Business Support Assistant - Band 4

Are you organised, proactive and committed to providing excellent business support? This is an opportunity to join the Business Support Team within NHS Essex ICB as we develop a consistent business support model across the organisation.

You will be part of a central Business Support Team, aligned to a dedicated set of departments across the organisation. You will help you build strong relationships, understand priorities and provide consistent, valued support to the colleagues you work with.

You will support diary management, meetings, agendas and notes, records, reports, correspondence, financial administration and project activity. You will be confident using Microsoft Office, able to manage competing priorities and comfortable handling confidential or complex information.

This is a good opportunity for someone who enjoys being part of a supportive team but also wants ownership of their own workload and working relationships. You will be able to contribute ideas, support improvements and help strengthen consistent administrative processes across the ICB.

We are looking for positive, flexible and professional people who communicate well, build strong relationships and want to make a difference.

The team has multiple vacancies as a newly established team, and will consider both full time and part time applications.

Permanent and Secondment (if from the NHS)/Fixed Term roles available.

Provide proactive, high-quality business and administrative support, helping teams stay organised, responsive and focused on delivery.

Coordinate busy diaries, meetings, room bookings, agendas, papers, notes and actions, ensuring meetings run smoothly and follow-up is timely and accurate.

Prepare, format and maintain documents, spreadsheets, reports and records, presenting information clearly and managing confidential or sensitive information appropriately.

Act as a professional first point of contact, managing correspondence, responding to routine enquiries and building positive relationships with colleagues and stakeholders.

Support project, governance and reporting activity by maintaining action logs, records and trackers, helping teams monitor progress, risks, decisions and deadlines.

Assist with financial and resource processes, including purchase orders, invoices, budget information, supplies and equipment, in line with NHS procedures.

Use Microsoft Office and other systems confidently to improve the quality, consistency and efficiency of administrative support, contributing ideas to strengthen how support is delivered.

NHS Essex ICB is a statutory organisation responsible for the planning and funding of NHS services for around 1.9 million people across Essex. Our role as an ICB is to bring health and care services together, improve the health and wellbeing of our population and ensure equitable access to services and outcome for everyone. The organisations headquarters is Seax House, Chelmsford, and we operate a hybrid working model (2 office-based days) that includes working across Essex and from home. Essex ICB currently has offices in Brentwood, Harlow and Colchester, in addition to the Chelmsford HQ.

We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that values diversity. We know that different experiences, ideas and perspectives help create a stronger and more innovative organisation that delivers better outcomes for patients. We welcome applications from all backgrounds, including people of all ages, disabilities, sex, gender identity or expression, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation or personal circumstances. Our policies ensure all applicants are treated fairly and consistently throughout the recruitment process, including consideration of reasonable adjustments for disabled applicants.

Please note that the organisation does not hold a sponsorship licence.

ROLE PURPOSE / SUMMARY

The Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB) is a new organisation formed through the consolidation of three ICB areas in response to the NHSs ambition to deliver a more streamlined, strategic and cost-effective model of health commissioning. The ICB will oversee the commissioning of care for the approximately 2 million people who live in Essex. Operating within a reduced running cost envelope and aligned to the new requirements of ICBs in England, the ICB will focus on improving population health outcomes, health equity and smarter resource allocation.

This post will be part of the Corporate Services Directorate. By working together across team boundaries, streamlining processes, adopting new approaches and embracing new technology the directorate will deliver the highest quality corporate services for the ICB, creating the conditions for its success.

The Business Support Assistant role will work as part of the centralised Business Management and Admin support team to provide support to directorates across the organisation. Each Business Support Assistant will be assigned to at least one directorate.

The Business Support Assistant will provide comprehensive administrative support to ensure the smooth running of day-to-day activities within the team. This includes managing diaries, scheduling meetings, booking rooms, and coordinating other key activities.

The post holder will be responsible for preparing, formatting, and maintaining documents, spreadsheets, and reports. They will ensure accurate record-keeping and compliance with NHS data protection and confidentiality standards. The role also involves updating databases and supporting audits as required.

Acting as a first point of contact for the team, the Business Support Assistant will handle enquiries professionally and direct them to the appropriate person. They will manage incoming and outgoing correspondence, draft routine responses, and maintain positive relationships with internal and external stakeholders.

The administrator will organise and support meetings, including preparing agendas, collating papers, and taking accurate notes or minutes. They will ensure timely distribution of documentation and follow-up on agreed actions. The role may also involve assisting with the planning and delivery of team events and training sessions.

The post holder will assist with financial processes such as raising purchase orders, processing invoices, and monitoring budgets in line with NHS financial procedures. They will also manage office supplies and equipment to ensure resources are available and maintained.

The Business Support Assistant will play an active role in improving administrative processes and supporting the teams objectives. They will demonstrate flexibility, initiative, and a commitment to delivering high-quality support that enables the team to focus on service delivery and patient care.

As the ICB transitions to become a leaner, more focused strategic commissioning organisation the post holder will be expected to support the Essex ICB in delivering on the three fundamental shifts set out in the NHS 10-year plan:

• From Treatment to Prevention: Embedding preventative, personalised and population based approaches to commissioning.
• From Hospital to Community: Championing care model redesign that supports community and neighbourhood health.
• From Analogue to Digital: Enabling clinically driven transformation through digital innovation, data analytics and evidence based improvement.

KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

To deliver on the job description set out above, the job holder will be expected to deliver on the requirements set out below:

Policy and service development

• Support implementation of policy and / or service developments related to their directorate area.
• Support team to ensure compliance with relevant ICB policies
• Completes surveys or evaluations to support project delivery

Strategy and analysis

• Helps present insights and reports, drawing on complex data, that can be used to inform decision making and delivery
• Use of data and insight to contribute to reporting, including performance management, financial and quality reporting against agreed contractual or project deliverables

Planning and organisation

• Support development and delivery of project plans relating to communications and engagement, helping develop effective arrangements to support governance, risk management, escalations and reporting
• Support coordination of meetings and events to support delivery of project plans
• Capturing effective minutes, actions and decisions from meetings and events
• Manage competing priorities, prioritizing own resources to effectively deliver agreed tasks or projects
• Ensure accurate reporting and records management

Communications and Partnerships

• Work collaboratively, modelling inclusive, respectful and compassionate behaviours
• Supports development of high quality written and verbal briefings
• Regular use of email and phone communications to deliver administrative tasks
• Build strong, trust-based relationships across the team and ICB as needed
• Work effectively in multi-disciplinary teams to help deliver agreed projects / manage directorate
• Effective management of complex, sensitive and challenging information

Financial and resource management

• Supports monitoring of budget for communications and engagement.
• Supports administration for the procurement of relevant services

Team management and capability building

• Work as an effective team member, undertaking training as required
• Support the effective transition of relevant functions to new portfolios within or beyond the ICB to support the new NHS operating model, in line with the requirements of the Model ICB Blueprint
• Work collaboratively with system partners to facilitate transitional arrangements
• Maintain a focus on quality, safety and affordability during transition
• Supporting effective Information Asset Management for the team

Other

• Primarily desk-based work that requires use of visual display units, focused concentration and frequent participation in on-line or in person meetings
• Able to use software required to develop report, including ability to deliver high quality documents through Microsoft suite (word, power point, excel) and any other software required.

Flexibility and evolving responsibilities

As the ICB continues to evolve, portfolios may be subject to change to reflect the needs of the organization, the health and care system and national policy direction. This may include adjustments to areas of responsibility or realignment of reporting structures.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

The post holder will need to build constructive relationships with partners from across the health and care system. Key relationships will be with:

• Team members
• Finance business partners
• HR business partners
• Business Managers
• External Stakeholders

ROLE PURPOSE / SUMMARY

The Essex Integrated Care Board (ICB) is a new organisation formed through the consolidation of three ICB areas in response to the NHSs ambition to deliver a more streamlined, strategic and cost-effective model of health commissioning. The ICB will oversee the commissioning of care for the approximately 2 million people who live in Essex. Operating within a reduced running cost envelope and aligned to the new requirements of ICBs in England, the ICB will focus on improving population health outcomes, health equity and smarter resource allocation.

This post will be part of the Corporate Services Directorate. By working together across team boundaries, streamlining processes, adopting new approaches and embracing new technology the directorate will deliver the highest quality corporate services for the ICB, c