Senior Business Support Administrator

Job summary

The Insolvency Service is a leading Government agency which plays a crucial role in providing essential services to the public and to business. The work we do is important to the proper functioning of markets, the economy in general and support for thousands of people each year who are in financial difficulty.

Inclusive and diverse teams are important to us. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including groups underrepresented in our workforce. The Insolvency Service strives to ensure that the agency is a safe, inclusive, and welcoming place for everybody to bring their true self to work and to help the agency to achieve its diversity objectives. We have 9 active employee network groups available to join or become an ally, these include, Carers Network, Disability network group, Employee Assistance, Representatives, FACES Network Group, LGBT+, Mind Matters, Part Time Workers, The Shed - Men’s Network Group and Women’s Network Group.

We offer full-time, part-time, job share and flexible ways of working. We value capability, technical skills and experience and we place great emphasis on lifetime development to support our people. We encourage our employees to become more involved in areas they feel strongly about, whether it be for the benefit of the agency, though our Engagement network or in their own local communities via volunteering opportunities.

The Insolvency Service is a great place to work, learn and grow your career!

Investigation and Enforcement Services (IES)

Investigation and Enforcement Services (IES) directorate aims to deliver and promote a range of investigation and enforcement activities, both civil and criminal in nature, to support fair and open markets. We do this by effectively enforcing the statutory company and insolvency regimes, maintaining public confidence in those regimes, and reducing the harm caused to victims of fraudulent activity and to the business community.

Job description

The Business and Operations Support Service (BOSS) Team is a central team within IES that provides strategic coordination and business support to the Director and Assistant Directors of IES as well as to the wider directorate.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who will deliver proactive, customer focused recruitment services to the directorate.

Working directly to the Workforce Strategy and Planning Manager, the post holder would be expected to provide recruitment and resourcing activity at pace. The demands upon the post can be unpredictable and flexibility is needed.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to develop their understanding of IES workforce planning, its impact on IES budget and the wider agency workforce planning and recruitment. You will also gain an insight into the work of the IES senior leaders and how IES operates.

Responsibilities

The postholder will:

• Work collaboratively with the other Senior Business Support Administrator and Business Support Administrators to ensure effective coordination and delivery of team and IES priorities
• Provide effective line management to direct report(s), including objective setting, performance management, pastoral support and development
• Accurately maintain the IES Workforce Plan, tracking staff movement, including information on agency workers
• Provide expert advice on resourcing best practice, departmental policy, and Civil Service Recruitment
• Principles, ensuring consistency and compliance
• Lead and manage recruitment campaigns from approval to onboarding, delivering a high-quality experience for candidates and stakeholders
• Oversee and administer wider resourcing requests and employee moves
• Build and maintain strong, collaborative relationships with vacancy holders, candidates, and delivery partners
• Attend monthly meetings to discuss staffing changes and recruitment plans
• Analyse recruitment data and trends to inform decision-making and continuous improvement
• Actively support diversity and inclusion throughout all stages of the recruitment process.
• Conduct the reconciliation of staff summary reports to ensure IES Workforce Plan is reflected on payroll data, to include providing reports to the Finance Business Partner on any variances
• Support with the production of the monthly Workforce Plan reports
• Manage shared mailboxes i.e., daily monitoring, allocating and/or responding to emails, following up on actions as necessary
• Any other ad hoc tasks, as required to support the team’s other workforce management functions

Person specification

The successful candidate will have the ability to:

• Work collaboratively and constructively with a cross section of colleagues
• Be proactive and follow-up on requests
• Respond quickly, flexibly and effectively to tight deadlines
• Build and establish positive relationships with a range of stakeholders and work with internal communications team to create engaging recruitment marketing materials and digital content to attract the best candidates
• Analyse recruitment data and trends and provide insights for continuous improvement
• You are also required to have:
• A keen eye for detail to maintain a comprehensive and real-time tracker of all recruitment and workforce planning
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Essential Criteria

• Demonstrable experience delivering end-to-end Civil Service recruitment activity, with a strong working knowledge of Civil Service Commission Recruitment Principles, compliance, and governance requirements.
• Proven ability to provide credible, strategic resourcing advice to a wide range of stakeholders, including senior managers, balancing business needs, policy requirements and organisational risk.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with a track record of building effective relationships, influencing decisions and managing complex or sensitive stakeholder relationships.
• Strong delivery focus, evidenced by a track record of delivering high quality outcomes at pace, managing multiple workstreams simultaneously, and adapting effectively to changing priorities or organisational demands.
• Experience in developing/improving internal processes, demonstrating strong attention to detail and a commitment to continuous improvement.
• Hold or be willing to obtain CIPD level 3 within 18 months of starting in post.

Please note: Candidates applying for a part‑time position must be able to work a minimum of 30 hours per week to meet operational requirements.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Delivering at Pace
• Seeing the Big Picture
• Communicating and Influencing
• Changing and Improving

We only ask for evidence of these behaviours on your application form:

• Delivering at Pace

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £35,645, Insolvency Service contributes £10,326 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

We want you to have a good work-life balance and want to support you in all that you do, so we offer a great benefits package including:

• flexible working arrangements and flexi-time
• full time new entrants to the Civil Service and those Civil Servants on modernised terms and conditions will be entitled to 25 days leave increasing on a sliding scale to 30 days after 5 years’ service
• in addition to this you are entitled to 8 public/bank holidays plus an additional day of privilege leave
• competitive maternity, paternity and parental leave
• 5 days paid leave for learning and development
• 5 days paid for volunteering
• a Cycle to work scheme
• staff have access to an employee assistance programme, Workplace Wellness, for confidential, independent support and advice during difficult times in either their professional or personal life

Your pension is a valuable part of your total reward package where the employer makes a significant contribution to the cost of your pension. Your contributions come out of your salary before any tax is taken. This means, if you pay tax, your take-home pay will not be reduced by the full amount of your contribution; and your pension will continue to provide valuable benefits for you and your family if you are too ill to continue to work or die before you retire. For more information, visit www.civilservicepensionscheme.org.uk

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 (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Ability and Experience.

As part of the sift process, you will be asked to complete:

• Online Tests

• CV

• Personal Statement

• Behaviours
  • Behaviour 1 – Delivering at Pace

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the Personal Statement & Lead behaviour 'Delivering at Pace', assessing candidates against the essential criteria. Only those who meet the essential criteria at this stage will proceed to a full assessment of their application. If a candidate does not meet the minimum requirements during the initial sift, the remainder of their application will not be reviewed. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to interview.

Before submission of your application you will be invited to complete a Civil Service Verbal Test and Civil Service Judgement Test.

Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended), the closing date for the tests is 23:55 on 21 April 2026. If you fail to complete the online tests before the deadline your application will be withdrawn. Guidance for the tests will be available when you are invited to take the tests. The tests are administered online and accessed via the CS Jobs website.

Our online test supplier will be performing scheduled maintenance between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on 19th April 2026. You will be unable to access tests during this period.

If you are in the middle of a test when the maintenance begins, your progress will be paused. You will be able to resume your test from where you left off via your application centre once the downtime has ended. Please note that you will not be able to launch any new tests while the system is offline.

CV Guidance

Your CV should provide a clear overview of your employment history, key responsibilities, relevant qualifications, and the skills and experience you’ve gained throughout your career including any notable achievements.

Note: Your CV will be scored as part of the assessment process and will be assessed against the criteria outlined in the job advert.

Personal Statement Guidance

Your personal statement should be no more than 500 words and must demonstrate how your personal skills, qualities, and experience align with the requirements of the role. Please ensure your statement references the essential criteria outlined in the person specification.

If successful at the sift stage, at interview, you will be assessed on the following:

• Experience
• Behaviours - assessed through:
  • Behaviour 1 - Delivering at Pace
  • Behaviour 2 - Seeing the Big Picture
  • Behaviour 3 - Communicating & Influencing
  • Behaviour 4 - Changing & Improving

Expected timeline (subject to change)

Sift – week commencing 20th April 2026

Interview – week commencing 11th May 2026

Location - MS Teams

Your interview will either be conducted face to face or by video. You will be notified of this if you are selected for interview. Candidates are asked to note the above timetable, exercising flexibility through the recruitment and selection process.

Visa Applicants

To sponsor a candidate under the Skilled Worker visa, a sponsorship licence is required. The Insolvency Service does not currently hold this licence and therefore, cannot legally sponsor Skilled Worker visa applicants.

Further Information

A reserve list may be held for a period of 12 months from which further appointments can be made.

Any move to Insolvency Service from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare; for further information visit the Childcare Choices website.

Hybrid Working

Insolvency Service operates a hybrid working policy subject to business need, giving people the flexibility to choose when and where they work and collaborate with others.

Individuals are expected to work from one of the office locations stated in the advert to connect with their colleagues, as required by their role and business team needs. There is flexibility to split the working week, spending a minimum of 60% in the workplace, which includes the office, site visits, court etc.

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

Contact Government Recruitment Service via InsolvencyRecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs.

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service/Disclosure Scotland/ on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk

For further information on National Security Vetting please visit the Demystifying Vetting website.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Visa Applicants

To sponsor a candidate under the Skilled Worker visa, a sponsorship licence is required. The Insolvency Service does not currently hold this licence and therefore, cannot legally sponsor Skilled Worker visa applicants.

Feedback

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).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.The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

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

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative.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 : Owen Wilshaw-Livesey
• Email : Owen.Wilshaw-Livesey@insolvency.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : InsolvencyRecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel there have been procedural irregularities at any stage of the recruitment process or that your application has not been treated in accordance with the Civil Service Commission’s Recruitment Principles, and wish to make a complaint, then in the first instance you should contact hr.recruitment@insolvency.gov.uk. If you are not satisfied with the response that you receive you can then contact the Civil Service Commission.

Attachments

Insolvency Candidate Information Pack Opens in new window (pdf, 6509kB)Applying for a Job - A Candidate Guide (2) Opens in new window (pdf, 3061kB)