The principal responsibility of the Administration & Business Support Officer (ABSO) is to line manage administrators in a designated administrative hub which may be based locally or remotely, providing essential support and information to enable them to perform efficiently and effectively so that departmental goals are achieved.
To provide a professional, efficient and confidential level of service to a designated ‘principal’ at Chief Superintendent or equivalent level and enable support to the wider SMT.
To act as a lead in respect of designated specialist administrative projects and developments. To provide the business and operational link between function and geographic areas and direct input into the corporate and consistent provision of administrative services across both Forces.
In particular to:
- Supervise, support, develop, coach and task a team of administrators. Assess current workloads and skills across the administrative team in order to ensure the most effective deployment of staff. Allocate tasks to individuals according to the skills of the team member and taking into consideration any development needs and current workload.
- Ensure appropriate staff training is undertaken to provide a multi-skilled team to safeguard resilience within the department.
- Line management staff locally or remotely, which may in some instances; include covering line management responsibilities of other hubs across the Alliance geographic area to offer resilience to other ABSOs, including travelling to remote locations as required. Line management duties to include management of leave, sickness, welfare, discipline performance and associated matters.
- Manage the designated Principal’s diary commitments to ensure that the daily schedule of work is co-ordinated effectively, categorising and prioritising workflow.
- Provide day to day support and professional guidance to the SMT members on behalf of the Principal in the most appropriate manner depending on priority and business need.
- Develop links across the organisation and other relevant agencies to foster good working relationships and promote the image expected on behalf of the department and/or the Force.
- Be responsible for updating key departmental action plans and business plans, ensuring that actions are progressed, recorded, tracked and appropriate responses received, on behalf of the Principal.
- Keep effective record-management system, which maintain the appropriate level of security and sensitivity for the material stored.
- Ensure meeting papers associated with the Principal’s work are fully conversant with agenda items prior to meetings and in possession of any subsequent briefing notes to underpin their knowledge on a particular issue.
- Accompany the Principal when required to meetings/conferences, providing a support service and making notes/minutes of any issues/actions required.
- Progress any appropriate actions and ensure the Principal is adequately briefed in advance of such meetings.
- Consider incoming telephone calls, correspondence and emails addressed to the Principal deciding on the most appropriate manner by which it should be dealt with, ensuring only relevant correspondence are filtered through to the departmental head for his/her attention or information.
- As required take Forcewide responsibility on behalf of the administrative function for specified areas and/or projects. To include reviewing, updating and implementing specific actions to contribute to the delivery of the Admin and Business Support Delivery Plan.
This list of duties is not restrictive or exhaustive and the post-holder may be required to carry out duties from time to time that are either commensurate with/or lower than the grade of the post. In some posts this might include the ad-hoc provision of guidance and informal training of new colleagues.
