Administration Officer in Leeds

Salary: C1 £29,542 - £32,046

Hours: 37

Contract: Permanent

Location: Merrion House

The Business Administration Service (BAS) is responsible for administrative staff providing professional administrative services to a wide range of teams and service areas across the whole of the Council. The BAS aims to deliver efficient and modern administrative services to support the delivery of Council services to the Citizens of Leeds and to help achieve the Best City Ambition.

About you

• Good communication, interpersonal skills and ability to work well with people across the organisation
• Flexibility, enthusiasm and adaptability when helping to implement change
• Resilience when dealing with very sensitive, confidential and sometimes upsetting information
• Good organisation skills and ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment
• Good IT skills and ability to accurately record information

About the role

This role is working in the Business Administration service supporting the Special Educational Needs Statutory Assessment and Provision team (SENSAP) which is responsible for enabling children and young people with complex Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) to access the right educational support and provision to achieve their life aspirations. As an Administration Officer you’ll work to meet statutory deadlines throughout the referral process, help support multi-agency panel meetings and lead on the administration of children moving in and out of Leeds. The role is integral to our SENSAP administration team as we are the first point of call for matters relating to Educational Health Care Plans (EHCP). The role is primarily based at Merrion House two days a week with the option to work from home for the remaining three days. However, there may be times you will be asked to work from another office.

What we offer you

• A competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
• Membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
• Flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements
• A clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
• A range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further

How to apply

Please complete the online application form. Read our guidance for further advice on completing your application. If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the role please contact Denise.Smith@leeds.gov.uk (Team Leader) or Alice.Preshaw@leeds.gov.uk (Principal Administration Manager). We welcome applications from everyone and actively seek a diverse range of applicants from all backgrounds and cultures. We particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to, women, carers, veterans as well as LGBT+, ethnically diverse, disabled and care experienced people.

This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa. If you do not have the right to work in the UK, you must consider your own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker visa route before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you'll usually need to be paid the standard salary rate of at least £41,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria. Please ensure you are eligible before applying.

Job Purpose:

Shared Services consists of over 700 employees in the Business Support Centre and Business Administration Service. Both of these services provide administration support activities to a wide range of teams and services across the council. We help the council to streamline operations by redesigning processes, reviewing models of delivery to enable better sharing of resources and exploiting existing or introducing new technology to modernise the way we work. Our staff use a range of computer programmes and systems to support services which include those working with teams based across the council in a number of different administration roles. The role involves hybrid working (home/office dependant on service need), potentially working face-to-face with customers and working within the council boundaries as required.

Responsibilities for Grade:

• Supervise and develop staff to ensure work is prioritised and carried out effectively and efficiently to ensure deadlines are met to high standards.
• Manage your own workload and meet targets whilst maintaining quality as part of a team.
• Assist with the presentation of a variety of information in a clear and concise way with high attention to detail – through both written reports and verbally.
• Experience of adhering to legislative business, financial, audit, and operational requirements of the service, and the impact on its day-to-day work.
• Knowledge of adhering to procedures and legislation relating to confidential information and financial regulations.
• Experience of dealing with sensitive and confidential information.
• Establish and maintain records, accurately entering and retrieving information.
• A commitment to the continuous improvement of quality standards, business procedures and processes through continuous review and development.
• Work flexibly and move within service areas – working at different locations depending on service demand.
• Willing to abide by the Council’s Equal Opportunities and Health and Safety Policies.
• Willing to actively participate in training and development activities to ensure up to date knowledge, skills and continuous professional development.

The above list is not exclusive or exhaustive, and the service may require the job holder to undertake duties commensurate with the level of the role. The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and this role will be expected to work within these parameters.

PERSONAL SPECIFICATION

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Experience of communicating clearly and effectively with a wide range of people and being able to develop strong working relationships.
• Work with, and within, multiple teams of staff and contribute to its development with suggestions for new ways of working.
• Experience of working on your own and using your initiative to adhere to timescales and deadlines.
• Experience of providing excellent customer services and dealing with queries from a range of people.
• Experience of the applications, systems and IT programmes utilised by the service and being able to accurately record and retrieve information.

PERSONAL SPECIFICATION

DESIRABLE REQUIREMENTS:

• Safeguarding Relationships: The post holder will be required to maintain effective relationships with other Leeds City Council staff, Elected Members, members of the public and other partnership organisations as appropriate.
• Physical Conditions: Primarily office based, potentially working face-to-face with customers, working within the council boundaries as required.
• Leeds City Council has a no smoking at work policy.
• Social Conditions: Annual leave of 24 days, plus 5 days following 5 years local government service pro rata. 8 statutory holidays.
• Economic Conditions: Grade: C1 Hours: 37 hours per week, any part time opportunities will be detailed in the advert Flexitime: Eligible to participate in flexi-time scheme Conditions of Service: NJC National Agreement on Pay and Conditions of Service for Local Government Services apply.
• Prospects: Promotion: Whilst there is no automatic progression to any more senior posts, opportunities do exist for advancement and promotion, dependent upon normal staff movements and on the capabilities of the individual post holder.
• Training: The Department encourages training both “in-house” and external to meet the needs of the individual and of the Department.
• DBS Checks: Some posts may be subject to checks with the Disclosure and Barring Service. A criminal record will not necessarily be a bar to obtaining employment; this will depend on the circumstances and background to any offence.
• Disabled Employees: Where the postholder is disabled, every effort will be made to supply all necessary aids, adaptations or equipment to allow them to carry out all the duties of the job. If, however, a certain task proves to be unachievable, job redesign will be given full consideration.

Council Values: The council values are at the heart of everything we do. They inform the way we design and deliver our services and the way we all work and behave.

Essential behavioural and other characteristics:

• Understand and embrace Leeds City Council values and behaviours and codes of conduct
• Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the Leeds Ambitions of health and wellbeing, inclusive growth, thriving strong communities, and a resilient sustainable city
• Able to understand and observe Leeds City Council policies and procedures
• Carry out duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health, Safety and Wellbeing
• Participate in appraisal, training and development activities to ensure up, to date knowledge and skills
• Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding equality and diversity of Leeds City Council
• Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse, reporting any concerns to the appropriate person
• Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade.