We value our employees and offer a number of benefits when working with us:

• generous pension: for every £1 you pay, we put in at least twice as much
• structured pay scales
• flexible hours, different office locations, and home-working
• 25 days’ (185 hours) annual leave, (plus Bank Holidays), rising to 30 days (222 hours) after 5 years service.
• build your career with opportunities for training and qualifications
• get paid while you learn with an apprenticeship
• play your part in tackling the climate emergency
• be part of a friendly, supportive team – with approachable colleagues who want to help
• the online platform, Vivup, provides a single point of access for Health and Wellbeing support and Lifestyle Savings
• help us make work fun and celebrate our successes together

Supporting your future

Pension

We offer the Local Government Pension Scheme to all of our employees, which means you can access a secure and generous pension. Employee contributions vary by salary, employer contributions are assessed every 3 years and are currently at 17%.

Structured pay scales

Our pay structure is in line with the National Joint Council Job Evaluation Scheme.

Within each pay band, increases (or 'increments') are awarded each year, as long as colleagues have performed to a good standard. This means that most colleagues receive a pay rise every April. 

We will also look at the Living Wage Foundation hourly rate when it agrees annual pay awards each year.

Salaries are paid on last working day of each month by BACS transfer to your bank account.

Learning and development

We aim to offer excellent learning and career development opportunities for everyone. Our goal is to equip people with the knowledge and tools they need to excel. Leaders will be supported to coach and inspire their teams, fostering environments where creativity thrives and everyone, regardless of background or ability, can contribute their best. 

We support colleagues re-training into new professions by working towards qualifications while on the job. We offer apprenticeships, leadership and coaching qualifications, and have colleagues studying for vocational qualifications, degrees and masters. Additionally, we provide many shorter upskilling courses, including bitesize learning and a vast library of online e-learning courses. 

Apprenticeships

We offer apprenticeships in the following areas:  

• Business Administration
• Customer Service
• Media
• Procurement
• HR
• Project Management
• Planning
• Management (Levels 3, 5, 6 and 7).  

How we support our Apprentices   

• apprentices get 6 hours of their work week to focus on their Apprenticeship. This time is used for attending training courses and completing assignments
• we have a peer support team where current and former apprentices can meet to discuss their learning experiences with each other
• we encourage apprentices to attend the Apprentice of the Year Awards, where they can collaborate with apprentices from other organisations. 

Find out more about our apprenticeships.

Health and wellbeing

Flexible and hybrid working

We are committed to providing a flexible, adaptive, and agile working environment for our employees. This includes the way we work, where we work, and what tools we need to utilise. Our hybrid approach emphasises an activity-based culture, using new tools, new processes, increased flexible working opportunities and new approaches to management and teamwork.

Our 4 Day Week & Productivity Policy

At SCDC, we’re proud to offer a progressive approach to work-life balance through our 4 Day Week and Productivity Policy. This initiative empowers colleagues to complete 100% of their work in just 86.5% of their contracted hours, while continuing to receive 100% of their salary.

As part of this policy, colleagues benefit from a contracted “scheduled rest day” each week. For full-time employees, this typically means one full day off. For part-time colleagues, this may be a few hours, such as an afternoon, depending on their working pattern. Regardless of duration, this time is formally recognised as a “scheduled rest day.”

To enjoy the benefits of this policy, colleagues are expected to work in a streamlined, efficient, and productive manner, focusing on the delivery of their role rather than the hours worked. With support from the council, all participants are encouraged to continually seek improvements in how they work, ensuring they can consistently deliver their responsibilities within reduced hours.

New starters will be eligible to opt into the Productivity Policy after completing six weeks of service and all mandatory e-learning or role-specific training required for their position.

This policy reflects our commitment to wellbeing, flexibility, and high performance, creating a workplace where colleagues can thrive both professionally and personally.

Annual leave

Family leave

An employee may receive:

• occupational maternity or adoption pay of 12 weeks at half pay
• statutory maternity pay or statutory adoption pay, depending on length of service
• shared parental leave
• support to families who have premature babies, or babies who are unwell when they are born.

Changes in legislation are always reflected in our policy and practice. 

Equal opportunities

We recognise the benefit of having a workforce where people have different backgrounds and lived experiences. We want to make sure that people who would like to join our team feel welcome and able to do so. And we want to create a workplace where everyone feels safe to be themselves. 

Commuter benefits

Parking

There are parking facilities at Cambourne and Waterbeach, with electric car charging points available. However, availability cannot be guaranteed.

Car sharing schemes

‘CamShare’ is an online car sharing scheme which assists employees in finding other staff to car share with. ‘CamShare’ is a secure system where contact is made through work e-mail addresses only.

Green car scheme

Our green car benefit scheme from Tusker offers the opportunity for eligible employees to run an electric or hybrid car.

Similar to a personal car lease scheme, our system will offer a variety of brand-new, environmentally friendly vehicles for a fixed monthly amount taken directly from your gross salary.

Cycle scheme

We have signed up to Cyclescheme, which administers the Government's Bike to Work scheme.

Additional memberships

Membership of a Trade Union

We currently recognise UNISON and GMB for collective bargaining purposes.

Professional membership fees

If your role requires you to be a member of a professional body, the membership fees will be covered by the Council. This must be approved by your line manager. 

Relocation expenses

Relocation expenses, up to a maximum amount, may be payable in approved cases to new employees. You may be eligible if you need to relocate to the South Cambridgeshire area in order to carry out your duties.

Employees must be moving from an area at least 50 miles away, or over one hour's travel time, from their new place of employment. The new property must be no more than 35 miles away, or under one hour's travel time, from their new place of employment.