Business Support Officer

Job responsibilities

Governance & Meeting Management

• Full administration of governance and project-related meetings including HPFT Estates Steering Group, Sustainability Steering Group, Capital Works & Operations, EMED Contract Review, Soft FM Tender, Green Travel Plan, and Eastern Hub.

• Prepare agendas, briefing packs, reports, and accurate minutes; maintain action trackers to monitor delivery of project and operational objectives.

• Provide executive-level reporting for the Associate Director, Head of Operations, and Project Leads.
• Project Management Support
• Support Estates & Facilities projects and programmes by:

• • Coordinating project plans, timelines, and milestones.
  • Tracking risks, issues, actions, and dependencies, escalating where required.
  • Preparing progress reports, dashboards, and exception reports for senior management and committees.
  • Supporting stakeholder engagement, consultations, and workshops.
  • Provide secretariat and documentation support for project boards and working groups.
  • Monitor project deliverables, ensuring alignment with Trust objectives and reporting frameworks.
  • Support post-project evaluation, lessons learned, and continuous improvement activities.

Business Administration & Executive Support

Provide proactive diary and inbox management for the Associate Director and Head of Operations.

Prepare and coordinate high-quality executive reports, business cases, and presentations for Trust Boards and Committees.

Coordinate departmental team meetings and induction of new staff.

Maintain up-to-date directories, site lists, organograms, and intranet content.

Operational & People Administration

Manage records of annual leave, sickness, mandatory training, and appraisals, ensuring compliance with Trust policies.

Support recruitment processes including vacancy submissions, adverts, and interview coordination.

Maintain personnel records and support HR/Payroll compliance.

Procurement & Financial Administration

Raise and track purchase requisitions (PRs), purchase orders (POs), and invoices, maintaining a PO register via SharePoint.

Support project budget monitoring, expenditure reporting, and forecasting.

Liaise with Finance and suppliers to ensure accurate financial administration.

Freedom of Information (FOI)

Act as lead contact for Estates FOI requests across HPFT & HCT.

Log, allocate, and track requests ensuring statutory deadlines are met.

Maintain FOI database and liaise with stakeholders for accurate responses.

Communication & Stakeholder Management

Act as a first point of contact for Estates enquiries, dealing with queries from staff, contractors, and external partners.

Build strong working relationships with senior stakeholders, project leads, and external suppliers.

Communicate diplomatically, providing accurate information and updates on Estates & Facilities projects and operations.

Service Development & Improvement

Contribute to continuous improvement of administrative and project management systems, including implementation of digital filing, SharePoint, and paperless processes.

Suggest and implement improvements to governance, reporting, and project tracking systems.

Health, Safety & Equality

Support departmental Health & Safety compliance, ensuring policies are up-to-date and accessible.

Act as Fire Warden for the department, ensuring induction and training for new staff on fire procedures.

Uphold Trust values on Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion in all aspects of work.

QUALIFICATIONS/EDUCATION/TRAINING

Essential

• Knowledge of administrative and organisational policies and procedures, acquired through training and relevant experience to degree level or equivalent.
• Knowledge of secretarial and administrative procedures and systems, acquired through training and experience to Vocational Level 3 or equivalent.

Desirable

• Membership of relevant professional body
• Additional training in project management or governance.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE

Essential

• Expertise within own specialism, underpinned by practical experience
• Proven experience in business administration, governance, and project management support within a large and complex organisation.
• Knowledge and experience to deal with non-routine issues such as problem solving for an area of work or developing alternative procedures.

Desirable

• Experience in delivering training or mentoring staff.

SKILLS/KNOWLEDGE/ABILITY

Essential

• Excellent IT skills, including advanced use of Microsoft Office, SharePoint, and digital systems.
• Knowledge of specialist functional/medical/legal/estates terms, organisational policies, and procedures.
• Range of work procedures and practices, the majority non-routine; intermediate theoretical knowledge.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Essential

• Provide and receive complex, sensitive information requiring persuasive, motivational, and negotiating skills.
• Ability to communicate complex information with staff internally and externally across the organisation.
• Proven ability to build and maintain effective working relationships.
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information appropriately.

Desirable

• Experience in stakeholder engagement at a regional or national level.

ANALYTICAL SKILLS

Essential

• Ability to solve non-routine problems and develop alternative or additional procedures.

Desirable

• Experience in data analysis and reporting to support decision-making.

PHYSICAL SKILLS

Essential

• Proficient computer and keyboard skills to manipulate spreadsheets, reports, and digital systems.

Desirable

• Car driver (unless prevented by disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010).

MENTAL EFFORT

Essential

• Regular requirement for concentration with frequent interruptions.
• Requirement to manage competing priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

EMOTIONAL EFFORT

Essential

• Requirement to deal with sensitive, confidential, and potentially distressing information.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Certificate of Sponsorship

Applications from job seekers who require current Skilled worker sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. For further information visit the UK Visas and Immigration website (Opens in a new tab).

From 6 April 2017, skilled worker applicants, applying for entry clearance into the UK, have had to present a criminal record certificate from each country they have resided continuously or cumulatively for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Adult dependants (over 18 years old) are also subject to this requirement. Guidance can be found here Criminal records checks for overseas applicants (Opens in a new tab).