Business Executive Support Officer

Job Title: Executive Support Officer
Starting Salary: £31,537 opportunity to progress to £34,434 per annum (pro rata for part time)
Hours: 30
Location: Stevenage/Hybrid
Contract Type: Fixed term / secondment opportunity until end May 2027
Directorate: Resources

About the team

Our Business Support Service is looking for a highly motivated, enthusiastic, and organised Executive Support Officer who will provide direct executive support to the Executive Director, Growth and Environment. This role is a fixed term maternity cover role for 12 months.

Do you enjoy working in a fast-paced environment, providing excellent support to your team? Do you thrive as a team-player and enjoy using your initiative to work independently?

Our Business Support Service is a centralised unit which has been formed to deliver a co-ordinated, consistent, and high-quality service supporting service delivery across the organisation. Business Support is critical to ensuring our departments can support services to our residents, and if you have great administrative skills and a strong customer focus, you could be part of it.

You’ll be working in the Executive Support Hub as part of the central Business Support Service with more than 400 colleagues, playing a key role in supporting our departments to ensure they are able to deliver critical services to the residents of Hertfordshire.

About the role

We’re seeking a diligent, detail-orientated and proactive person to provide effective, high quality dedicated support to the Executive Director of Growth and Environment at Hertfordshire County Council.

In this role you’ll act as the first point of contact to the Executive Director of Growth and Environment and will have responsibility for management of their diary and inbox.

You will work closely with the Executive Director of Growth and Environment to understand their working styles and build effective relationships with senior officers across the organisation.

In addition, you’ll be supporting the effective running of key meetings. This will include drafting agendas, collating board packs, maintaining forward plans and action logs, and minuting meetings.

You will also deal regularly with internal and external stakeholders and partners and will be able to represent the organisation and the Executive Director of Growth and Environment professionally and in line with the County Council’s values.

This role is in the Executive Business Support Team (Growth and Environment) and you will be a key part of the wider Executive Support Hub with colleagues and to ensure effective co-ordination between diaries to support effective management of the Council’s business.

About you

The ideal candidate with be an enthusiastic individual with a can-do attitude, as well as being self-motivated, professional and approachable, always providing excellent team support and best practice.

Essential

• Experience in diary and inbox management for a senior leader or executive, able to use initiative to prioritise issues and invites on behalf of the Executive Director of Growth and Environment.
• Excellent in prioritisation of numerous tasks, efficient in time management and able to work with competing timescales, challenging demands and complex diary management.
• Excellent customer care skills, and experience in dealing with confidential and sensitive matters acting as first point of contact and professionally representing the organisation and Executive Director of Growth and Environment to internal and external stakeholders
• Excellent knowledge and understanding of the formal process surrounding Board meetings, including minutes, actions arising and next steps
• Excellent administrator with experience of using Microsoft Office, including Excel
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Experience carrying out activities relating to event hire, equipment, catering, and conferences attended by management boards.

Desirable

• Previous experience in supporting an executive-level role
• Knowledge or experience of working in a political environment, and of local government corporate objectives and current issues
• Experience of using SharePoint and MS Teams
• Knowledge of forthcoming political events impacting on local authorities

We welcome applications from candidates who currently reside in the UK with established proof of right to work documentation. We are not able to offer sponsorship at this time for this role.

This job role is within the Business Support Services ,level 8 job profile. Please locate this via:

Job profiles: Business support services

To hear more about this opportunity please contact

Jo Brush

Executive Support Team Leader - Growth and Environment, Business Support Service

Jo.brush@hertfordshire.gov.uk

for an informal discussion about the role.

Interview Date: Monday 1st June 2026

Benefits of working for us

How to apply

As part of your application, please upload your most recent CV. Ensure your CV is up to date with your employment history (including any employment gaps), and including any training/qualifications. We encourage you to include examples of where you have demonstrated the requirements/criteria in the advert / job profile to allow the panel to fully recognise your skills and abilities. You will have the opportunity to include a short covering paragraph within your application to give us a little more information about your skills, knowledge, and experiences.

Secondment
This position is open to secondments. If you work for HCC or any other Local Authority and would like to be considered as a Secondment contract, please ensure you complete the Secondment Form as part of your application. If you do not, your application will be considered as a Fixed Term Contract only.

Additional information

Disability Confident
We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and guarantee an interview to anyone disclosing a disability whose application meets the minimum criteria for the post.

English Fluency
The ability to converse at ease with members of the public and provide advice in accurate spoken English is essential for the post (for those whose language is a signed language the provision of a sign language interpreter who speaks English to the necessary standard of fluency will be required). Further information about the legal requirement can be found here.