means of demonstrating your special skills in relation to the position. Please do not send original documents.

You should send your application to ensure it reaches us by the due date. Council operates in an electronic environment, applications can be sent to employment@gawler.sa.gov.au

After the closing date, all applications will be collated, recorded and given to the selection panel for short listing. The selection panel will normally consist of the positions immediate supervisor, a technical (or professional) specialist and a staff representative, usually from the work group. Their job is to recommend who will be interviewed, what the selection process will involve and then who will be offered the position.

As soon as practicable after the closing date, all short listed candidates will be invited to attend an interview.

We will advise where and when the interview will be conducted. If applicable, you will be informed of any psychological assessments or skills/aptitude tests required to be undertaken. If you are successful in gaining an interview, you must advise us of any special requirements you need, e.g. wheelchair access, an interpreter or any other special needs. Those who are not short listed or are unsuccessful at interview will be advised of the outcome after an offer has been made and accepted by the successful candidate.

Following the interviews, the selection panel will rank you against other candidates and make a recommendation about who should be offered the position. Reference checks of leading candidates will be conducted to verify selected statements made in the application and to validate claims made about skills, experience and achievements at interview.

A verbal offer will be made to the preferred candidate. Following verbal acceptance, a letter of offer will formalise the selection.

If you are not selected for the position, you will receive a letter informing you of the outcome. You can speak to a selection panel member, who will be able to provide constructive feedback on how you went in your application and interview. They will not give information regarding the successful candidate.

For more information regarding our recruitment process, please contact Organisational Development on (08) 8522 9291 or (08) 8522 9216 or email employment@gawler.sa.gov.au

Further employment opportunities can be found at the following website: http://lga.sa.gov.au/careers

Give yourself the power to change the world you live in - from the streets and parks you use to events, facilities and services your community enjoys. Local Government provides great conditions and empowers you to put your ideas into action.

With more than 9,000 people working in 68 Councils, local government is one of South Australia's largest employers. SA Councils have from 10 to 600 staff and range from fast-paced metropolitan environments to rural and coastal regions, offering something for every personality.

We look forward to receiving your application.

The Town of Gawler provides a range of employment conditions related to people friendly practices, health and wellbeing programs and personal and professional development. These include:

• Leave Without Pay
• Defence Reserve Leave
• Emergency Services Leave
• Bereavement/Compassionate Leave
• Paid and unpaid Carer’s (Family) Leave
• Cash-In of Long Service Leave
• Emergency Personal Leave
• Jury Service (Leave)
• Flexible working conditions
• 9 day fortnight (76 hours worked over 9 days with 1 rostered day off) (field operations staff)
• Employer Contribution Superannuation (currently 9.50%)
• Salary sacrificing for superannuation
• 24/7 Income Protection Insurance
• 24/7 Journey Insurance
• Annual subsidy for corporate wardrobe
• Safety clothing and footwear (field operations staff)
• Casual dress days / Fundraising activities

Council also provides a range of programs to support the health and wellbeing of our employees, together with aiding work/life balance, and these include:

• Skin cancer checks
• Free influenza immunisation for employees and their spouse/partner
• Smoke free workplace
• Retirement planning
• Retirement transition program (flexible work options to phase in retirement)
• Employee assistance program (free counselling sessions)
• Blood donor leave

Council has a commitment to provide career development opportunities to all employees. Our learning and development initiatives include:

• Study Assistance(Reimbursement of fees and study resources)
• Study leave and professional development leave(paid and unpaid)
• Annual Performance Development Reviews incorporating personal and professional development plans
• Leadership Development through mentoring, coaching, undertaking leadership programs and assessment of leadership styles.

In addition, employees also enjoy the benefits of collective workplace bargaining to achieve flexible workplace agreements tailored to their particular workplace. *Note: Granting of these arrangements are subject to operational needs and in accordance with relevant policies.