Your key responsibilities will include to:

• Provide high level administrative support to the team, including diary management and travel arrangements
• Maintain a range of office management systems and processes
• Use the functions of MS Office including Excel spreadsheets, databases, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Contribute to and propose changes and improvements to local office management systems.
• Maintain an efficient system for managing sustainable development records.
• Maintain an efficient system for managing UKHSA's staff security files.
• Act independently on day-to-day issues and to use own judgement within the autonomy and limitations of the post.
• Promote the adherence to policies and procedures of UKHSA, and to its values and behaviours.
• Manage the timely return of data for HR purposes, to include sickness absence reporting, and any other relevant information requested.
• Maintain effective records of departmental resources to meet the needs of internal and external audit.
• Manage administrative systems for the directorate including staff amendment forms, sickness and annual / special leave.
• Organise meetings, prepare agenda's take notes and minutes and ensure follow-up action for meetings.
• Responsible for ensuring that all UKHSA HR policies are adhered to , e.g. visiting working and flexible working requests.
• Co-ordinate local documentation for new starters e.g. IT set up, plus general administrative support.
  
  

The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The Job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary.

Essential Criteria - you will be assessed on the below 9 essential criteria, which have been selected from the Job Description Document.

• 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
• Significant administrative/ secretarial experience including developing, implementing, and maintaining office systems and handling sensitive information
• Experience of organising meetings and producing supporting paperwork, including agendas, and taking minutes/action notes
• Experienced at working under pressure handling multiple tasks and prioritising own workload
• Ability to use finance systems and support financial analysis for reports
• Ability to work without supervision working to tight and often changing timescales
• Line management skills
• IT skills and advanced Microsoft Office experience, including Word, Outlook, Excel
• You work well as part of a team and strive to ensure the team pulls together and is effective
  
  

• 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%
  
  

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

You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the 9 essential criteria listed, and this will be in the form of a: 

• Application form (Employer/ Activity history section on the application)

• 1,000-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 Application form and Statement of Suitability will be marked together.

Please note that you will only be assessed on the essential criteria listed within the advert and not all those listed in the job description. 

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 
  
  

Piles Meets all essential criteria will be moved through to the shortlisting stage.

Shortlisting: In the event of a large number of applications we will shortlist on:

• Significant administrative/ secretarial experience including developing, implementing, and maintaining office systems and handling sensitive information.
  
  

Please do not exceed 1,000 words. We will not consider any words over and above this number. If you are successful at this stage, you will progress to an interview.

Unfortunately, late applications will not be considered.

Please note you will not be able to upload your CV. You must complete the application form in as much detail as possible. Please do not email us your CV.

Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview (competency based)

You will be invited to a (single) face to face interview. In exceptional circumstances, we may be able to offer a remote interview.

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

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

Location

This role is being offered as office based at our site in Cambridge.

If based at one of our labs, you will be required to have a Counter Terrorism Check security vetting check as a minimum.

For meaningful National Security Vetting checks to be carried out individuals need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time. You should normally have been resident in the United Kingdom for the last 3 years as the role requires Counter Terrorism Check (CTC) clearance.

In exceptional circumstances UK residency less than the outlined periods may not necessarily bar you from gaining national security vetting and applicants should contact the Vacancy Holder/Recruiting Manager listed in the advert for further advice.

Eligibility Criteria 

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

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: https://www.civil-service-careers.gov.uk/reasonable-adjustments/ 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) 

Your application may be rejected and/or you may be subject to disciplinary action if evidence of plagiarism is detected. Examples of plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experience of others, or generated by artificial intelligence (AI), as your own. 

Organisation info

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 

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. 

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.

Job contact

• Name: Harry McCullagh
• Email: [email protected]
  
  

Recruitment team

• Email: [email protected]