Business Support Assistant - Working for Essex

About the role

Business Support Assistant

Fixed Term, Full Time

£25,081 Per Annum

Location: Colchester

Working Style: Anywhere worker

Closing Date: 12th May 2025

Please note that this is a fixed term contract/secondment opportunity until 31st March 2026.

About Us:

We are seeking a candidate with strong minute-taking skills and general administration experience. As an 'anywhere' worker, you will have the flexibility to work from home when this meets business need. However, there will be occasions when you are required to work on-site at Rowan House, Colchester, or other locations when required, so flexibility is essential.

This is an exciting opportunity to work as part of Essex County Council’s large, dynamic and highly valued Business Support Team who work in specialised Business Centres across Essex promoting specialised knowledge and improving service and efficiencies.

Business Support teams deliver outstanding administration and customer service to all Essex County Council (ECC) functional areas. Our multi skilled teams deliver services from Business Centre hubs; providing a wide variety of support to high volume processes and tasks such as data input and management, minute taking, finance tasks, managing high volume calls, receptions and requests for assistance. We also support front line social care teams that require a more integrated approach to support.

We are proactive, forward-thinking and solution focused; we streamline processes and maximise digital opportunities. In doing so, we help increase the effectiveness of ECC to deliver better outcomes for the people of Essex than it could without our support.

We value our people and help them strive to deliver their potential and walk their career pathways within our organisation, giving them the tools and learning to get there.

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:

This is a varied and challenging role, as a minute taker within our team, you will be supporting a variety of ECC meetings varying from social care meetings for Adults & Children, through to Corporate and HR meetings.

As a Business Support Assistant, you may also provide general administrative support to ECC, dealing with day to day work instructed from the Business Centre Manager. Great customer service skills are required as this is a customer facing role. Accurate and efficient data entry onto ECC systems is also required, to ensure that all customer service requests are met within a specified time frame and are in line with data protection policies.

About You:

You will:

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 minute taking experience – however full training will be provided.
Have excellent face to face customer service skills, communication and conflict management skills.
Have the ability to use computerised systems with a high level of speed and accuracy – including Microsoft Office applications and internal ECC databases.
Have previous experience of managing electronic or hard copy filing systems.
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.
Strong telephony and IT skills are desirable.

What will you be doing?

Provide note/minute taking support to various function across ECC.
Provide high quality, efficient and effective Business Support services to internal and external customers within agreed timescales and Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
Responding to customer requests and queries in a timely and efficient way.
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.
Delivering the required activities of the respective business centre(s).
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.
Covering Essex County Council building receptions.
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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