Business Support Officer - Req24315

Would you like to be part of something bigger and join us in our ambition to become the Best City, working together as a Team for Leeds. Do your values match ours and do you have something to offer?

Leeds City Council delivers over 500 different services to residents and is dedicated to bringing the benefits of a prosperous, vibrant and attractive city to the people of Leeds. This is a fantastic time to join us. 

Benefits of working with us:

We pride ourselves on offering the best employee experience, with a genuine commitment to keeping our colleagues safe and well at work. You can expect great benefits whilst working for us including:

• a competitive pay progression structure including generous employer pension contributions
• flexible career paths with tailored personal and professional development
• support for you, your home and your family including personal, and financial support
• hybrid working arrangements (subject to needs of the role) and a flexitime system

For more information about our benefits please see the benefits section of our jobs page. 

Introduction to the role of the team 

One Adoption West Yorkshire is a shared regional adoption service across the 5 West Yorkshire Local Authorities. It is hosted by Leeds City Council with office bases across West Yorkshire. Core services are the recruitment and assessment of all adopters, family finding for children and adoption support through all life stages and our vision is to ensure that children, adopters and birth parents in West Yorkshire receive an excellent adoption service.

Your role 

You will be part of the Business Support team supporting the recruitment and assessment of potential adopters. You will need to be able to work well in a team as well as use your own initiative. The role will require you to be proactive and there will be occasions where you will be expected to work with limited supervision. We are committed to your professional development and will ensure you have the right resources and training to enable you to provide a first-class service.

The role requires sensitivity and involves contact with service providers, professionals and members of the public. Excellent communication skills are a must therefore you will need to have experience of using a variety of communication methods.

What you will bring to the role 

• Exceptional administrative, customer service and organisational skills
• Experience of using IT systems and processes within an office environment including Microsoft Office and database recording systems
• Ability to work flexibly as part of a team & show initiative, prioritise work and meet conflicting deadlines
• Good English language and grammar skills and experience of note taking/minute taking 

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults.

We promote diversity and want a workforce that reflects the population of Leeds. Leeds City Council is ranked 70 on the Stonewall Equality Index 2023. We are also an Age friendly employer, a Mindful employer and a Disability Confident leader.

Leeds City Council is a compassionate employer who is proud to offer the best employee experience. Our employee benefits aim to look after your health and wellbeing, your workplace and your finances. Our shared Values and behaviours help everyone to be their best.

All new Leeds City Council appointments are made subject to the satisfactory completion of a six-month probationary period.

This role is based in the UK. Employment is conditional on confirmation of the right to work in the UK - either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa. If you do not have the right to work in the UK and the role does not meet eligibility for sponsorship, please consider carefully whether you meet the eligibility to apply.

Job Description

Job purpose: To work as part of a team to provide an effective and efficient administration and support service as part of a regional Business Support team. Primary areas of work to include, data inputting, word processing, responding to telephone queries, recording accurate information into manual and e-systems and a range of other administrative work providing a timely response to all requests.

Responsibilities

• To use clerical time efficiently and to ensure the smooth running of the office, maintaining up to date computer-based and manual filing systems.
• To support the lead officer(s) in updating and managing administration functions
• To operate relevant ICT packages e.g. word, excel, publisher, databases, spreadsheets, internet, mail merge.
• To assist in the website in respect of updating information and importing/exporting data
• To provide general administrative support, including duplicating/photocopying, other reprographics, completing standard forms, responding to routine correspondence
• Act as the first point of contact for customers and visitors – both in person and on the telephone, in a courteous, professional, calm and friendly manner
• To maintain relationships with colleagues in other local authorities and external agencies
• To maintain diaries and arrange appointments.
• To deal with enquiries in a friendly, efficient and approachable manner
• To open, log and distribute both internal and external mail.
• To assist in the organisation and booking of visits and events
• To take minutes at meetings
• To assist lead Business Support Officers in dealing with correspondence, records and enquiries relating to the service
• To use the financial accounting systems, procedures and organisation in order to assist in the operation of the financial procedures.
• Raise orders for goods and services on internal requisition, as directed by Senior Officer
• To maintain stationary stocks
• To be aware of and comply with all Leeds City Council policies and procedures e.g. child protection, health, safety, and security, equal opportunities, confidentiality and data protection, reporting all concerns to an appropriate person.
• To attend relevant meetings and in-service training and seek to further extend skills, knowledge and experience in order to develop personal effectiveness in the role.
• Ensure that electronic and paper-based records are kept updated.
• To supervise Business Support assistants, including regularly instructing, checking work and advising and/or training staff

The duties outlined are not meant as an exhaustive list and will also comprise any other duties within the spirit of the post commensurate with the job evaluation outcome for this post.

Qualifications

• NVQ Level 3 or equivalent is desirable.

Essential requirements It is essential that the candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria for the post. Candidates will only be shortlisted for interview if they can demonstrate that they meet all the essential requirements.

• Able to communicate effectively with a wide range of people.
• Able to process documentation using Microsoft office applications.
• Able to accurately enter/retrieve data information from information systems.
• Able to work flexibly as part of a team & show initiative.
• Able to prioritise work to meet conflicting deadlines.
• Able to demonstrate good numeracy & literacy skills.
• Able to assist in the training of new team members.
• To display a responsible and co-operative attitude to working towards the achievement of the service’s aims and objectives

Knowledge required.

• Of general office procedures and practice
• Of relevant financial regulations to carry out financial transactions
• Knowledge of Data Protection legislation

Experience required

• Of dealing with queries from a wide range of people
• Of working in partnership with others to deliver work to set deadlines
• Of providing customer focussed services
• Of participating in teams and working on own initiative
• In the use of the Microsoft package

Essential Behavioural & other Characteristics

• Understand and embrace Leeds City Council Values and Behaviours and codes of conduct.
• Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the Best City Ambition of Health & Wellbeing, Inclusive Growth and Zero Carbon
• Able to understand and observe Leeds City Council equality and diversity policies.
• Carry out all duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health and Safety Policies.
• Willingness to actively participate in training and development activities.
• Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade.
• Participate in appraisal, training, and development activities.
• Be aware of and comply with Leeds City Council policies and procedures.
• Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding, equality & diversity policies of Leeds City Council.
• Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse, reporting any concerns to the appropriate person.
• The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and the role will be expected to work within these parameters.

Desirable requirements It is desirable that the candidate should be able to demonstrate the following criteria for the post. Candidates are not required to meet all the desirable requirements however these may be used to distinguish between candidates.

Knowledge required

• NVQ Level 3 or equivalent
• Qualifications demonstrating ability in numeracy and literacy.

Experience required

• Of extracting and analysing data from information databases
• Of taking minutes
• Of staff supervision

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