Job responsibilities
Administrative Support
- Provide comprehensive administrative support to teams across the Department.
- Lead and act as a central coordinating point of contact for a range of business administration activities. This will include delegated lead responsibility for certain corporate function processes. For example, compiling and updating health and safety risk assessments or reporting of sickness absence and preparing and submitting returns on behalf of the department as required.
- Communicate and engage effectively with a range of people, including internal and external staff and stakeholders. This will include dealing with stakeholder enquiries promptly and courteously by email, telephone, letter or in person, referring to the relevant lead where appropriate.
- Responsible for the organisation of meetings and events and production of reports, papers, minutes and updating action logs as required. This will include providing secretariat support to teams and other internal meetings and networks as required.
- Support the development of systems and procedures where necessary to ensure efficiency, quality and cost effectiveness across the business support and administration function.
- Participate in relevant internal working groups/projects, services and initiatives across the organisation representing the Department, Division or Directorate.
- Carry out timely and accurate information analysis and reporting on agreed areas of their working area and present findings in an agreed manner. This will include developing and maintaining databases as required by the job using a variety of digital and IT applications.
- Contribute to effective information management (including maintaining administrative and information resources, i.e. filing systems) and assist with the dissemination and/or collation of information/returns, in a timely manner.
- Responsible for organising and controlling own workload ensuring deadlines are observed and duties performed efficiently.
- Provide cover as directed by line manager for other members of the team in their absence and assist with their workloads as necessary.
Project Support
- Undertake project support in the absence of a dedicated project support role in the structure, responding to information requests and other tasks which will involve meeting tight deadlines and may include using digital tools, for example JIRA. This will include: assisting and working closely with members of the project team(s), supporting elements of projects as directed by the relevant lead or project manager; maintaining project plans; supporting the provision of management information; and participating in working groups.
Financial and Resource Management
- Provide support and information to aid effective management of budgets, in liaison with the Finance Business Partner, including overseeing the placement and/or orders for goods and/or stationery using the MaPS system, receipt goods and maintain log of expenditure.
- Support the end of year / monthly close down of accounts.
Leadership and Management
- Be a visible, positive and competent role model and motivator, and provide training, advice and support in own area of responsibility.
- Undertake effective line management of staff (if applicable) within area of responsibility, including: undertaking annual appraisals and ensuring direct reports have access to appropriate training and induction; progressing any disciplinary or capability issues, as necessary; and participating in recruitment process of administrative staff.
- Support business support team on their day-to-day activities, which may include call handling or data inputting.
Essential skills:
The successful candidate will be expected to demonstrate:
- Communicate clearly and concisely both orally and in writing. Take time to consider the best communication channel to use for the audience, including making the best of digital resources and considering value for money.
- Understand that bullying, harassment, and discrimination are unacceptable.
- Significant administrative/ secretarial experience including developing, implementing, and maintaining office systems and handling sensitive information.
- Experience of organising meetings and producing supporting paperwork, including agendas, and taking minutes/action notes.
- Experienced at working under pressure handling multiple tasks and prioritising own workload.
- Ability to use finance systems and support financial analysis for reports.
- Follow relevant policies, procedures and legislation to complete your work.
- Ability to work without supervision working to tight and often changing timescales.
- Educated to degree level/NVQ level 6 in relevant subject or equivalent level of qualification and/or equivalent experience.
- IT skills and advanced Microsoft Office experience, including Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint.
- You work well as part of a team and strive to ensure the team pulls together and is effective.
- You are inquisitive, you seek out new information and look for new ways to develop yourself.
- An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships.
Desirable Skills:
Ideally you will also have the following skills or some experience in:
- Experience working in a public sector organisation.
- Line management skills.
- Ability to use digital tools e.g. JIRA
We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce.
UKHSA ethos is to be an inclusive organisation for all our staff and stakeholders. To create, nurture and sustain an inclusive culture, where differences drive innovative solutions to meet the needs of our workforce and wider communities. We do this through celebrating and protecting differences by removing barriers and promoting equity and equality of opportunity for all.
Selection Process
You will be required to complete an application form. This will be assessed and sifted in line with the essential criteria.
You will also be asked to provide information within the Employer/ Activity history section of the application form. This is equivalent to the information you would provide on a CV, setting out your career history. This will be used in sifting process and will be scored.
Stage 1: Application & SiftAs part of the application process, you will be asked to provide a Statement of Suitability in no more than 1250 words regarding the following behaviours:
- Working Together
- Delivering at Pace
- Communicating and Influencing
- Making Effective Decisions
providing examples of how you meet the essential criteria. It should also detail what you and your experience can bring to the role. We suggest using the STAR (situation, task, action, result) method to demonstrate real-life examples for the specified essential criteria. Please note, only information provided within the stated word count will be considered.
If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview
Stage 2: Panel Interview
All candidates who are successful at the sift stage will undertake a single video interview over teams. It will be a 35 min interview, to assess you against a mixture of Behaviours, Strengths and Technical skills.
Reserve List:
Candidates who pass the interview criteria but are not offered a post will be kept on a reserve list for 12 months and may be contacted if similar roles become available.
If you are interviewed for the post and do not meet the required threshold for the specified grade, your application may be assessed against a similar, lower grade role and you may be offered the post should one be available.
DBS - People working with government systems must complete Basic Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks which includes a disclosure and barring security check. Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed for this role is BPSS however there may be a requirement for this role to be SC cleared and you should familiarise yourself with the criteria of security clearance.
This role is Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants. Appointments to roles within UKHSA will be made in accordance with the Civil Service nationality rules. These can be found athttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rulesThis job is broadly open to the following groups:
- UK nationals
- Nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- Nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- Nationals from the EU, EEA or Switzerland with settled or pre-settled status or who apply for either status by the deadline of theEuropean Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals working in the Civil Service
- Relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals who have built up the right to work in the Civil Service
- Certain family members of the relevant EU, EEA, Swiss or Turkish nationals
We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles.
The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.
The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment.
Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.
Government baseline personnel security standard
Its important to note that there are currently exceptions to applications being considered if your conviction relates to any of the following:
- life sentences
- arson
- sexual offences
- hate and terror offences
