Administrative Support Assistant

Durham County Council; North East; Hybrid; GBP 24,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

27 days annual leave

Local Government Pension Scheme

Job summary

Durham County Council is seeking an organised, proactive Executive Support professional to help councillors and services run smoothly. You will manage councillor enquiries, track progress in the CRM, and ensure timely, accurate responses.

This role rewards collaboration, attention to detail, and building trusted relationships across teams. You will be the vital link between councillors and service teams, escalate issues when needed, and contribute to service improvements.

Qualifications

• Excellent communication and organisation skills.
• Experience using CRM systems.
• Able to follow processes and meet deadlines.
• Team-oriented with a proactive mindset.

Responsibilities

• Manage councillor enquiries: Monitor, track and update enquiries using our CRM system.
• Chase updates: Proactively follow up with service teams when deadlines are approaching.
• Provide meaningful updates: Input high-quality information into the CRM so councillors know what’s happening.
• Allocating daily notifications: Support the daily flow of enquiries to ensure nothing slips through the cracks.
• Understand legislation and procedures: Stay aware of relevant policies that shape how services are delivered.
• Build strong working relationships: Work closely with service contacts to understand their work.
• Support the Corporate Complaints process: Recognise when issues need escalation and act accordingly.
• Meeting performance targets: Deliver consistently high standards as part of a team.
• Drive continuous improvement: Share ideas to shape better ways of working.

Skills

Confident communicator

Digital systems

Proactive & organised

Relationship building

Customer service

Education

aNVQ Level 3 or equivalent

Tools

CRM system

Job description

Are you organised, proactive, and great at building relationships? Do you enjoy keeping things running smoothly behind the scenes? This is your chance to play a vital role in supporting councillors and improving services for communities across the area.

WHAT IS INVOLVED?

We’re looking for someone to join our Executive Support Team, helping to deliver fast, accurate and high-quality responses to standard councillor enquiries. You’ll be the link between councillors and service teams, ensuring every enquiry is tracked, updated and resolved with care.

WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING

• Managing councillor enquiries: Monitor, track and update enquiries using our Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, ensuring progress is clear and timely.
• Chasing updates:Proactively follow up with service teams when deadlines are approaching, keeping everything on schedule.
• Providing meaningful updates:Input high-quality, easy-to-understand information into the CRM so councillors always know what’s happening.
• Allocating daily notifications:Support the daily flow of enquiries to ensure nothing slips through the cracks.
• Understanding legislation and procedures:Stay aware of relevant policies that shape how services are delivered.
• Building strong working relationships:Work closely with service contacts to understand their work and the types of enquiries they handle.
• Supporting the Corporate Complaints process:Recognise when issues need escalation and act accordingly.
• Meeting performance targets:Deliver consistently high standards as part of a supportive, collaborative team.
• Driving continuous improvement: Share ideas and help shape better ways of working.

Every enquiry you manage helps councillors support residents more effectively. You’ll be part of a team that values accuracy, communication and teamwork and you’ll see the impact of your work every day.

For an informal discussion about the role, please contact [e-mail]

WHAT WILL I NEED?

You should be a confident communicator, comfortable using digital systems, proactive and organised, keen to learn and build strong internal relationships and motivated by helping others and improving services.

You should also have aNVQ Level 3 or equivalent

Please refer to the attached Person Specification for the full criteria.

INTERVIEWS

Interviews will be held week commencing 28 September 2026.

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that can show they meet all the essential criteria and have indicated they have a disability, are a looked after young person, care leaver or a veteran.

OUR OFFER TO YOU

• We offer a competitive rewards package that includes attractive salaries, a generous annual leave entitlement of 27 days (rising to 32 after five years’ continuous local government service), membership of the excellent contributory career average Local Government Pension Scheme, and a range of flexible working arrangements including hybrid working (home and office) where applicable.
• Rewards and benefits are subject to individual terms and conditions.

EQUALITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION

We are a proud equal opportunities employer and believe a diverse workforce brings fresh ideas and drives service improvement. We welcome applications from everyone and make employment decisions based on skills and ability. As a Disability Confident Leader, we actively encourage applications from disabled and neurodivergent people and offer support throughout the recruitment process.

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