About the job

Job summary

The job purpose is to work collaboratively with all members of the team and/or Directorate to provide an accurate and effective administrative support service. The post holder will work with minimal supervision and be expected to work flexibly as part of a multi-disciplinary team providing a wide range of specific administrative duties. The post holder may work with colleagues who are based across the country at different sites and/or who work remotely.

This role will require the post holder to have excellent data entry skills, a high level of administration experience, call handling experience, and be proficient in minute taking. This role will be on the Acute Response Cell and call triaging will be part of every working day, so a good telephone manner is required as the post holder will be speaking to health professionals and the public daily.

Job description

Administrative Support

• Provide comprehensive administrative support to teams across the Directorate, including diary management of one or more senior staff, if required.
• To be responsible for dealing with telephone enquiries and other communications that may require a high degree of tact, diplomacy, and confidentiality.
• Action routine correspondence, prepare acknowledgements and response letters as requested.
• Collate information and data to produce reports and documents as required; some may be confidential and/or complex.
• Assist with the dissemination and/or collation of information/returns for business operations in a timely manner.
• Provide Incident Co-ordination administrative cover on rotation as required (if applicable)
• Improve the quality of services and contribute to the improvement of the administration service.
• To be responsible for organising and controlling own workload ensuring deadlines are observed and duties performed efficiently.
• Provide cover as directed by line manager for other members of the team in their absence and assist with their workloads as necessary.

 Financial and Resource management

•  Assist with the procurement of goods and services in-line with UKHSA policies and procedures, including overseeing ordering of stationery and general equipment supplies for the office; ensuring appropriate levels of stock are maintained; and arranging travel and hotel bookings.

 Meetings and Events 

• Arrange, attend, and provide secretariat support to teams and other internal and external meetings and/or networks as required. This will include booking venues; organising hospitality; preparing and producing paperwork, i.e., agendas, action logs, collating and distributing all necessary information and documentation electronically and taking minutes or action notes as required. Ensuring all minutes or action notes are issued in a timely manner and agreed actions are appropriately recorded.
• Assist with organising external and/or internal conferences, away days and training days, including registration, and preparing resources. 

Information Governance and Information Management 

• Operate and update a range of databases and computerised case management / surveillance systems. Input data and information accurately and completely, using the correct formats consistently with legislation, policies, and procedures.
•  Adhere to clinical governance and security of information arrangements at all times. 
• Assist in the effective use and maintenance of the office environment and systems and support the introduction of, and working with, systems to manage these effectively; this will include organising and maintaining comprehensive electronic filing systems and using digital tools, for example JIRA.

 Personal and Professional Development 

• Undergo a programme of on-going development and education, including participating in the annual appraisal process, to build on existing knowledge and develop skills to meet competencies required to undertake the role.

 Communication and Key Working Relationship

The post holder:

• will develop effective working relationships and communicate regularly with a wide range of individuals via phone, email and face to face including, local team members and managers, clinical and non-clinical staff and scientists
• may also take phone calls and/or emails from members of the public and/or stakeholders.

 Other

• In addition to the job specific requirements above, this role will require adherence to all UKHSA Policies and Procedures.  A full list of these is available on UKHSA Pulse and form part of the employment contract.
• All staff will adhere to the UKHSA People Charter actively demonstrating the positive behaviours
•  All staff are expected to contribute to the delivery of corporate goals and objectives. 
• The role holder may be expected to support corporate service activity as set out in the Corporate Services Standard Operating Procedures
• As a Category 1 responder under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, UKHSA has a set of civil protection responsibilities which it must fulfil in the response to any emergency or major incident. Staff may be asked to contribute to the preparedness for and response to major incidents and emergencies (as defined in the UKHSA Concept of Operations) as required.
• This document provides an outline of the tasks, responsibility and outcomes required of the role. 
• The job holder will carry out any other duties that may reasonably be required by their line manager.
• The job description and person specification may be reviewed on an ongoing basis in accordance with the changing needs of the team or Directorate and the Organisation.

 

 

 

 

 

Person specification

This role is working on the Acute Response Cell and will require excellent call handling skills, being able to deal with sensitive information on the phone and speaking with the public and a variety of professionals.

The post holder will:

• process notifications of infectious diseases
• be required to carry any administrative actions in relations to notifications of infectious diseases, and have excellent, arcuate data entry skills
• be required to support meetings by preparing papers and minuting meetings, so minuting taking experience would be beneficial

Essential Criteria

Qualifications

• Educated to Level 2 and / or equivalent experience working at a similar level.

Knowledge and Experience

• Experience of using Microsoft Office software i.e., Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint or equivalent.

Skills/Capabilities/Behaviours

• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely both orally and in writing. Take time to consider the best communication channel to use for the audience, including making the best of digital resources and considering value for money.
• Ability to prioritise own work and work with minimal supervision.
• Ability to produce work that is accurate in a timely fashion, whilst multi-tasking and working in a busy environment.
• Ability to follow guidance, policies, and processes, including handling sensitive and confidential data.
• Ability to handle telephone enquiries and receive visitors.
• Ability to work well as part of a team.
• You are inquisitive, you seek out new information and look for new ways to develop yourself.

Equality and Diversity

• An understanding of and commitment to equality of opportunity and good working relationships.

Desirable

• Educated to Level 3 and / or equivalent experience working at a similar level.
• Experience handling sensitive and/or confidential data.
• Experience of arranging meetings and supporting events and taking minutes.
• Experience of working in an office environment.
• Talk to relevant people to get advice and information when unsure how to proceed.

 

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £22,370, UK Health Security Agency contributes £6,039 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

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 capabilities outlined in the essential criteria.  

Stage 1: Application & Sift

You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on essential criteria, and this will be in the form of a:

• CV/ Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
• 1000 word Statement of Suitability

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.

The CV/ Application form and Statement of Suitability will be marked together.

Unfortunately, late applications will not be considered 

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

Please do not exceed 1000 words. We will not consider any words over and above this number.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview (competency based)

You will be invited to a (single) remote interview.

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

Interviews will be held week commencing 3rd June 2024. Please note, these dates are subject to change.

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Location information  

UKHSA operates 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 at Harlow or Mildenhall.  

Eligibility Criteria

Open to all external applicants (anyone) from outside the Civil Service (including by definition internal applicants).   

Disability Confident scheme  

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.  

Reserve List clause  

Candidates who pass the interview criteria but are not offered a post will be kept on a reserve list for 12 months and may be contacted if similar roles become available.   

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.  

Starting salary  

New entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band.    

The internal roles rules apply to existing Civil Servants, i.e. level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive 10% increase.    

Either case is determined by whichever is the highest.   

For further details please refer to the Information Sheet- Starting Salaries & Benefits attachment  

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

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a 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.