Business Support Officer

Do you want to make a difference?    

The School of Global Affairs (SGA) is a hub of multi-disciplinary scholarship that seeks to address the most pressing issues facing our world today. We wish to appoint a Business Support Officer to play a key role in the smooth running of our School. If you are a quick-thinking individual, who loves working with a variety of people, and want to learn more about business administration, this role is for you.   

We offer the opportunity to be part of an ambitious and encouraging team, supporting ground-breaking programmes and research, in a world-famous institution. You will work with staff and students, using and developing your skills on a broad range of business administration functions, including Finances, Human Resources, Strategy and Governance, Space and Safety Management.  

At King’s, we are deeply committed to embedding good equality and diversity practices into all of our activities so that the university is an inclusive, welcoming and inspiring place to work and study, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion, sex or sexual orientation. 

King’s offers inclusive benefits to staff including flexible working, Enhanced Parental Leave, funds for Parents and Carers and the potential to join community staff networks. At King’s College London, our vision is to make the world a better place. 

This post will be offered on a full-time, indefinite contract.

• To be a key point of contact for service users providing a fast and efficient service
• To act flexibly in undertaking a variety of administrative duties in the business function
• To provide executive administrative support, including diary management
• To develop and maintain electronic and manual filing systems in accordance with GDPR
• To act as a committee or meeting secretary should the local area require it
• To give administrative support and/or run a range of general and ad-hoc projects
• To respond to both internal and external enquires
• To liaise across King’s to clarify information and obtain services as required
• To support the business function’s efforts to ensure data integrity
• To be aware of and act in accordance with King’s Financial Procedures
• To undertake a range of procurement activity in accordance with King’s Financial Procedures
• To provide advice to service users on financial processes
• To actively audit budget codes and transactions to ensure correct allocation and management
• To provide administrative support for various HR processes, such as recruitment, probation, promotion, and recognition pay
• To support the recruitment of Graduate Teaching Assistants and Hourly Paid Lecturers
• To undertake activity in support of the visiting staff process, onboarding and offboarding as required
• To be responsible for local space and infrastructure matters such as ensuring common areas are presentable, reporting issues and ensuring their resolution
• To undertake activity to help ensure that staff, visitors, and PhD students have appropriate space and equipment, liaising with Estates and Facilities and IT as appropriate
• To act as a Display Screen Equipment (DSE) Assessor
• To act as an Evacuation Marshal
• To provide general administrative support for health and safety
• To provide general administrative support for business continuity and risk management
• To assist the Head of School Administration, School Business Manager, School Deputy Business Manager and Senior Business Support Officers with ad-hoc projects as required.

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.

Essential criteria

1.       Educated to A-level standard (or equivalent experience), including GCSEs in English and Maths 

2.       Excellent IT skills, including MS Office, SharePoint, and databases 

3.       Excellent communication skills, both oral and written 

4.       Excellent organisational and time management skills 

5.       Excellent attention to detail and high degree of accuracy 

6.       Practical understanding of basic business financial processes 

7.       Ability to work with a wide variety of people in a professional and assured manner, both independently and as part of a team 

8.       Ability to demonstrate a commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion 

9.       Well-motivated and an approachable attitude 

10.    Proactive, methodical, flexible approach with attention to detail 

Desirable criteria

1.   Administrative qualification 

2.   Experience of administration in the Higher Education sector 

3.   Experience of office and committee administration