Business Support Officer

Job summary

This role provides operational, administrative, and coordination support to ensure the smooth functioning of divisional activities, programmes, and workforce processes. The post holder contributes to day‑to‑day operational delivery, supports routine reporting requirements, and assists with the organisation of key business functions across the team.

The role involves working closely with senior staff, managers, and internal stakeholders to ensure timely completion of tasks, effective workflow management, and consistent communication across operational areas. The postholder is expected to manage competing priorities, maintain accurate records, and support the implementation of operational procedures to enable efficient and compliant service delivery.

Working for your organisation

We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, where Everyone Matters promoting equality of 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.

Please visit our careers site for more information https://gov.uk/ukhsa/careers

Job description

The post holder supports the delivery of operational and administrative functions across the division by coordinating routine processes, maintaining effective communication channels, and ensuring that core business activities run efficiently.

Responsibilities include managing schedules, supporting internal reporting cycles, preparing documentation for meetings, maintaining accurate operational records, and contributing to the development and refinement of processes to improve efficiency. The post holder provides day‑to‑day support to senior colleagues by monitoring deadlines, managing information flow, and supporting the operational implementation of team priorities.

The main responsibilities of this role are:

• Coordinate administrative and operational tasks to support divisional workflows
• Maintain trackers, documentation, operational logs, and records to support internal processes
• Monitor shared inboxes, triage enquiries, and ensure timely responses or escalation
• Schedule meetings, prepare agendas, and support governance‑related administration
• Assist with recruitment coordination, onboarding activities, and workforce processes
• Contribute to reporting requirements by gathering information and preparing routine summaries
• Support the implementation of organisational policies and procedures to maintain compliance
• Escalate issues appropriately to senior staff and ensure workflows are maintained
• Provide general administrative support to managers and internal stakeholders as required

This is not an exhaustive list.

Person specification

Essential criteria

• Educated to graduate degree level/NVQ6 level (or equivalent qualification) in social sciences, arts and humanities, science and engineering, public health or climate change; or equivalent experience in a similar role
• 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
• Communicate clearly and concisely both orally and in writing, taking 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
• 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
• 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 role criteria:

• Experience working in the public sector or a similar large organisation
• Line management skills
• Ability to use digital tools e.g. JIRA

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £28,547, UK Health Security Agency contributes £8,270 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• Learning and development tailored to your role
• An environment with flexible working options
• A culture encouraging inclusion and diversity
• A Civil Service pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your behaviours.

Stage 1: Application & Sift

You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed 13 essential criteria, and this will be in the form of:

• an application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
• an 800 word supporting statement

This should outline how your skills, experience, and knowledge, provide evidence of your suitability for the role, with reference to the essential criteria.

You will receive a joint score for your application form and statement. (The application form is the kind of information you would put into your C.V –please be advised you will not be able to upload your CV. Please complete the application form in as much detail as possible). Please do not email us your CV.

Healthjobs UK has a word limit of 1500, but your supporting statement must be no more than 800 words. We will not consider any words over 800 words.

Longlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we will longlist into 3 piles of:

• Meets all essential criteria
• Meets some essential criteria
• Meets no essential criteria

Only those meeting all essential criteria will be taken through to shortlisting.

Shortlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on:

• 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
• IT skills and advanced Microsoft Office experience, including Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint

Desirable criteria may be used in the event of a large number of applications / large amount of successful candidates.

If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to interview and assessment.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview

You will be invited to a remote interview. Interviews dates are to be confirmed.

Behaviours will be tested at interview.

The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be:

• Managing a Quality Service (Lead behaviour)
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together
• Communication and Influencing
• Making Effective Decisions

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Location

This role is being offered as hybrid working based at any of our Core HQs in Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool or London (Canary Wharf).

We offer great flexible working opportunities at UKHSA and operate using a hybrid working model where business needs allow. This provides us with greater flexibility about how and where we work, to get the best from our workforce. As a hybrid worker, you will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of your contractual working hours (approximately 3 days a week pro rata, averaged over a month).

Our core HQ offices are modern and newly refurbished with excellent city centre transport link and benefit from benefit from co-location with other government departments such as the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).

In exceptional circumstances, UKHSA will consider requests from candidates who may prefer a homeworking arrangement.

Eligibility criteria

Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants).

Security clearance level requirement

Successful candidates must pass a basic Disclosure and Barring Security check before they can be appointed.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is Baseline Personnel Security Standard clearance.

Salary information

If you are successful at interview, and are moving from another government department, NHS, or Local Authority, the relevant starting salary principles for level transfers or promotions will apply. Otherwise, roles are offered at the pay scale minimum for the grade, but in exceptional circumstances there may be flexibility if you are able to demonstrate you are already in receipt of an existing, higher salary. Pay increases are through the relevant annual pay award for the role and terms.

Please be aware that the salary is based on the office location:

Executive Officer (EO)

• £28,547- £33,196 (National)
• £30,441- £35,576 (Outer London)
• £32,624-£37,737 (Inner London)

Future location

UKHSA is investing in a new state-of-the-art National Biosecurity Centre in Harlow, Essex, which will eventually bring together teams currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale and Porton Down. For more details, please see: Huge biosecurity centre investment to boost pandemic protection - GOV.UK.

The new facilities will start becoming operational in the mid-2030s, with full completion by 2038. Staff will move in phases as facilities become available. If you're appointed to a role currently based at Canary Wharf, Colindale or Porton Down, please note that we'll continue investing in these sites for the next decade. As we get closer to the transition, we'll provide full information about relocation support available to staff.

Reasonable adjustments

The Civil Service is committed to making sure that our selection methods are fair to everyone. To help you during the recruitment process, we will consider any reasonable adjustments that could help you. An adjustment is a change to the recruitment process or an adjustment at work. This is separate to the Disability Confident Scheme. If you need an adjustment to be made at any point during the recruitment process you should contact the recruitment team in confidence as soon as possible to discuss your needs.

You can find out more information about reasonable adjustments across the Civil Service here: https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/reasonable-adjustments/

International police check

If you have spent more than 6 months abroad over the last 3 years you may need an International Police Check. This would not necessarily have to be in a single block, and it could be time accrued over that period.

Internal fraud check

If successful for this role as one aspect of pre-employment screening, applicant’s personal details – name, national insurance number and date of birth - will be checked against the Cabinet Office Internal Fraud Hub and anyone included on the database will be refused employment unless they can show exceptional circumstances. Currently this is only for External candidates to the Civil Service.

Careers website

Please visit our careers site for more information https://gov.uk/ukhsa/careers

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window).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.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

• Name : Jon Payne
• Email : jonathan.payne@ukhsa.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : recruitment@ukhsa.gov.uk

Further information

The law requires that selection for appointment to the Civil Service is on merit on the basis of fair and open competition as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's Recruitment Principles. If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles, and you wish to make a complaint, in the first instance, you should contact UKHSA Public Accountability Unit via email: Complaints@ukhsa.gov.uk If you are not satisfied with the response you receive from the Department, you can contact the Civil Service Commission: Visit the Civil Service Commission website: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk