Business Support Officer (Capability)

Job summary

You will be joining the Chief Data Officer (CDO) Group. The role sits within the Population Surveillance & Strategy Team (PSS), which sits at the heart of the Trusted Data & Technology (TDT) directorate within UKHSA. The team was responsible for the management of the UK’s major Covid-19 surveillance studies, which were set-up at the start of the pandemic to understand the disease’s impact both at a UK-wide level and on specific vulnerable groups. Data generated by these studies has formed the heart of the government’s response to the pandemic and working in this area is an opportunity to have impact in some of the highest profile areas of civil service working.

As PSS Business Support Officer you will help to manage and control activities, typically of moderate complexity, to enable effective management and decision-making.

Please note - This fixed term contract is for 2 years, with the possibility of extension.

Job description

• As PSS Business Support Officer, you will help to manage and control activities, typically of moderate complexity, to enable effective management and decision-making.
• As Business Support Officer, you will play a crucial role in facilitating the smooth operation of the communications function. We are looking for a confident self-starter with excellent organisational skills to balance the competing demands of the role.
• Your responsibilities will span daily administrative tasks, triaging inbox enquiries, managing diary invites, supporting team queries, and coordinating logistical aspects for group events. You will have a strong attention to detail and a proactive approach to problem-solving.
• The post holder will work collaboratively with stakeholders and senior managers, coordinating input for cross-group activities. You will support the planning and coordination of internal communications, engagement, and learning activities, and will be the point of contact for general team enquiries.
• You will contribute to the effective running of the communications function by encouraging continuous improvement and promoting ideas to improve ways of working. Where necessary, this role will be expected to deputise for the Communications Business Partner in their absence.
• Provide professional and administration support to the team including responding to emails, inbox management, diary management and supporting meetings
• Ensure meetings are arranged with the right people at the right time to progress priorities
• Lead on logistics and coordination of meetings, events, and learning sessions.
• Liaise with CDO Private Office as required
• Maintain and develop a group SharePoint / OneDrive filing system
• Support the creation of high-quality presentations to a range of stakeholders
• Send out requests for information and take responsibility for drafting summaries of the responses
• Support the Governance Manager with corporate initiatives and tasks
• Develop strong relationships across the group

This list is not exhaustive.

Person specification

Essential criteria

• Excellent time management and administration skills
• Strong organisational and communication skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver clear, engaging messages to diverse audiences
• Experience in planning and delivering engagement initiatives, including workshops and large-scale events
• Able to identify and handle potential risks, understanding when to tackle issues directly and when to escalate, and demonstrating sound judgement in your advice to colleagues
• Effective stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build and maintain productive relationships at all levels
• Strong facilitation skills
• Self-motivated and proactive approach, seeking out information that may need to be communicated
• Able to prioritise and co-ordinate reactive work with longer-term proactive tasks
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite – particularly Outlook, PowerPoint, and SharePoint, with the ability to learn new tools and embrace artificial intelligence in a safe way

Desirable criteria:

• Experience of working in a project and/or programme environment.
• Experience working in a public sector organisation or other large organisations.

Please note - For roles where specific qualifications or registrations are required, successful applicants will be asked to provide appropriate evidence. Employment cannot commence until satisfactory documentation has been received and verified.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £33,422, UK Health Security Agency contributes £9,682 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

We pride ourselves as being an employer of choice, promoting equality of opportunity to actively encourage applications from everyone, including groups currently underrepresented in our workforce. UKHSA's 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.

• 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 & Strengths.

Stage 1: Application & Sift

Success profilesSuccess Profiles - GOV.UK

You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed 9 essential criteria, and this will be in the form of a:

• Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
• 1000 word supporting statement.

This should outline how you consider 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 1000 words. We will not consider any words over 1000words.

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

If used, the pile(s) that meet ALL and SOME essential criteria will proceed to shortlisting.

Shortlisting:

In the event of a large number of applications we may conduct an initial sift, on the lead criteria of:

• Excellent time management and administration skills
• Strong organisational and communication skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver clear, engaging messages to diverse audiences
• Experience in planning and delivering engagement initiatives, including workshops and large-scale events

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 & assessment.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview

Success profilesSuccess Profiles - GOV.UK

You will be invited to a single remote interview.

Behaviours & Strengths will be tested at interview in the form of questions.

The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be:

• Lead Behaviour - Managing a Quality Service
• Communication and Influencing
• Working Together
• Delivering at Pace

Interviews dates are to be confirmed.

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

Eligibility Criteria

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

Location

This role is being offered as hybrid working based at any of our Core HQs. 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) working at one of UKHSA's core HQs (Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, and London). Our core HQ offices are modern and newly refurbished with excellent city centre transport links and benefit from co-location with other government departments such as the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC).

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.

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.

Higher Executive Officer (HEO)

• £33,422-£40,731 (National)
• £35,587- £43,244 (Outer London)
• £37,749- £45,353 (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 : John Inglis
• Email : john.inglis@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