Business Support Manager

• Job grade: Higher Executive Officer
• Contract type: Permanent, Loan, Secondment
• Length of employment: This is a permanent role
• Type of role: Administration / Corporate Support
• Working pattern: Flexible working, Job share, Part-time
• Number of jobs available: 1

Location

Horsham,

Ashford

About the job

Job summary

The post holder will lead on a number of business support functions for the Directorate and be responsible for the implementation and management of relevant systems and processes. The post holder may work with colleagues who are based across the country at different sites and/or who work remotely.

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

Operational Support

• Provide comprehensive operational support across corporate functions such as finance, accommodation, HR, governance, business continuity, risk management, staff engagement, and internal communications, including Executive Assistant support to a Director when required.

Project Support

• Support corporate projects and service reviews, offering recommendations to improve ways of working across the Directorate.
• Provide project support in the absence of a dedicated project officer, responding to information requests and meeting tight deadlines.
• Work closely with project teams to provide information (including statistical data), assist with planning, and manage assigned project elements.
• Maintain project plans, support management information needs, and participate in working groups when a project officer is unavailable.

Financial and Resource Management

• Support effective financial management across the team and Directorate, including:
• Ensuring UKHSA financial governance is followed and supporting colleagues to engage with finance processes
• Monitoring project expenditure and producing financial reports for management.
• Undertaking procurement activities in line with policy.
• Responding to internal and external audit requirements.

Leadership and Management

• Act as a visible, positive role model and contribute to staff induction.

Take responsibility for problem-solving, decision-making, and personal accountability.

• Support managers in maintaining professional standards, including coordinating training, development, recruitment, staff survey input, and appraisal compliance.
• Provide effective line management (where applicable), including appraisals, objective setting, training access, recruitment, induction, and managing performance or capability issues.

Quality and Governance

Support adherence to governance and quality standards, including:

• Contributing to the Directorate business plan and delivering relevant activities.
• Supporting development, testing, and exercising of the business continuity plan.
• Producing written guidance and SOPs for administrative procedures.

Contributing to governance working groups.

• Promoting continuous improvement.

Communication and Relationships

• Develop strong working relationships and communicate regularly with a broad range of clinical, non-clinical, corporate, scientific, academic, and external stakeholders (e.g., NHS, Civil Service departments, members of the public). Communication methods include face‑to‑face, email, phone, and written correspondence.

Personal and Professional Development

• Participate in ongoing professional development and the annual appraisal process to maintain skills and meet competency requirements
• Undertake all mandatory training (e.g., fire safety, information governance)

• Identify opportunities to improve business processes within functions and across the Directorate.
• Provide secretariat and managerial support for senior management meetings and external networks.
• Deputise for colleagues during absence or holidays (where applicable).
• Support delivery of the Directorate business plan and strategic priorities.
• Provide executive assistance to Director/SLT, including oversight of diary/email management, preparing briefings and presentations, commissioning work, managing correspondence in the Director’s absence, and undertaking research or

ad hoc projects.

• Specific duties of the role may vary depending on the site and teams/functions.

Please note, the above list is not exhaustive.

Person specification

Essential Criteria

• Educated to degree level (or equivalent qualification) in Business Management, Operations Management, or a related discipline, or able to demonstrate substantial equivalent experience leading business operations, service improvement and organisational performance initiatives.
• Experienced in providing secretariat support, administering meetings and events, and preparing high-quality reports and communications for senior stakeholders.
• Knowledge of budget management, business planning, business continuity, procurement processes, and the policies and procedures associated with ordering goods and services.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to work independently, prioritise competing demands, manage changing deadlines, and coordinate the work of a team in a fast-paced environment.
• Effective people leader with the ability to manage team dynamics, promote continuous improvement, seek and act on feedback, and support delivery of shared objectives.
• Advanced IT skills, including Microsoft Office (Word, Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint), with a strong attention to detail and a proactive approach to problem-solving, process improvement and increasing efficiency through technology.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with a commitment to equality, inclusion and respect, fostering positive working relationships and ensuring bullying, harassment and discrimination are not tolerated.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £35,587, UK Health Security Agency contributes
£10,309 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.

Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

• 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 will be assessed using a competency-based framework which will assess your qualifications, knowledge and experience and / or skills and abilities outlined in the essential criteria.

Stage 1: Application & Sift

Competency Based

You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the listed 7 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 1000 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

If used, the pile(s) ‘Meets all essential criteria’ will proceed to shortlisting.

Shortlisting:

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

• Educated to degree level (or equivalent qualification) in Business Management, Operations Management, or a related discipline, or able to demonstrate substantial equivalent experience leading business operations, service improvement and organisational performance initiatives.
• Effective people leader with the ability to manage team dynamics, promote continuous improvement, seek and act on feedback, and support delivery of shared objectives.

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

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview

Competency Based

You will be invited to a single face to face interview at either Ashford, Kent or Horsham, West Sussex.

If face to face interviews are planned, in exceptional circumstances, we may be able to offer a remote interview.

Knowledge, experience, skills & abilities will be tested at interview.

Interview dates are yet to be confirmed.

Location

This role is being offered as hybrid working based at our offices in either Ashford, Kent or Horsham West Sussex.

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 in the office.

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 Basic Personnel Security Standard.

Eligibility Criteria

This vacancy is open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service as well as internal applicants.

If this role is fixed term and you are not currently a Civil Servant, you will take up the post on a Fixed Term appointment; you may be able to take this role up as a Secondment. If you are an existing Civil Servant, based outside of UKHSA, you will take up the post as a loan which you will need your department to agree. Loans are normally agreed for a period of two years. However, this may be extended where required, subject to agreement between UKHSA and your home department. You cannot take the post up as a fixed term. If you are an existing UKHSA member of staff, you will take up the post as either a level transfer or a temporary promotion as per the UKHSA’s Pay policy. If this role is permanent, it may also be available as a loan (for existing Civil Servants only) or secondment arrangement, subject to business need and agreement from the hiring manager and, where applicable, the employee's home organisation.

Reserve List

If more than the required number of suitable candidates pass the interview criteria, you may be kept on a reserve list for 12 months subject to your agreement. You may be contacted, in merit-order, if similar roles with closely matching essential criteria become available and the department choose to appoint from a reserve list.

The panel will assess if candidates meet the requirement of the role first, using a specific benchmark system. If you are interviewed for the post and do not meet the required threshold for the specified grade, your application may be assessed against a similar, lower grade role and you may be offered the post should one be available.

Incident Response Activity

From time to time, the role holder may be required to support UKHSA’s incident response activity by contributing their appropriate expertise within an Incident Cell; during such periods, supported by the line manager, this work will take priority over normal day-to-day responsibilities, commensurate with their grade, skills and experience.

Qualifications and Registrations

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.

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:Reasonable Adjustments , Civil Service Careers

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.

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.

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a basic (or equivalent) 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 the

Civil 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 : Charlene Gwekwerere
• Email : charlene.gwekwerere@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 the UKHSA Complaints team via email at: 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 for further information: https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk

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