Business Support Officer

The Business Support Officer provides a pivotal role in delivering professional, efficient, and comprehensive business, governance, and project support to the Estates & Facilities Directorate across Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT) and Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust (HCT)., The post holder will: · Provide high-level administrative, governance, and operational support across Estates & Facilities. · Support delivery of projects and programmes in Capital Works, Hard & Soft FM, Compliance, Property, Sustainability, and Transformation. · Act as a key link between project leads, operational teams, and senior leadership, ensuring accurate reporting, action tracking, and risk management. · Support procurement, financial tracking, Freedom of Information requests, and departmental HR administration. Act as a first point of contact for Estates, ensuring effective communication with internal teams, contractors, and external stakeholders,

• Full administration of governance and project-related meetings including HPFT Estates Steering Group, Sustainability Steering Group, Capital Works & Operations, EMED Contract Review, Soft FM Tender, Green Travel Plan, and Eastern Hub.
• Prepare agendas, briefing packs, reports, and accurate minutes; maintain action trackers to monitor delivery of project and operational objectives.
• Provide executive-level reporting for the Associate Director, Head of Operations, and Project Leads.
• Project Management Support
• Support Estates & Facilities projects and programmes by:
• + · Coordinating project plans, timelines, and milestones. + · Tracking risks, issues, actions, and dependencies, escalating where required. + · Preparing progress reports, dashboards, and exception reports for senior management and committees. + · Supporting stakeholder engagement, consultations, and workshops. + · Provide secretariat and documentation support for project boards and working groups. + · Monitor project deliverables, ensuring alignment with Trust objectives and reporting frameworks. + · Support post-project evaluation, lessons learned, and continuous improvement activities. Business Administration & Executive Support · Provide proactive diary and inbox management for the Associate Director and Head of Operations. · Prepare and coordinate high-quality executive reports, business cases, and presentations for Trust Boards and Committees. · Coordinate departmental team meetings and induction of new staff. · Maintain up-to-date directories, site lists, organograms, and intranet content. Operational & People Administration · Manage records of annual leave, sickness, mandatory training, and appraisals, ensuring compliance with Trust policies. · Support recruitment processes including vacancy submissions, adverts, and interview coordination. · Maintain personnel records and support HR/Payroll compliance. Procurement & Financial Administration · Raise and track purchase requisitions (PRs), purchase orders (POs), and invoices, maintaining a PO register via SharePoint. · Support project budget monitoring, expenditure reporting, and forecasting. · Liaise with Finance and suppliers to ensure accurate financial administration. Freedom of Information (FOI) · Act as lead contact for Estates FOI requests across HPFT & HCT. · Log, allocate, and track requests ensuring statutory deadlines are met. · Maintain FOI database and liaise with stakeholders for accurate responses. Communication & Stakeholder Management · Act as a first point of contact for Estates enquiries, dealing with queries from staff, contractors, and external partners. · Build strong working relationships with senior stakeholders, project leads, and external suppliers. · Communicate diplomatically, providing accurate information and updates on Estates & Facilities projects and operations. Service Development & Improvement · Contribute to continuous improvement of administrative and project management systems, including implementation of digital filing, SharePoint, and paperless processes. · Suggest and implement improvements to governance, reporting, and project tracking systems. Health, Safety & Equality · Support departmental Health & Safety compliance, ensuring policies are up-to-date and accessible. · Act as Fire Warden for the department, ensuring induction and training for new staff on fire procedures. · Uphold Trust values on Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion in all aspects of work.
  
  
• Knowledge of administrative and organisational policies and procedures, acquired through training and relevant experience to degree level or equivalent., Additional training in project management or governance., Proven experience in business administration, governance, and project management support within a large and complex organisation.
• Knowledge and experience to deal with non-routine issues such as problem solving for an area of work or developing alternative procedures., Excellent IT skills, including advanced use of Microsoft Office, SharePoint, and digital systems., Ability to communicate complex information with staff internally and externally across the organisation.
• Ability to handle confidential and sensitive information appropriately., Ability to solve non-routine problems and develop alternative or additional procedures., Experience in data analysis and reporting to support decision-making., Proficient computer and keyboard skills to manipulate spreadsheets, reports, and digital systems., Car driver (unless prevented by disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010)., Requirement to manage competing priorities and deadlines in a fast-paced environment., Requirement to deal with sensitive, confidential, and potentially distressing information.
  
  Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust are one of just five mental health trusts to achieve an overall rating of 'Outstanding' from the Care Quality Commission.
Our family of over 4,500 members of staff provide health and social care for people with mental ill health, physical ill health and learning disabilities across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Essex and Norfolk, delivering these services within the community and several inpatient settings. Everything is underpinned by choice, independence and equality, with our Trust values embedded throughout, HPFT supports people with mental ill health, learning disabilities and autism across Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Norfolk and Essex. We employ around 4,500 people who deliver these services within the community and in inpatient settings. We also deliver a range of nationally commissioned specialist services including Tier 4 services for children and young people, perinatal services and medium and low secure learning disabilities services. We have operated as a NHS Foundation Trust since our authorisation in August 2007.