Business Support Officer - 37 Hours

Torbay Council; Torquay; Hybrid; GBP 24,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

Torbay Council is seeking a proactive Business Support Officer to join the Children’s Services Business Support team in Torquay, providing administrative support to colleagues and contributing to positive outcomes for children, families, learners and school staff.

The role covers reception, document preparation, meeting organisation, minute taking, responding to enquiries, office systems, budget assistance, travel arrangements and preparation of resources.

Qualifications

• GCSE O Level standard or equivalent.
• Experience working in a team.
• Experience in a busy office using administration procedures.
• Experience dealing with enquiries by telephone and face to face.

Responsibilities

• Reception duties and handling general enquiries.
• Prepare and distribute documents; organise meetings and take minutes.
• Maintain office systems and support budget administration.
• Arrange travel and accommodation; support production of resources and documentation.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Time management

Numeracy

Minute taking

Teamwork & independence

Education

GCSE O Level or equivalent

Teamwork experience

Office administration experience

Handling enquiries (phone/in person)

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Outlook

Internet Explorer

Job description

Application Deadline: 11 October 2026

Department: Childrens Services

Location: Torbay Council

Compensation: £26,847 / year

Job Description & Person Specification

Are you organised, enthusiastic and looking for a varied role where your administrative skills can help make a difference?

We are looking for a proactive and reliable Business Support Officer to join our Business Support team within Children’s Services, supporting the Youth Justice Service.

The role provides administrative support to colleagues across the team and wider Council, helping services deliver positive outcomes for children, young people, families, learners and school staff.

This is a varied role where no two days are likely to look quite the same. Your responsibilities will include reception duties, preparing and distributing documents, organising meetings and taking accurate minutes, responding to general enquiries, maintaining office systems, assisting with budget administration, arranging travel and accommodation, and supporting the production of resources and specialist documentation.

You will have excellent organisational, communication and ICT skills, with the ability to manage a varied workload and work effectively to deadlines. You will be comfortable working both independently and as part of a team, using your initiative and building positive working relationships with colleagues and external contacts.

Previous experience of working in a busy office environment and dealing with a range of enquiries, both over the telephone and face to face, is essential. Experience using Microsoft Office applications including Word, Excel and Outlook is also required.

The role is based at Un1t (Unit 1) next to Tor Hill House, Torquay, and is eligible for hybrid working.

If you are an enthusiastic and resilient individual who enjoys variety, takes pride in being organised and wants to use your skills to support Children’s Services, we would love to hear from you.

If you are viewing this advert on a job board, you can access the full job description by placing the below URL into your browser:
https://www.torbay.gov.uk/business-support-officer/

For an informal chat please contact Harry Gottschalk on 01803 208100 or [e-mail].

Interviews are expected to be conducted during the week commencing 19th October 2026

This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

At times there is a need to close our adverts earlier than the date specified, however, this advert will not close before 6th October. If you are keen to submit an application, please apply as soon as possible.

Skills

• Effective interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to cope with a wide range of tasks within a short time scale and work to deadlines.
• Effective numeracy skills.
• Ability to take accurate minutes.
• Ability to work effectively both independently and as a team member.

This role requires the ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence and fluency in English.

Knowledge

Essential:

• Experience of working with a range of IT software including Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook) and Internet Explorer.

Experience & Qualifications

Essential:

• Educated to GCSE O Level standard or equivalent.
• Experience of working within a team.
• Experience of working in a busy office using a range of administration procedures.
• Experience of dealing with a range of enquiries both on the telephone and face to face.