Apprentice Business Support Assistant

The responsibilities for the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology for 2023 are as follows:

• Positioning the UK at the forefront of global scientific and technological advancement
• Driving innovations that change lives and sustain economic growth
• Delivering talent programmes, physical and digital infrastructure and regulation to support our economy, security and public services
• R&D funding

For 2023, our priorities are:

• Optimise public R&D investment to support areas of relative UK strength and increase the level of private R&D to make our economy the most innovative in the world.
• Promote a diverse research and innovation system that connects discovery to new companies, growth and jobs – including by delivering world-class physical and digital infrastructure (such as gigabit broadband), making the UK the best place to start and grow a technology business and developing and attracting top talent.
• Put our public services – including the NHS and schools – at the forefront of innovation, championing new ways of working and the development of in-house STEM capability to improve outcomes for people.
• Strengthen international collaboration on science and technology in line with the Integrated Review, and ensure our researchers are able to continue to work with leading scientists in Europe and around the world.
• Deliver key legislative and regulatory reforms to drive competition and promote innovation, including the Data Protection and Digital Information Bill, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill and our pro-innovation approach to regulating AI.
• Pass the remaining stages of the reformed Online Safety Bill to keep British people, especially children, safe online.

Our Inclusive Environment

We are building an inclusive culture to make the Department a brilliant place to work where our people feel valued, have a voice and can be their authentic selves. We value difference and diversity, not only because we believe it is the right thing to do, but because it will help us be more innovative and make better decisions.

We offer first-class flexible working benefits, excellent employee well-being support and a great pension. We are fortunate to have a range of excellent staff networks and are proud to be a Disability Confident Leader employer. We will support talented people from all backgrounds to build a career and thrive.

We actively welcome applications from anyone who shares our commitment to inclusion. We will fully support candidates with a disability or long-term condition who require adjustments in our recruitment process.

Find Out More

We regularly run events where you can find out more about the department and tips for the application process. You can sign up for upcoming events here: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/departmentforsciencetechnologyandinnovation?

You can also follow our LinkedIn Careers Page: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/dsitcareers/

The SIG Corporate Hub works closely with the Private Office of the Director General for Science, Innovation & Growth (SIG). The team provides corporate assistance to SIG at a Group level, working closely with the SIG Corporate Business Managers who provide corporate support at a directorate level. Our shared mission is to make SIG a great place to work.

What it’s like to work in our team

The Corporate Hub is a small, friendly, and hardworking team. There’s plenty of scope to get stuck in, offer ideas, and help on multiple corporate workstreams. We are committed to flexible working and maintaining a strong focus on work objectives and wellbeing. We ensure we have the time and space to develop the skills, learning and development that enables the team to carry out its duties. This also helps us to maintain a good work/life balance.

We work closely with the DG’s Private Office –providing day to day support to the Director General – as well as a range of teams providing corporate services including Corporate Business Managers, the HR Business Partner, and the Finance Business Partners. You will therefore have plenty of opportunity to work with, and learn from, colleagues across the department.

We are committed to investing in the personal development of all our team members. We will help you plan the skills and experiences you would like to get out of your time with us and provide training to you when you need it.

Who would enjoy this role?

We are looking for candidates who enjoy completing tasks and objectives. You will have some familiarity with all core Microsoft Office software products, particularly Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and Outlook. You should have a willingness to learn e.g., training on alternative software packages enjoy working collaboratively and provide a helpful and timely service to your colleagues.  We expect a good standard of general education e.g. GCSEs or equivalent including English and Mathematics at grade C/grade 4 or above.

You will have the opportunity undertake a Level 3 Business Administration Apprenticeship whilst providing support to the wider business. Business administrators have a highly transferable set of knowledge, skills and behaviours that can be applied in all sectors. These skills will be developed through supporting and engaging with different parts of the organisation.

You do not need to have a background in corporate work to apply. We will teach you everything you need to know when you join. It is important that you are motivated, willing to learn and committed to providing a great service to the teams we support. As there is always more to be done when improving a corporate service, good organisational skills will be important. You will need to be prepared to engage with a range of different people to get the job done. 

Apprenticeship Information

The apprenticeship standard is at Level 3 and will be delivered by the Lifetime Training Group, which will make up 20% of the employees’ weekly hours. The apprenticeship will typically take between 12 and 18 months to complete. Where a business administrator has not already achieved Level 2 English and Maths, they must do so before taking the end-point assessment. 

More information can be found on the apprenticeship website, which gives the apprenticeship standard for this course.

https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/business-administrator-v1-0

In this role, responsibilities are likely to include:

Providing office management support for the Group, including procuring, and managing stationary supplies, and supporting colleagues to ensure we all have everything we need to do our jobs effectively.

Answering questions from colleagues in the group on a range of corporate issues, such as recruitment and onboarding, corporate reporting and in year awards. 

Using information from management information and HR systems to update our corporate dashboards for Directorate and Group Senior Management Team meetings.

Keeping our databases on things like recruitment, commissions and in year awards up to date and helping colleagues find the information they need when using these systems themselves. 

Proactively updating the information about our teams when people leave and join the group, for example, updating distribution lists and org charts. 

Reviewing the locker system and helping maintain the locker process when required.

In all of this, you’ll be closely supported by two HEO colleagues in the Corporate Hub, and the Deputy Chief of Staff. 

Essential skills and experience

We work with a range of different teams, so you will need to be able to build strong interpersonal relationships and communicate effectively with a variety of colleagues both through spoken and written communication. 

You will be a team player, happy to work collaboratively with different people from across the organisation to achieve a task. 

You will be comfortable seeking feedback proactively and changing your approach in response. 

As there is always more to be done when improving a corporate service, it’s important that you can organise and sequence your work so you can make the biggest impact with the time you have. Organisational skills are critical.

We’ll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Managing a Quality Service
• Delivering at Pace
• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology offers a competitive mix of benefits including:

• A culture of flexible working, such as job sharing, homeworking and compressed hours.
• Automatic enrolment into the Civil Service Pension Scheme, with an average employer contribution of 27%.
• A minimum of 25 days of paid annual leave, increasing by 1 day per year up to a maximum of 30.
• An extensive range of learning & professional development opportunities, which all staff are actively encouraged to pursue.
• Access to a range of retail, travel and lifestyle employee discounts.
• A hybrid office/home based working model where staff will spend a norm of 40-60% of their time in the office (minimum of 40%) over a month with flex dependent on balancing business and individual need.

Job contact :

• Name : Jonathan Kingsley
• Email : Jonathan.Kingsley3@dsit.gov.uk

Recruitment team

• Email : dsitresourcing.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk