Land Charges Assistant Ref: 53-25

Grade 10 - £24,310 - £25,539 p.a.
Full time, 12-month fixed term
Location: Dereham (remote-enabled)

Are you detail-oriented, organised, and keen to make a real difference? This could be your opportunity to start or develop a rewarding career in local government.

Breckland Council is seeking a Land Charges Assistant to join our team. This role offers an insight into the Land Charges function of the Council and plays a vital part in supporting residents, businesses and the wider community. This is a great opportunity to learn new skills, gain experience in local authority services, and be part of a supportive and welcoming team

Why join us?

Would you like a role where your work:

• Makes a tangible difference across our district for residents and businesses
• Helps you develop valuable technical and administrative skills
• Contributes to a lasting legacy that will benefit future generations

This is an excellent entry-level opportunity for someone with strong attention to detail who enjoys working with data, systems and people.

About the role

As a Land Charges Assistant, you will provide technical and administrative support, responding to Land Search requests (Official and Personal) on behalf of the Council. Accuracy, timeliness and customer service are at the heart of this role.

What you'll be doing

• Maintaining and updating the Local Land Charges Register in line with legislation
• Registering, validating and processing online land search requests
• Compiling and issuing accurate responses to property and land searches (residential and commercial)
• Handling daily enquiries from solicitors, estate agents, search companies, colleagues and members of the public
• Using GIS mapping systems and databases to research site histories and spatial information
• Checking and reconciling search fees
• Supporting project work linked to the Land Registry service
• Contributing flexibly to the wider objectives of the team

About you

You'll thrive in this role if you are:

• Collaborative -Enjoy working in partnership and value others' ideas and expertise
• Ambitious -Proud of the work you do and the service you provide
• Results-driven - Clear about priorities and focused on delivering quality outcomes
• Empowering - You embrace new technology and look for ways our services can become more digital, while remaining accessible for all
• Supportive - Approachable, helpful and respectful. Willing to learn from challenges and ask for support when needed

Is this role right for you?

We're looking for someone who can demonstrate:

• The ability to assess information and make sound, reasoned judgements
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to meet deadlines
• Good written and verbal communication skills
• Confidence using Microsoft Office (Word, Outlook, Excel)
• Experience dealing with customers by phone, email and face-to-face

Desirable (but not essential):

• Experience in a Local Authority Land Charges team
• Knowledge of Idox Cloud Land Charges system
• Experience using GIS systems

A bit about us:

This role offers far more than a salary. You'll be joining an organisation that values collaboration, continuous learning and employee wellbeing. In return for your commitment, we offer a strong and attractive benefits package, including:

• Incremental pay progression through the grade (subject to annual pay award)
• Local Government Pension Scheme with a 14% employer contribution
• Attractive annual leave package: 25 days increasing after 3 years' continuous local authority service by one day per year up to a maximum of 28 days, plus bank holidays, with the option to buy more
• Additional paid leave: extra half-day to use in December, one Volunteering Day per year, Election leave, Reserve Forces leave
• Supportive employment policies, including Family Friendly, Flexible Working and Career Breaks
• Modern working environment: refurbished offices, remote-enabled working and free on-site parking

Read on to find out more about working at Breckland, and how to apply.

Closing date: February 4th, 2026 @ noon

What's it like to work for us?

We are passionate about our people and pride ourselves on being a great place to work, we genuinely care and know that a happy workforce is a productive and motivated one! If you're still not sure, here are some stats from our 2024 staff survey to convince you..

• 94% said they feel trusted and empowered
• 90% of staff recommend Breckland as a great place to work
• 89% said they have had opportunities to learn and grow in the last 12 months
• 94% think Breckland provide positive action on health and wellbeing
• 91% said they felt supported by their manager

If you STILL need convincing, here's what some of our staff say...

• "Breckland is a fantastic employer, lots of opportunities and support"
• "Having only just started, it is a great place to work, everyone says hello, is smiley and chatty. I like the groups that are on, like carers shed and neurodiversity"
• "We are encouraged to take regular breaks and there are mental health first aiders and a wide range of good promotional aspects of healthy living and wellbeing."
• "In times of need the council offers excellent support."
• "BDC really does seem to care about the wellbeing and happiness of their staff."

At Breckland Council we have embraced the Government's agenda to modernise local government. Our approach is to lead change rather than follow it, and to add the best value we can to our communities. We achieve this by developing our employees to their full potential, providing them with the relevant knowledge, equipment, and authority to carry out their duties.

We are a dynamic and innovative organisation that is always testing and learning as we seek to continually improve. We have never stood still in response to the emergence of new opportunities, changing customer demands, and ongoing funding challenges. We have exciting plans for how to deliver the best possible services to our residents and businesses.

Breckland as a district is a special place nestled in the heart of rural Norfolk, spanning over 500 square miles of beautiful countryside and forest, with five Market Towns and over 140,000 residents. We care, we listen, and we support people and businesses within our district. We have big ideas and we are innovative in our approach, coming up with ways to meet the needs of the local communities that we serve. Through our actions, we want to make things better.

But we know that we can't do it alone. We are a collaborative organisation and we work together with others to make a greater impact. We are also an organisation where our employees can grow and develop and are empowered to achieve and succeed. We are proud of our area, and by driving investment and enabling opportunities, we can maximise its full potential. We want to inspire aspiration to live, work, visit, or do business here: we want our district to be one of choice.

We will support and enable growth and change in our thriving, welcoming places where people and businesses choose to be, knowing their ambitions can be not just fulfilled but exceeded. By listening to people, by understanding what they need and by working together, we can shape what we have to offer. By doing so, we can benefit those who are already here and those who choose to come to live, work, visit, or do business.

We offer excellent conditions of service, including:

• A local government pension scheme (14 per cent employer contribution).
• Attractive holiday package (25 days increasing after three years' continuous Local Authority service by one day per year up to the maximum of 28 days, plus bank holidays)
• Free car parking.
• Remote-enabled working arrangements.
• A newly refurbished office. See what it is like working here by watching this short film: 
  

Our commitment to talent development, on the job learning and upskilling, training and professional memberships, will keep your knowledge and skills up to date.

Job Summary

Description of Duties

This job description is not exhaustive.

The job description outlines the current position and will be subject to review in the light of development within the service, in consultation with the post holder as detailed in your Contract of Employment.

Experience and Knowledge

Essential

• The ability to consider a wide range of issues and balance those issues to make a clear and reasoned judgement
• The ability to prioritise and proactively manage workloads working to key deadlines
• Good verbal and written communication skills
• Be familiar with MS Office package (Word, Outlook, Excel etc)
• Experience of dealing with customers by phone, e-mail and face to face

Desirable

• Experience of working in a Local Authority Land Charges Team
• Experience of using Idox Cloud Land Charges operating system
• Experience of using GIS systems

Qualifications

Essential

• Education to GCSE Grade C / Level 4 or above including English and Maths or equivalent competence

Desirable

• NVQ customer services.
• ECDL or equivalent computer skills

Behaviours

Collaborative: 

• I look for ways to work in partnership and listen supportively to the ideas of others, building on their ideas, while sharing my views and knowledge.
• I recognise the skills, talent and experience of others and reach out to them for their contribution and input
• I recognise, appreciate and praise others for their contribution

Ambitious: 

• I always ask myself 'How could we do this better?', taking ownership of change and helping others to understand, adapt, implement, and embed it.
• I have an open mindset, take risks and explore new ways of doing things.
• I am a proud ambassador, taking pride and responsibility for the work we do and encouraging others to do the same.

Results Driven: 

• I make sure I am clear on what I need to achieve, keeping a focus on results and solutions.
• I am driven, showing courage and resilience even when things don't go to plan.
• I keep to my promises and challenge myself and others to deliver high-quality services

Empowering: 

• I ask for help and support when needed, and take responsibility if things don't go well, learning from it for my own and for the organisation's development

Supportive: 

• I treat others as I would want to be treated myself, ensuring that I am welcoming , friendly and approachable.
• I give time to colleagues who need help or support

Health & Safety (exposure to risk)

None

If you would like an informal chat regarding this role please contact Tracy Booker, Operations Manger by emailing: Tracy.booker@breckland.gov.uk

Closing date:  February 4th, 2026 @ noon

APPLY ONLINE

Equal Opportunities

We are committed to being an Equal Opportunities employer, recognising the benefits of sustaining a workforce that reflects the diversity of the community we serve. We welcome applications from anyone who feels they meet the requirements of our vacancies. These are listed as essential requirements on the person specification.