Vacancies

Central Business Support Apprentice

Please Note: The application deadline for this job has now passed.

About the role

At West Northamptonshire Council, we are setting up a brand new Central Business Support team to provide administrative support to services across the organisation. The team will supplement our existing Business Support arrangements and will work across the entire authority from Adult Social Care to Planning, Education, Transport, Corporate Services, Housing and Communities, and Finance and Benefits.

This is a full time fixed-term contract for an initial period of 12 months but we are passionate about retaining and developing our staff, and our Business Support posts are a fantastic way to kick off a career in local government.

We are recruiting to 2 Business Support Apprentice roles with the opportunity to work towards a Level 3 apprenticeship in Business Administration. To support you, you will have time off the job for your studies and your salary will be 70% of the full PA role.

The role is part-flexible which means that you will likely spend the majority of your week working from one of our office locations, with a couple of days spent working from home. The main base will be at One Angel Square in Northampton, but you may on occasion be asked to work alongside teams in our Towcester and Daventry office locations.

For further information or an informal conversation about the roles, please contact Leanne.Wightman@westnorthants.gov.uk. We are aiming for interviews to take place during the w/c 11 December.

What will you be doing?

The role itself will be very varied and you’ll have the opportunity to work with services across the organisation depending upon the demand, and the projects that require support throughout the year. If you like to try new things and are interested in learning more about the different areas of local government, this would be a great fit for you!

Some of the things that you could be getting involved with include:

Assisting with the organisation and planning of major events taking place in West Northants
Supplementing existing resource in services such as Home to School Transport and School Admissions during our peak periods
Supporting with customer enquiries over the phone, via email and through our MPs and Members
Taking notes from meetings and collating actions/decisions
Providing support to projects such as the rollout of new hardware or IT equipment
Helping services by providing administrative support in the form of data input, maintaining databases, scanning documents, bid writing, booking accommodation/transport
Carrying out administrative tasks such as raising purchase orders and setting up contracts on our corporate systems
Providing support to the organisation in the event of an emergency by undertaking the role of loggist

About you

We need bright and dedicated individuals, passionate about working towards making a positive difference for their local community. You will be highly organised, capable of managing and prioritising conflicting tasks, and will have a sharp attention to detail.

You will show resilience, teamwork, and the ability to build strong and positive relationships with colleagues at all levels in the authority. You will bring new and innovative ways of working to the table, embrace change and continually evolve, as our new authority evolves.

You may not have experience in an administrative role, or have experience in the public sector, but you will be able to demonstrate your ambition to learn and will be driven by your attitude to deliver an exceptional service. We welcome applicants looking for a new challenge or looking to kickstart their career in local government.

You will need:

A positive, responsive, and adaptable attitude
Confidence to work independently
An innovative and creative approach to work
A team-driven approach to delivery
A customer-focussed approach
A willingness to learn new skills and work with different service areas
Flexibility around where you work as depending on the project assigned, you may be working across our different offices or from home

Your skills will include:

Excellent organisation and time management
The ability to manage multiple tasks at a time and prioritise your workload
Top-quality customer service
Great IT skills and confidence with picking up new systems and software
Acting sensitively and with integrity around confidential information

Our benefits

We offer a wide range of benefits to our employees, these include:

Generous annual leave entitlement starting at 28 days annual leave per year, 29 days for senior managers (pro rata, depending on how many hours per week you work), plus bank holidays. An additional 5 days, linked to continuous service, and ability to purchase up to 6 weeks additional leave per year.
Cycle to Work scheme.
Local Government Pension Scheme plus immediate life cover (3 times your annual salary from day one) and ill-health protection.
Employee discounts with local and national retailers, days out, finance, health and beauty, travel and eating out plus lots more.
Car Lease scheme
Payment of professional subscription / membership - If your job description requires that you are registered with or are a member of a professional body, WNC will pay for your professional subscription or membership fees.
Employee Assistance Programme - We have an employee support programme run by Health Assured, an independent, external organisation. Health Assured is available for you and your immediate family members, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and includes telephone counselling, legal advice, bereavement support and medical information.
Ongoing training and development opportunities.
A variety of flexible working options to support your work/life balance, including full or part time, term time, 9-day fortnight, etc. (subject to business needs).
Our West Ways of Working – We want our workforce to thrive, and we equip our employees with the right technology to support hybrid and collaborative working, on or off site, depending on the role.
Making a difference - If you want to use your skills and experience with an organisation that are genuinely invested in making a difference, are committed to improving people's lives, and whose success has a direct impact on the wellbeing of your family, friends and people in your local area, then West Northamptonshire Council is the place for you.

About us

We’re a new council, following one of the largest shake-ups in local government reform in recent history. As a new authority, we’re embarking on an exciting journey to deliver exceptional services for our residents, customers and communities.

Our vision at West Northamptonshire Council is ‘to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive’. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services.

Hear more from our Chief Executive, Anna Earnshaw, about what it's like to work at West Northants Council https://youtu.be/lV0EfeUF4aU

At West Northants Council, it’s about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.

When potential is unlocked, talent thrives.

Choose a career that offers you a true sense of achievement, fills you with pride and challenges you in a positive way, every day.

West Northants Council, where careers thrive.