Business Support Assistant

About the role

**Business Support Assistant**

Fixed Term, Full Time

Up to £22,361 per annum

Location: Clacton on Sea

Working Style: Anywhere worker

**Please note this is a Full Time Fixed Term contract for 6 months.**

**This role is ‘Countywide’ and there will be the requirement to work out of any Essex County Council building when the business requires. This role will also include Reception Cover at Magnet House, Clacton as and when required.**

This is an exciting opportunity to work as part of Essex County Council’s large, dynamic and highly valued Business Support Team who work in specialised Business Centres across Essex promoting specialised knowledge and improving service and efficiencies.

Business Support teams deliver outstanding administration and customer service to all Essex County Council (ECC) functional areas. Our multi skilled teams deliver services from Business Centre hubs; providing a wide variety of support to high volume processes and tasks such as data input and management, minute taking, finance tasks, managing high volume calls, receptions and requests for assistance. We also support front line social care teams that require a more integrated approach to support.

We are proactive, forward-thinking and solution focused; we streamline processes and maximise digital opportunities. In doing so, we help increase the effectiveness of ECC to deliver better outcomes for the people of Essex than it could without our support.

We value our people and help them strive to deliver their potential and walk their career pathways within our organisation, giving them the tools and learning to get there.

**The Role**:
This is a varied and challenging role, as a minute taker within our team, you will be supporting a variety of ECC meetings varying from social care meetings for Adults & Children, through to Corporate and HR meetings.

You will learn how to allocate meetings to the team and book events for our partners building a good relationship with our stakeholders and updating process guides as and when needed.

As a Business Support Assistant, you may also provide general administrative support to ECC, dealing with day to day work instructed from the Business Centre Manager or others. Great customer service skills are required as this is a customer facing role. Accurate and efficient data entry onto ECC systems is also required, to ensure that all customer service requests are met within a specified time frame and are in line with data protection policies.

**Accountabilities**:

- Provide assistance to colleagues and members of the public that arrive at the main reception desk
- Providing high quality, efficient and effective Business Support services to internal and external customers within agreed timescales and Service Level Agreements (SLAs).
- Responding to customer requests and queries in a timely and efficient way.
- Acting as a professional representative of the Business Support service and ECC
- Delivering the required activities of the respective business centre(s).
- Providing high quality self-directed administrative support, checking own work and proactively looking to raise standards.
- Maintaining confidential records according to Essex County Council guidance.
- Dealing with correspondence for the team or service in a timely, consistent and professional manner.
- Sharing knowledge and good practice with colleagues and highlighting more efficient ways of doing tasks.

**Required Skills and Experience**:

- Good Standard of basic education - 5 GCSEs grade C and above (including Maths and English) or comparable experience/qualifications
- Great face to face customer service skills
- Excellent communication and conflict management skills
- Previous experience of managing electronic or hard copy filing systems.
- Ability to communicate in a manner which is easily understood and tailored to meet the needs of the audience.
- As part of the role you may have access to sensitive and/or personal information.
- Ability to think about alternative ways of doing things and being open to new work practices and responsive to change.
- Ability to take ownership of work and fulfil agreed commitments, checking work for accuracy
- Reliable for on site working
- This position may require minute taking experience, therefore relevant transferable skills are desirable, however full training will be provided.

To read more about us please visit: Corporate Services

**Why Essex?** Essex County Council has a location to be proud of. Our 1,300 square miles stretch from Constable Country to the Thames Estuary, from the dynamic M11 corridor to the traditional seaside resorts of Clacton and Walton. England’s oldest town, Colchester, and two of its newest - Basildon and Harlow - are right here. Along with the City of Chelmsford, the county town, they form our major population centres. It means real choice and makes Essex the ideal place for your career. Read more about us.

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