10178 - Business Support Manager

### Job description
Overview of the job
The role supports the Director, HMPPS in Wales, with their day to day duties and delivery of the Agency’s key objectives. The environment is demanding and the job holder will need to work at pace and deal with competing demands on the Director’s time. The Business Support Manager effectively manages the work within the Director’s office by providing diary, administrative and business management support.

The Business Support Manager acts as the single point of contact for the Director in relation to all diary related matters, both within HMPPS and with key stakeholders. They will need strong influencing and relationship management skills to ensure calls on the Director’s time are effectively managed. They are responsible for the effective arrangements of meetings and visits – ensuring they represent value for money and that communications are timely and well presented.

The Business Support Manager carries out the secretarial/admin support that works within this area to ensure that the Director obtains the support they need in a timely and efficient manner. They will commission work from others, monitoring to ensure delivery on time and reviewing quality.

The Business Support Manager will be required to deal swiftly with all correspondence received, including those in Welsh, and use the authorised translation channels.

Report to Senior Business Manager within the Director’s office.

Welsh language skills are desirable.

Summary
• This is a busy and varied role, requiring close working with Directors across a range of responsibilities as well as with colleagues in finance, HR, Private Offices, and working-level leads within HMPPS and MOJ. • The post holder is the day to day contact for the Director, dealing with a range of issues on their behalf, including answering queries and offering advice.
• Responsible for the effective management and use of the Director’s time, often covering a number of months in advance – so will need excellent organisational skills.
• Organise Director’s diary; arrange meetings and venues. Including working with Directors and other stakeholders as and when the frequent changes arise due to last minute priorities.
• Source and book the most appropriate and cost effective means of travelling in line with Agency instructions and organise the Director’s travel and arrangements.
• Ensuring all work is effectively managed in the Director’s office – commissioning work from colleagues across HMPPS and more widely, setting deadlines, monitoring delivery and assessing quality to ensure work can be presented to the Director as fit for purpose.
• To co‐ordinate, provide agenda packs and minute all meetings for which the Director is the Chair and to ensure copies of those minutes are circulated to the membership of each meeting in a timely manner.
• To provide cover for cross directorate support meetings as and when required and to work with business managers to ensure the smooth running of all HMPPS in Wales meetings.
• Produce accurate minutes that support the delivery of the Directorate.
• Deal effectively with all calls to Director’s office, responding directly wherever possible and ensuring effective referral where necessary. Ensure a professional image is maintained at all times.
• Deal swiftly with correspondence, including those received in Welsh and converse in Welsh where appropriate.
• Answer the phone bilingually.
• Liaise with HMPPS, MoJ and Welsh Government officials and arrange meetings on key HMPPS policy issues when necessary.
• Promote the work of the Directorate at all opportunities.

Responsibilities, Activities and Duties
The job holder will be required to carry out the following responsibilities, activities and duties:
• Maintain and develop good relationships and working contacts with the CEO office and offices of other DGs in MoJ, other HMPPS Directors, Ministers (Westminster and Wales) and MoJ Directors.
• Work closely by providing business support to the HMPPS in Wales Business Manager to ensure all key activities for the Director are covered.
• In relation to key meetings commission work on behalf of the Director in order to meet specified timescales, and ensuring delivery on time and to the required quality standard.
• Provide secretariat support to meetings the Director chairs.
• Work with HMPPS Communications Team to ensure that they support any key stakeholder activities. Co-ordinate these events and ensure they are reported on the HMPPS key engagement activities register.
• Oversee management of the Director’s diary, ensuring effective and efficient use of time in line with the Director’s priorities – regularly reviewing commitments to ensure they remain appropriate and in line with changing priorities.
• Handle all incoming telephone calls and office enquiries, responding direct where possible and ensuring effective resolution in order to maintain organisational reputation.
• Where possible converse in Welsh and liaise with translation services to ensure the prompt response of correspondence.
• Offer business support to other senior leaders within the HMPPS in Wales Directorate as and when required to ensure that business plan priorities are met.

The duties/responsibilities listed above describe the post as it is at present and is not intended to be exhaustive. The job holder is expected to accept reasonable alterations and additional tasks of a similar level that may be necessary. Significant adjustments may require re-examination under the Job Evaluation Scheme and shall be discussed in the first instance with the job holder.

An ability to fulfil all spoken aspects of the role with confidence through the medium of English or (where specified in Wales) Welsh.

Behaviours
• Making Effective Decisions • Delivering at Pace
• Leadership
• Communicating and Influencing
• Working Together

Ability
IT skills in word processing, Outlook, PowerPoint and Excel.

Additional Information

Working Arrangements & Further Information

The MoJ offers Hybrid Working arrangements where business need allows. This is an informal, non-contractual form of flexible working that blends working from your base location, different MoJ sites and / or from home (please be aware that this role can only be worked in the UK and not overseas). Some roles will not be suitable for Hybrid Working. Similarly, Hybrid Working will not suit everyone’s circumstances. Arrangements will be discussed and agreed with the successful candidate(s) and subject to regular review.

For nationally advertised roles, the successful candidate(s) will be appointed to a MoJ office location, which may include their nearest Justice Collaboration Centre or Justice Satellite Office. This will be discussed and agreed on the completion of pre-employment checks.

Some of MoJ’s terms and conditions of service are changing as part of Civil Service reform. The changes will apply to staff joining MoJ who are new to the Civil Service. Staff joining MoJ from other civil service employers will transfer onto the new MoJ terms if they are already on 'modernised' terms in their current post or onto 'unmodernised' MoJ terms if they are on 'unmodernised' terms at their current post. Details will be available if an offer is made.

Standard full time working hours are 37 hours per week excluding breaks which are unpaid. HMPPS welcomes part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns, where they meet the demands of the role and business needs. All applications for part-time, flexible and job-sharing working patterns will be considered in accordance with the HMPPS’ Flexible Working policy.

If you are a current NPS employee, this vacancy may be available on a Loan basis for up to 2 years. Applications are invited from suitable qualified staff.

The Loan/Secondment is subject to the approval of the selected candidate's Business Unit, which should be obtained before confirmation of appointment.

Benefits

Annual Leave

-The holiday year runs from 1 March. If you work a non standard work pattern your leave entitlement may be expressed in either hours or days as appropriate. Leave entitlement is calculated on a pro-rata basis and you will be advised of your actual entitlement on appointment. If you were appointed internally and your leave was previously calculated in days, this will continue to be the case.

Bank, Public and Privilege Holidays

-You are entitled to 9 days (66 hours 36 minutes) in recognition of bank, public and privilege holidays. These hours are added to your annual leave allowance. There is a requirement to work some public and bank holidays subject to your shift pattern and the operational needs of the establishment

Pension

-The Civil Service offers a choice of two pension schemes, giving you the flexibility to choose the pension that suits you best.

Work Life Balance

HM Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) is keen to encourage alternative working arrangements. Work life balance provides greater opportunities for staff to work more flexibly wherever managers and establishments can accommodate requests to do so. HMPPS offers flexible working subject to completion of a satisfactory probationary period and NVQ

Season Ticket Advance

-After two months’ service, you’ll be eligible to apply for a season ticket advance to purchase a quarterly or longer-period season ticket for travel between home and your place of work

Childcare Vouchers

For any moves across the Civil Service may have implications on your ability to carry on claiming childcare vouchers

Training

HMPPS is committed to staff development and offers a range of training and development opportunities, including areas such as Equality and Diversity, Dealing with Challenging Behaviour, Suicide Prevention and Anti Bullying Programmes

-There are opportunities to access promotion programmes and HMPPS provides a variety of training appropriate to individual posts

-All staff receive security and diversity training and an individual induction programme into their new roles

Eligibility

-All candidates are subject to security and identity checks prior to taking up post

-All external candidates are subject to 6 months probation. Internal candidates are subject to probation if they have not already served a probationary period within HMPPS

-All staff are required to declare whether they are a member of a group or organisation which the HMPPS considers to be racist

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles . Should you feel that the recruitment process has breached the recruitment principles you are able to raise a formal complaint in the following order

- To Transformative Business Services (0345 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) );
- To Ministry of Justice Resourcing team ( [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) );
- To the Civil Service Commission (details available here (https://civilservicecommission.independent.gov.uk/recruitment/recruitment-complaints/) )

As a Disability Confident employer, MoJ are committed to providing everyone with the opportunity to demonstrate their skills, talent and abilities, by making adjustments throughout all elements of the recruitment process and in the workplace. MoJ are able to offer an interview to disabled candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns.

You will be able to request reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process within the application form. If you need additional help completing the application form, please contact the TBS Recruitment Enquiries Team.

For more information on applying for a role as a candidate with a disability or long-term condition, please watch our animated videos .

Diversity & Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .

A Great Place to Work for Veterans

The "Making the Civil Service a Great Place to work for veterans" initiative includes a guaranteed interview scheme to those who meet the minimum criteria to provide eligible former members of the Armed Forces with opportunities to secure rewarding jobs. Allowing veterans to continue to serve their country, and to bring highly skilled individuals with a broad range of experience into the Civil Service in an environment, which recognises and values your previous service in the Armed Forces.
For further details about the initiative and eligibility requirements visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/making-the-civil-service-a-great-place-to-work-for-veterans

Redeployment Interview Scheme

Civil Service departments are expected to explore redeployment opportunities before making an individual redundant. The MoJ is committed, as part of the Redeployment Interview Scheme, to providing opportunities to those who are 'at risk of redundancy'.

MoJ is able to offer an interview to eligible candidates who meet the minimum selection criteria, except in a limited number of campaigns. Candidates will not be eligible for the Redeployment Interview Scheme if they are applying on promotion.

Civil Service Nationality Rules

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

- UK nationals
- nationals of the Republic of Ireland
- nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window) https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families (https://eur01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fsettled-status-eu-citizens-families&data=05%7C01%7Cchristopher.jeffery%40soprasteria.com%7C8a2293860362402c15da08dbf4cff146%7C8b87af7d86474dc78df45f69a2011bb5%7C0%7C0%7C638372946312587803%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=s%2BxUsev%2BGeeK%2FLgTUjpjfTJu%2FjpKQZ%2BQPJXNduvik3Q%3D&reserved=0)
- nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
- individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
- Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nationality-rules

Reserve list

A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months from which further appointments may be made for the same or similar roles.

Contact Information

MoJ:

If you require any assistance please call 0345 241 5359 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail [email protected]

Please quote the job reference 10178

HMPPS

If you require any assistance please call 0345 241 5358 (Monday to Friday 8am - 6pm) or e mail [email protected]

Please quote the job reference 10178

A sift based on the lead behaviour, Making Effective Decisions, may be held if a large number of applications are received. If a large number of applications remain after the initial sift, your application will be progressed to a full sift, where all behaviours will then be considered.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (Al)

Artificial Intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.