Business Support Officer

We offer great flexible working opportunities, and have offices in Belfast, Cardiff and York. Please be aware that this role can only be worked within the UK and not overseas. Travel within the UK will be required on an occasional basis, possibly with overnight stays. Job Summary Do you have excellent communication skills with a keen attention to detail? Are you well organised with the ability to manage multiple and often conflicting priorities to tight deadlines? If so, this is an exciting opportunity to join the Food Standards Agency (FSA) as a Business Support Officer, and we’d love to hear from you! The FSA is a non-ministerial department of over 1600 people. We play a critical role in protecting public health and consumers’ wider interests in food across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Our vision is an important one - to drive change, delivering “food you can trust” and working towards a healthier and more sustainable food system. Job Description This role is essential for ensuring that FSA technology and data services are supported by robust governance and consistent processes. You will work in the Office of the Chief Information Officer function and will play a vital role in supporting governance boards and project management tools. You will provide day-to-day administrative and PA support to the Chief Information Officer and Director of Information and Science. They will maintain effective working relationships with a variety of stakeholders both internal and external to the organisation. The ideal candidate will possess excellent organisational skills and a keen attention to detail as well as being proactive. They will also enjoy taking the initiative to co-ordinate competing demands, and be keen to own and improve key administrative processes. There is also a need to be discreet and respectful of confidentiality, with the ability to recognise and deal appropriately with potentially sensitive issues. This role is essential for ensuring that FSA technology and data services are supported by robust governance and consistent processes. You will work in the Office of the Chief Information Officer function and will play a vital role in supporting governance boards and project management tools. You will provide day-to-day administrative and PA support to the Chief Information Officer and Director of Information and Science. They will maintain effective working relationships with a variety of stakeholders both internal and external to the organisation. The ideal candidate will possess excellent organisational skills and a keen attention to detail as well as being proactive. They will also enjoy taking the initiative to co-ordinate competing demands, and be keen to own and improve key administrative processes. There is also a need to be discreet and respectful of confidentiality, with the ability to recognise and deal appropriately with potentially sensitive issues. Person specification Please read the attached Candidate Pack to discover further details about the role, our organisation, who we are looking for and the criteria we will assess against during the selection process. We look forward to receiving your application and wish you every success. Behaviours We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process: Working Together Changing and Improving Communicating and Influencing Managing a Quality Service Alongside your salary of £29,107, Food Standards Agency contributes £8,432 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides. Our candidate pack details the benefits that the FSA has to offer. Please also refer to the attached Terms and Conditions statement. Selection process details This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience. Full details of the selection process are detailed in the attached candidate pack. Application and shortlisting You will be asked to provide personal details (not seen by the Panel) and to confirm your eligibility to apply for the role. You will then be asked to complete an application which will be used to assess you against the following essential criteria. Experience Essential criteria Lead criteria: Excellent written communication skills including drafting meeting minutes and/or reports with a keen attention to detail. A track record of working collaboratively and flexibly with others and within a team to achieve common goals. Good organisational, time management and planning skills, with the ability to prioritise. Proven evidence of strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to work confidently with senior officials. Competent in the use of MS365 application (Teams, Outlook, Excel, Word, Powerpoint etc) Lead Criteria An initial sift will take place on the Lead Criteria. In the event that we receive a large number of applications, the minimum pass mark for the Lead Criteria may be raised at shortlisting stage. Candidates who apply under the DCS, GPTW or RIS schemes and meet the minimum requirements will be unaffected by the pass mark raise. Interview If successful at shortlisting stage, you will be invited to a final interview in which we will assess you against the following Strengths requirements of the role and Civil Service Behaviours. Behaviours Working Together Changing and Improving Communicating and Influencing Managing a Quality Service Full details of the positive indicators being assessed for each Behaviour can be found in the Candidate Pack. Strengths We will also assess you against a number of Civil Service Strengths – these are not disclosed prior to interview. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) You must ensure that any evidence submitted as part of your application or used during interview, including your CV and any statements or examples, are truthful and factually accurate. Please note that plagiarism can include presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own. Expected Timeline Advert closes: 13/05/25 Sift: Expected to take place between 14/05/25 and 16/05/25 Final panel interview: Expected to take place w/c 26/05/25 Interviews will be held remotely via MS Teams. (If you do not have the Microsoft Teams application installed on your computer, you can join on the web without installing the application). Please note that indicated dates may be subject to change. Childcare Vouchers Any move to the Food Standards Agency from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk Reserve List A reserve list will be held for a period of up to 12 months from which further appointment may be made. Candidates that do not pass the interview but have demonstrated an acceptable standard may be considered for similar roles at a lower grade. Visa Sponsorship Please note that the FSA does not hold a licence to sponsor any visa applications and we are unable to provide any advice about visas. Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment. This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience. Security Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks. Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks. Nationality requirements 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) 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) Working for the Civil Service The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy. The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy. Diversity and 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 (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window). This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans (opens in a new window) initiative. The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. Read more about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window). Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records. Contact point for applicants Job Contact Name : Graham Brown Email : graham.brown@food.gov.uk Recruitment team Email : hr.recruitment.campaigns@food.gov.uk Further information If you wish to raise a complaint then please email hr.recruitment.campaigns@food.gov.uk in the first instance.