Business Support Assistant

Please note that this is a fixed term contract/secondment opportunity until 31^st March 2026. As an ‘Anywhere Worker’ position, the role will involve a combination of remote and office based working. There will be an expectation for you to attend the office based at Ely House, Basildon, approximately 2-3 days per week in addition to ‘as and when’ there is a business need. There will also be a requirement to attend other Essex County Council offices such as the Family Centre (Basildon), Family Solutions (Laindon) and the Youth Justice Service (Rayleigh) during the fixed term contract.

This is a part-time role working Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday's, 9am - 5:30pm (22.5 hours per week). The pro-rata salary will be £15,252 per annum.

About Us:

This is an exciting opportunity to work as part of Essex County Councils’ South Children’s, Families and Education Service Support Team (SST) alongside colleagues to support the varying demands of the Children & Families service. The successful candidate will possess a curious mindset, ability to use various IT based systems, be able to communicate with members of the public and professionals alike. This is an exciting, varied and challenging role that means every day is different.

Benefits:

• Healthy work life balance.
• Wide range of learning and development opportunities.
• IT equipment and home-working equipment supplied.
• 26 days annual leave + bank holidays + choice to buy extra.
• Generous Local Government Salary related pension scheme.
• Access to hundreds of discounts and benefits through Essex Rewards.
• Access to our health and wellbeing support platform with LifeWorks.
• Up to 4 days per year Volunteering leave.

Essex County Council is proud to offer an excellent benefits package to all its employees. More information can be found here pay and reward.

The Role:

As a member of our team, you’ll gain a wide range of skills and administrative knowledge, with full training provided on all internal systems. This role is perfect for someone looking to make a real impact.

As a Business Support Assistant, you will receive comprehensive training on all internal systems. This is your opportunity to work in a supportive and dynamic work environment, making a meaningful difference for Essex residents.

About You:

• Have a good standard of basic education – 5 GCSEs grade C and above (including Maths and English) or a minimum of 6 months office experience.
• Have excellent face to face customer service skills, communication and conflict management skills.
• Have strong organisational and administrative skills.
• Have the ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
• Have the ability to use computerised systems with a high level of speed and accuracy – including Microsoft Office applications and internal ECC databases.
• Be able to communicate in a manner which is easily understood and tailored to meet the needs of the audience.
• As part of the role, you may have access to sensitive and/or personal information, therefore you will need to understand and follow GDPR regulations.
• Have the ability to think about alternative ways of doing things and being open to new work practices and responsive to change.
• Have the ability to take ownership of work and fulfil agreed commitments, checking work for accuracy.
• Be reliable for on-site working as you will be required to be onsite 5 days a week.

What will you be doing?

• Providing emergency petty cash.
• Occasional reception cover at Family Centre, Basildon, Family Solutions, Laindon and Youth Justice Service, Rayleigh.
• Dealing with inbox requests such as raising purchase orders, using TRIPPS, creating genograms, ordering Passports/Birth Certificates.
• Creating purchase orders for workers.
• Ordering goods and services online.
• Provide high quality, efficient and effective Business Support services to internal and external customers within agreed timescales and Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
• Act as a professional representative of the Business Support service at a local level, dealing with customers face to face and via telephone or redirecting in line with Essex customer standards.
• Providing high quality self-directed administrative support, checking own work and proactively looking to raise standards.
• Maintaining confidential records according to Essex County Council guidance.
• Dealing with correspondence for the team or service in a timely, consistent and professional manner.
• Sharing knowledge and good practice with colleagues and highlighting more efficient ways of doing tasks.
• Specific individual and shared targets and objectives are defined annually within the performance management framework.

Why Essex? 

To read more about us please visit:

Corporate Services

Entry to work - Working for Essex

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex. With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process.

We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles, including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

How to apply:

Start your journey within Business Support by clicking the APPLY button now!

If you are interested in finding out more about this role or require further information, we would love to hear from you. Please email: work.placements@essex.gov.uk.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to https://www.gov.uk/dbs-update-service.

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community.

Additional Information:

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email work.placements@essex.gov.uk

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