Administrative Assistant at UK Health Security Agency

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is looking for a proactive and organized Administrative Assistant to support its mission of safeguarding public health. This hybrid role offers the opportunity to contribute to vital efforts that protect communities, save lives, and ensure public health security. 

About the Agency

UKHSA leads the prevention, preparedness, and response to infectious diseases and environmental hazards. Sponsored by the Department of Health and Social Care, it collaborates nationally and internationally to strengthen health security capabilities. 

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Position: Administrative Assistant

Salary: £23,489 to £25,389 per annum

Job Type: Full Time

Location: Birmingham (Hybrid)

About the Role

The laboratory in Birmingham is a UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) microbiology laboratory and is in partnership with University Hospitals Birmingham Trust (UHB).  The microbiology partnership provides comprehensive microbiology services and specialist services to Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield, Solihull Hospital and general practitioners throughout the area. You would handle all correspondence, including opening, redirecting, distribution and drafting of replies to all mail and be responsible for day-to-day diary management, including arranging, coordinating meetings and resolving conflicting diary appointments.

Main Duties

• Provide a comprehensive secretarial/administration service, organising and making arrangements, typing and distributing documents and reports, recording information and filing and ensuring that all information and documentation are produced to expected standards of performance and according to agreed timescales.
• Proactively manage diary commitments by liaising with others, internally and externally, ensuring that all the required preparation is accurate and available and that the Team are briefed on any difficulties, problems or issues.
• Build and maintain constructive relationships with others, within Public Health England and externally to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of services
• Be fully conversant with all required electronic systems for correspondence, including specialist computer systems associated with the management of the service including Share point and NHS.net
• Prioritise work and take appropriate steps to manage incoming and outgoing requests for action and/or information, including follow-up, according to agreed timescales.
• To use own initiative in prioritising workload to ensure deadlines are met. When appropriate, propose changes to working practices to maximise the efficiency/effectiveness of the role
• You would be required to produce a weekly diary of designated staff. The post holder would be responsible for preparing and distributing reports, agendas and associated papers, together with photocopying and collating papers as required.
•  You would arrange high-level level often sensitive meetings as required, ensuring that all concerned are notified of the time, date and venue of the meeting, and prepare and circulate agendas and minutes. Ensuring equipment required for the meeting is available. Arrange a teleconference as appropriate. Organise and coordinate off-site meetings.
• You would be required to ensure the team is fully briefed and prepared by having appropriate documentation when attending meetings. To maintain a comprehensive, up-to-date and accurate filing system, including a confidential bring forward system.
•  You would receive visitors to the department as necessary and provide appropriate assistance.
•  You would be required to organise and plan UK and overseas travel for conferences and meetings including making train, flight and hotel reservations.

Qualifications

You will be assessed on the below 4 essential criteria, which have been selected from the Job Description

Essential criteria:

Experience of:

• records maintenance and filing systems (paper and electronic)
• using a variety of software packages, data entry and good keyboard skills
• liaising with customers and maintaining customer relationships
• managing and communicating sensitive/confidential information

Benefits

• Alongside your salary of £23,489, the UK Health Security Agency contributes £6,804 towards your being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.
• 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%

Selection Process

This vacancy is using Success Profiles and will assess your Behaviours and Experience

Stage 1: Application & Sift 

Success profiles

• You will be required to complete an application form. You will be assessed on the above listed essential criteria, and this will be in the form of a: 
• Application form (‘Employer/ Activity history’ section on the application)
• 500-word Statement of Suitability. 
• This should outline how your skills, experience, and knowledge, provide evidence of your suitability for the role, concerning the essential criteria.
• The Application form and Statement of Suitability will be marked together, and you must move forward to the interview.    
• Please do not exceed 500 words.  We will not consider any words over and above this number.
• Feedback will not be provided at this stage.

Stage 2: Interview (success profiles)

• You will be invited to a (single) face-to-face interview.  In some special circumstances where candidates cannot attend a face-to-face interview, a remote interview can take place.
• Behaviours will be tested at the interview.
• The Behaviours tested during the interview stage will be:
• Seeing the bigger picture
• Delivering at Pace
• Working together
• Communicating and influencing

Interviews will be held the week commencing TBC. Please note, these dates are subject to change.

This role is being offered as hybrid working based at our Birmingham hospital location. 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

Nationality Requirement

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

Required Documents

1. CV/Resume
2. Cover Letter

Application Process

Interested and qualified candidates should kindly CLICK HERE to learn more and apply

Application Deadline

December 10, 2024 (11:55 pm)