Why should I choose Somerset Council?
We have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Administrative Officer to join our Somerset Rivers Authority Team on a fixed term basis until July 2024 to cover maternity.
We’re a hugely ambitious council, committed to improving lives for the residents, communities, and businesses of Somerset.
And that’s why we’re working so hard to build a sustainable organisation with a culture that rewards, values and recognises our staff, and gives everyone here the opportunity to grow and develop, personally and professionally.
If you’re looking for a place where you work truly matters – where YOU truly matter – we might be just right for you.
We also promote a healthy work-life balance and offer flexible working arrangements wherever possible, including working from home.
The Somerset Rivers Authority (SRA) was formed after the major flooding of 2013/14 and is where the flood risk management authorities in Somerset come together to deliver extra flood protection for the county. The (SRA) is a partnership organisation hosted by Somerset Council. The SRA raises money locally to invest in reducing the risk of flooding and increasing community resilience to flooding across Somerset. www.somersetriversauthority.org.uk
What will I be doing?
You will be part of a small and supportive Team that is responsible for the successful operation of the SRA partnership. The SRA funds a wide range of projects across the whole of Somerset making the subject matter of the role varied and interesting.
This role is key to the effective operation of the SRA. You will be responsible for:
- Arranging and administering SRA meetings which ensure that important decisions are taken in a timely and appropriate manner.
- You will develop the meeting forward plan, prepare agendas, organise briefings, publish meeting papers, take minutes, and ensure that any actions are captured and followed up.
- You will be the first point of contact for SRA partners and the public.
- You will maintain the customer contact system, making sure we comply with our service standards and deliver a high level of service to our partners and the public.
- You will maintain and improve our filing and document management system and review and improve our office processes to make us more efficient.
What kind of experience or qualifications do I need?
We offer ongoing support, training, and guidance to help you be the best you can be. But it will really help if you:
- Are very organised with a keen attention to detail and good communication skills. We are looking for someone that can effectively communicate with people from all levels of the organisation, where they can deal with complex enquiries and take pride in resolution.
- Can prioritise workloads to make sure you can meet deadlines, as well as taking the initiative where appropriate. This role includes minute taking which requires a keen attention to detail and meeting notes to be accurate and concise.
- Have some experience in maintaining filing systems and managing office processes. We are looking for a team member that takes responsibility for finding ways to make us more efficient in how we collate, manage and process information.
- Have experience of using common Microsoft Office Applications like Word and Outlook, as well as Excel.
We’re proud to be here for the people of Somerset. And that means everyone in Somerset. An important part of this is ensuring that we are as diverse and inclusive as the people and communities we serve.
We welcome applications from a diverse range of backgrounds and experiences to enrich our team. You can always contact the hiring manager for a chat if there’s anything you want to talk about before you apply.
What will I be offered in return?
We are proud to offer an environment that is supportive and rewarding, working as part of a team who are passionate about the work, they do to improve the lives of people in Somerset.
We offer great training and development opportunities, with supportive management. As well as this, we have some fantastic employee benefits available:
- We promote a healthy work-life balance and offer flexible working arrangements wherever possible, including working from home.
- Generous annual leave allowance, with the opportunity to purchase additional leave.
- Employee Assistance for the times you may need some support and a variety of employee wellbeing services.
- Auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme and optional pension enhancement through our Additional Voluntary Contribution scheme.
- A Flexible Benefits Scheme via salary sacrifice to obtain a cycle for work and health screenings.
- My Staff Shop offering discounts in shops, online shopping, restaurants, cinema tickets, insurance benefits and more.
Anything else I should know?
The salary for the role is grade 12, ranging from £24,496 - £27,852, covering maternity leave. This role is a fixed term contract until July 2024.
We would encourage all interested applicants to have an informal discussion about this post with David Mitchell, Somerset River Authority Senior Manager on 01823 356789.
This role will be based in Taunton but as some of our meetings are in other parts of Somerset, you will need to be able to travel to other locations, including remote locations.
If you have all the information you need, just hit the apply button. We can’t wait to hear from you!
Job Reference: SCC04316