Business Support Assistant

NHS Scotland; Bond (CO); On-site; USD 31,000 - 39,000; Full time

Job summary

NHS Scotland is seeking a Business Support Assistant based at The Johnnie Walker Bond, Kilmarnock. This permanent role involves extensive secretarial and administrative duties to support Heads of Service and senior management.

The post requires strong diary management, minute taking, and excellent communication. You will work with risk management and partnership teams using standard health information systems.

Qualifications

• HND in Business Administration or equivalent experience plus knowledge of medical/legal terms.

Responsibilities

• Provide dedicated secretarial and administrative support to Heads of Service and senior management.
• Coordinate communications and correspondence to project a professional image.
• Support the Adverse Event Review Group with risk management colleagues; minute taking and diary management.
• Manage corporate information systems such as SSTS and eESS for performance tracking.
• Handle enquiries with judgement; respond to emails and requests promptly.

Skills

Secretarial experience

Diary management

Minute taking

Communication skills

Attention to detail

Analytical/problem solving

Medical terminology

Health information systems

Caldicott & Data Protection

Autonomous working

MS Office

Education

HND in Business Administration or equivalent

Tools

MS Office Suite

Job description

NHS Scotland NHS Scotland is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. To this end, NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society.

NHS Scotland NHS Scotland is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination. The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best. To this end, NHS Scotland welcomes applications from all sections of society.

Who We Are

NHS Ayrshire and Arran are one of 14 territorial NHS Boards within NHS Scotland.

In support of our core purpose of Working together to achieve the healthiest life possible for everyone in Ayrshire and Arran, we are committed to a culture that is Caring, Safe, and Respectful. You will be required to work collaboratively in a safe, caring and respectful way.

To find out more about NHS Ayrshire and Arran please visit our website - NHS Ayrshire & Arran - Home (nhsaaa.net)

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Tip: Think of AI as a helper, not a substitute. We want to understand you—not an AI tool.

Position

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Business Support Assistant based at The Johnnie Walker Bond, Kilmarnock. This post is offered on a permanent basis.

Hours

36 hours per week.

Monday-Wednesday 9-5pm

Thursday 9-4.30pm

Friday 9-4pm

From 1 April 2026, the working week for NHS Agenda for Change staff in Scotland will be reduced. Full-time hours will reduce from 37 to 36 hours (pro rata for part-time staff) without loss of earnings.

What You Will Do

As a Business Support Administrator, you will provide a dedicated, professional and comprehensive secretarial and administrative support service to Heads of Service, Senior and Service Management as appropriate. Delivering this support in an effective, efficient and proactive manner will be vital to the smooth running of the function.

The role is instrumental in ensuring the flow of communication, information and correspondence projecting a positive, professional image for the whole function and in particular when acting as first point of contact for the Partnership Management Team.

The post holder primarily supports the Adverse Event Review Group working alongside the Associate Nurse Director and Risk Management colleagues to ensure the smooth co-ordination of this group. The post holder support managers within the Partnership which will involve minute taking of a range of strategic meetings; diary management; tracking and bring forward systems; co-ordination of corporate information systems – including SSTS, eESS and other systems relating to performance management.

Much of the work is unsupervised and the post holder requires to use own judgement when dealing with enquiries, e-mails, correspondence etc where quick decisions are required.

Knowledge, Training And/or Experience Required For This Post

HND in Business Administration OR equivalent demonstrable experience plus knowledge of specialist functional / medical / legal terms, organisational policies and procedures and knowledge and experience to deal with non-routine issues such as problem solving for areas of work or developing alternative or additional procedures.

• Significant experience in a secretarial / personal assistant role.
• Experience of transcribing documents from digital transcription equipment.
• Experience of diary management, including planning and organising meetings and events.
• Experience in minute taking of meetings.
• Experience of working with members of the public.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills – both written and verbal.
• A good attention to detail when producing / processing information.
• Analytical, problem solving and decision making skills.
• Knowledge of Medical Terminology.
• Knowledge of the various information systems within Health and / or Social Care.
• Knowledge and understanding of the requirements the Partnership has to comply with in relation to Caldicott guidelines and Data Protection.
• Ability to work autonomously and manage own workload.
• Used Microsoft Office applications including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.

If you would like to find out more about the role, please contact Yvonne Hill at [e-mail].

Right to Work / Certificates of Sponsorship

To work in the United Kingdom, there is a legal requirement for an individual to demonstrate that they have the relevant permission to work in the country. This permission is, without exception, granted by the UK Visa and Immigrations Service. Further information on what NHS Scotland Boards are required to do to check this as well as what your responsibilities include can be found within the attached Candidate Information Pack.

It is essential that you have checked that you either already have an appropriate right to work in the UK or that the post would be eligible to be sponsored before submitting your application form.

NHS Ayrshire & Arran may be able to offer visa sponsorship for certain roles, provided the post meets the minimum salary threshold and any other required criteria. When considering if a post meets the salary threshold for sponsorship, please note the salary advertised is based on a full-time contract and must be pro-rated for part-time positions. Sponsorship is not guaranteed and is assessed on a case-by-case basis following interview and at the commencement of pre-employment checks.

We are unable to provide sponsorship for bank contracts.

Additional Information For Candidates

• DO NOT upload a CV as this will not be used for shortlisting purposes.
• Posts close at midnight on the indicated date. Late applications will not be accepted.
• Please note that our correspondence method is by email, therefore please ensure you enter your email address accurately.
• Please check your email regularly (including junk folders) and your NHS Jobs Scotland account for updates.
• Please contact JobTrain Candidate Support Hub: https://jobseekersupport.jobtrain.co.uk/support/home - for advice and support with any system issues.
• We recommend using the Internet Browser “Google Chrome” or “Microsoft Edge” when using JobTrain.
• Once you have submitted your application form you will be unable to make any amendments.
• Some of our vacancies are for internal candidates only. If you are a staff member, please ensure you update your NHS Jobs Scotland account profile to reflect that you are employed by NHS Ayrshire and Arran.
• Please note, for all vacancies where a driving licence is required this must be a full UK/EU/EEA licence.