Business Support Officer

Job overview

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).

Main duties of the job

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

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Governance & Meeting Management

• 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.
• ·        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.