Business Support Officer - Children's Spoke

Dorset Council; Weymouth; Hybrid; GBP 11,000 - 15,000; Part time

Job summary

Dorset Council is hiring a part-time business support assistant to join the Chesil Locality team in Weymouth. You will provide essential administrative support to Children’s Services and coordinate with internal and external partners, supporting residents and businesses across the county.

The role requires proactivity, accuracy, and the ability to handle confidential information. A blend of home and office work is expected, with at least one in-office day per week.

Qualifications

• Pro-active and motivated with ability to prioritise work and meet deadlines.
• Attention to detail and confidentiality due to sensitive information.
• Good IT skills including Word and Excel; training provided for in-house systems.

Responsibilities

• Provide good quality business support to operational staff within Children’s Services.
• Communicate effectively with external partners, council services, staff and residents.
• Support digital transformation where appropriate, embracing new ways of working.

Skills

Communication skills

IT skills

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Organisational skills

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Job description

About the role

If you enjoy variety in your work, we are offering an exciting opportunity to join us in the Chesil Locality business support team. This team provide administrative support to a range of operational services supporting our local families. You will work alongside supportive colleagues helping us to achieve the best outcomes for our residents, communities and businesses across the county.

What you can expect to be doing:

You will be part of a team of business support colleagues, providing good quality business support to operational staff within Children’s Services. The service is also working towards the digital transformation of our services where it is appropriate and beneficial to do so. Therefore, being able to embrace change and adopt new ways of working is essential. The roles also involve speaking to and communicating with external partners, wider services within the council, operational staff and our residents; therefore effective communication skills, both spoken and in writing are essential. This includes an excellent telephone manner.

About you:

We are seeking individuals who are pro‑active and motivated, able to prioritise their work and meet deadlines using their initiative while working within set guidelines. Attention to detail and accuracy are key skills along with a good understanding for the need for confidentiality as much of the information we deal with is of a sensitive nature. Good IT skills including the use of Microsoft packages e.g. Word and Excel are essential although training will be provided for our in‑house systems. We work a blend of home and office‑based working however there is an expectation for attendance in the office on a minimum of 1 day a week or more frequently when there are business needs or training/ workshops to attend, so a degree of flexibility is required.

Further Information

This is a part time role at 18.5 hours per week, and will be based in our Chesil Locality Office - Weymouth.

If you would like further information please contact Philippa Burrows on 01305 228851 or email [e-mail].

This post requires significant travel. You must have a vehicle (or transport we deem suitable) available for use as needed.

This post requires you to have access to sensitive information. It will be subject to a Basic Criminal Records Check. See our policy on the employment of ex-offenders. See our policy on safeguarding children and young people.

About Us

At Dorset Council, it's not just about the work we do, it's about how we do it. Hear directly from our employees about what makes Dorset Council special in this short video:

At Dorset Council, we are working together to create a fairer, more prosperous, and more sustainable Dorset for everyone, now and in the future.

We:

• provide essential services that support over 300,000 residents
• work in partnership to make a real difference
• value every role and the impact it has on our communities
• support our employees to grow, develop, and thrive

You will:

• be part of a team that works together for a better Dorset
• have access to a range of benefits and support
• receive training and development opportunities to help your career progress

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organisation where different skills, perspectives, and backgrounds strengthen both our council and the communities we serve.

We welcome applications from everyone and are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. If you declare a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role, we will offer you an interview. We also want our recruitment process to be accessible, if you need any reasonable adjustments, just let us know on your application.

This role is UK-based, and we will need to confirm your Right to Work as part of the appointment process. We use generic job descriptions and person specifications, so the job title in any attachments may differ from the advert. If needed, we will provide additional details in a context statement.

If you’re passionate about making a difference, we’d love you to join us.