Programme Support Assistant

West Sussex County Council; North Bersted; Hybrid; GBP 28,000 - 30,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave

Local government pension scheme

West Sussex Choices discounts

Job summary

West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service seeks a Programme Support Assistant to help the Prevention Team deliver education and engagement programmes and support operational crews in communities.

The role is based at Bognor Fire Station with opportunities for remote work. It is a permanent, full-time position offering a salary of £28,153 to £29,542 per annum and a comprehensive benefits package.

Qualifications

• BTEC Higher qualification or equivalent experience.
• NVQ level 3 or equivalent qualification or experience.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to interact with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Strong IT skills with Word, Excel, PowerPoint; ability to manage databases and reporting.
• Excellent literacy and numeracy skills for purchasing and budget monitoring.
• Ability to anticipate problems and resolve issues independently.

Responsibilities

• Provide administrative support in planning, development, and delivery of events.
• Build and maintain relationships with internal and external partners.
• Develop understanding of Prevention Team area (e.g., Targeted Education, Safe and Well or Volunteers).
• Assist operational crews, volunteers and others with events and campaigns, including arranging dates and resources.
• Respond to enquiries from customers and volunteers, adjusting communication to audience.
• Maintain accurate, confidential records.

Skills

Communication skills

Interpersonal skills

IT skills

MS Office

Problem solving

Literacy & numeracy

Education

BTEC Higher qualification

NVQ Level 3 or equivalent

Job description

West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service is seeking a Programme Support Assistant to work as part of a team, supporting specialist staff delivering education and engagement programmes and supporting operational fire crews with their work in the local communities.

The Prevention Team works county wide to deliver targeted programmes to the most at risk and vulnerable members of the community. The programmes objectives are to reduce the number of incidents and their impact and to support communities to become safer and stronger.

Salary: £28,153 to £29,542 per annum

Contract Type: Permanent

Working Pattern: Full-time (37 hours per week)

Location: Bognor Fire Station, W Meads Dr, Bognor Regis PO21 5TB

Interview Date: week commencing Monday 21 September 2026

Attendance at your base location will also be necessary, and there will be opportunities for remote work. Final arrangements will be confirmed with the successful candidate.

About the Job

Our work in Prevention team and any given day can often feel quite different from the next!

Your key responsibilities will include:

• Provide administrative support in the planning, development, and delivery of a variety of events.
• Build and maintain positive working relationships with a wide and diverse range of people, including internal customers, team colleagues and external partners and organisations.
• Work to develop an in-depth understanding of one area of the Prevention Team, (e.g. Targeted Education, Safe and Well or Volunteers).
• Responsible for assisting operational crews, volunteers and others with events and campaigns. Including the arrangement of dates, sharing of information and distribution of resources and vehicles.
• Respond to a range of enquiries from customers, volunteers and operational crews, adjusting your communication style depending on the audience.
• Maintain accurate and up to date records, ensuring confidentiality of all individuals' records.

If you have excellent communication skills, strong attention to detail, and thrive in a fast paced environment, we would love to hear from you!

Required Qualifications and Skills

• BTEC Higher qualification or equivalent experience.
• Excellent working knowledge of IT systems demonstrated by relevant NVQ level 3 or equivalent qualification or experience.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to interact effectively with a wide range of stakeholders and build productive working relationships.
• Strong IT skills, including a good working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, with the ability to carry out word processing, data analysis, report writing, and maintain computer databases to a high standard.
• Great problem solving skills with the ability to anticipate problems and resolve issues independently.
• Excellent literacy and numeracy skills to assist with purchasing and budget monitoring.

For more information on the Key Skills as well as the Qualifications and/or experience required, please refer to the Job Description attached.

Rewards and Benefits

We aim to create a supportive and dynamic working environment where employees can achieve their full potential, achieve a healthy work-life balance and are rewarded for the work they do.

A laptop and mobile will be supplied if applicable to your role. You will benefit from 25 days annual leave, rising to 28 days after 5 years' service (pro rata for part time plus the opportunity to buy additional leave and an excellent local government pension scheme

A range of discounts give our staff access to hundreds of offers; groceries, travel, cinema tickets, days out, leisure activities, high street retailers and the opportunity to save over £1,000 a year through our West Sussex Choices benefits platform.

For more information about the wide variety of benefits you can take advantage of please visit our Rewards and Benefits page.

Further Information

The reference number for this role is CPP01414.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. This post is subject to right to work within the UK, satisfactory references, and a health check.

Any candidates wishing to apply for this position, who would require sponsorship can determine the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS) for the post by assessing their circumstances against criteria specified on the gov.uk website.

Equity, inclusion and accessibility is very important to West Sussex County Council. We welcome and encourage applications from everyone, as this helps us build a diverse and talented workforce, that reflects the communities we serve. We ensure our approach to recruitment is flexible and supportive to enable all applicants to be at their best and to ensure they have the best possible chance of success.

We operate a guaranteed interview scheme for applicants that have a disability, are a veteran or are a care leaver. More information can be found on our application help page.