Location: Exeter, EX2 5AF
Salary: £27485.00 to £30162.00
Date posted: 17th July 2025
Closing date: 31st July 2025
Devon Partnership NHS Trust is seeking a Business Administrator to join our dedicated team based at Wonford House in Exeter. This is a fixed-term position working 33 hours per week, supporting a key area of our organisation until 4th September 2026.
This is an excellent opportunity for a highly organised and motivated individual who thrives in a fast-paced and supportive healthcare environment.
Job Description:
Devon Partnership NHS Trust is seeking a Business Administrator to join our dedicated team based at Wonford House in Exeter. This is a fixed-term position working 33 hours per week, supporting a key area of our organisation until 4th September 2026.
This is an excellent opportunity for a highly organised and motivated individual who thrives in a fast-paced and supportive healthcare environment.
About the Role
The postholder will be responsible for providing effective and efficient clerical and administrative support to an assigned senior manager and associated healthcare teams. Your work will contribute directly to the smooth running of our services, ensuring our teams are supported in delivering high-quality care across the Trust.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will have high standard of skills using Microsoft Office packages and experience of using bespoke IT systems. The post holder will need to meet deadlines, collate data and maintain standards relating to administrative processes. They will need to be able to work within a team effectively and share work streams where appropriate.
Key Responsibilities include:
* Comprehensive diary management and ensuring manager/associated team members are briefed and ready for meetings and appointments
* Collate and distribute reports/papers for meetings chaired by the manager/associated team and ensuring the agenda is sent out to report authors and attendees in advance
* Meeting administration: taking and distributing formal minutes; recording clear actions and following these up to check completion; maintaining attendance records
* Event coordination and planning as required
* Supporting the manager and team by ensuring that records are up to date on all staffing and patient systems and that items are dealt with quickly and efficiently on finance systems.
About us
About Devon Partnership Trust
We provide mental health, learning disability and neurodiversity services, as well as a range of specialist & secure services for the wider south west region & nationally. We are passionate about promoting good mental health & wellbeing. We strive to use the expertise & resources within our organisation, and through our partnerships, to deliver high quality services that are safe & focused on people's recovery.
We are committed to developing a culture of coproduction, involving patients, families & carers in everything we do
Our values
We not only recruit based on qualifications & experience - we recruit individuals who possess & demonstrate the behaviours which underpin our Trusts core values. These include such attributes as showing a commitment to quality of care, improving lives of others, giving respect, dignity & compassion. We can bring those values to life in our everyday tasks by giving a smile; making time for people; challenging ourselves & others, & being open to new ideas.
We are committed to being an inclusive employer & applications are encouraged & welcomed from all sections of the community, regardless of any protected characteristics as governed by the Equality Act 2010. Part time & flexible working applications will be considered & supported, where possible. We particularly encourage applicants with lived experience of mental health conditions, neurodiversity or learning disabilities. We are a Disability Confident Leader.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Duties andResponsibilities
Communicationand Working Relationship Skills
* To use avariety of software packages including Microsoft Suite and bespoke packagesrelating to Trust informatics and patient records to produce correspondence andmaintain presentations, records, spreadsheets and databases.
* Communicatingimportant/confidential/sensitive information to assigned manager/associatedteam.
* Supporting themanager/associated team to produce the reports/papers required for meetings,ensuring they meet appropriate standards content and layout, liaising withreport authors where required.
* Comprehensiveinbox management and filing, including emails which have been actioned or arepending.
Developing/maintainingmultiple electronic filing systems.
* The post holderwill be expected to communicate complex and sensitive issues to a range ofpeople, including service users, where there may be a barrier to understanding.
* To be anintegral link between members of the multi-disciplinary team.
* To handle allincoming and outgoing mail, including electronic (email).
* To be firstpoint of contact for manager/associated team. Take and forward accuratemessages in a timely manager.
* Produce clearand accurate written correspondence (including the composition of adhoc routineletters) eg letters, memos, report, presentations, audio recording of minutesand use of Trust Intranet and Internet as required.
Analyticaland Judgemental Skills
* To receive andopen mail (paper and electronic as necessary) and distribute/despatchaccordingly ensuring appropriate action is taken with high priority material.
* Arrangingbusiness travel to find the most cost-effective and efficient solution andproviding detailed itineraries for trips
* Assesssituations, identify and resolve potential problems within own skill set. Referand seek guidance on issues outside of post holders level of competency orauthority to line manager
* Maintain andmonitor service/department staff records, eg annual leave, training andpersonal contact information and proactively support cover arrangements intimes of absence.
* Deliverexcellent levels of service by regularly assessing, problem solving, evaluatingand reporting to assigned manager/associated team in a timely proactive mannerwhen these standards have not been met, and enabling appropriate action to betaken. Implement planned actions and response, communicating changes asappropriate.
Planningand Organisational Skills
* Arrangemeetings, hospitality, venues, distributing agendas/notes and managing multiplediaries.
* Prioritise owntasks, exercising a degree of independence, initiative and judgement.
* Prepare formalagendas and take formal minutes as required. Organising meetings and conferencecalls internally and externally
Responsibilityfor Patient/Client Care, Treatment and Therapy
* Act as aprinciple point of contact for users of the service, eg Individuals fromwithin/outside the Trust, people who use our services and members of thepublic.
Responsibilityfor Policy and Service Development Implementation
* The post holdermay be asked to contribute to audit and research projects within the service toinform service development and standards.
Implementadministrative policies.
* Adhere to allTrust and departmental policies and procedures relating to their role, may berequired to comment on reviews.
* Maintain andcontinue to improve knowledge and understanding of the Trust/Service includingsystems, policy and current issues, particularly to own area of work.
Responsibilityfor Finance, Equipment and Other Resources
* The post holderwill order stationery and other necessary items for the team via theprocurement system.
* Maintain thesafe keeping of Trust property. Any concerns regarding misuse shall be raisedimmediately with the Trust Counter Fraud Specialist.
* Ensure theproper use of the Trust resources, such as stationary, telephone usagephotocopying and other consumables used within the course of business. Ensuringminimal waste and cost.
* Suggestefficiency savings to more senior staff.
Responsibilityfor Human Resources, e.g. Supervision, Training, HR Advice and Management
* Thepostholder has no managerial supervision responsibility but is expected to be agood example to other staff and use their experience to assist/guide newstarter induction.
* Provideimmediate guidance and assistance in problem solving.
Responsibilityfor Information Resources and Administrative Duties
* Utiliseinformation technology to create graphs and charts, posters etc.
* Produceconfidential correspondence and reports.
* Maintain anefficient and effective filing system.
* Maintainingaccurate information about the Services such as organograms and contactslists.
* Keepappropriate statistical records/information as and when required by themanager/associated team for audit purpose. Provide statistical returns whenrequired which may involve entering statistical data onto data bases.
* Take anddistribute formal minutes as necessary.
* Developeffective and efficient administrative systems including management of emailaccounts and electronic and paper filing systems as well as other forms ofcorrespondence.
Responsibilityfor Research and Development
* Contribute toaudit and research projects within remit of job role.
Freedom to Act
* The post holder will be expected to work without direct supervision and managetheir own workload.
* Accountable for own actions, manager available forreference.
* Prioritise own tasks, exercising a degree of independence,initiative and judgement.
* Assess situations, identify and resolve potentialproblems within own skill set.
* Refer and seek guidance on issues outside ofpost holders level of competency or authority to line manager.
AnyOther Specific Tasks Required
* Providingsupport to other Business Administrators through a buddy system.
* Duty of Candouryou must adhere to the principles of openness, transparency and the statutoryduty of candour in your day to day work and conduct and encourage the samebehaviours within the wider organisation.
* All employeesmust adhere to the policy on the protection and use of personal informationwhich provides guidance on the use of disclosure of information.
* The Trust alsohas a range of policies which outline the appropriate use of computer equipmentand computer generated information. All employees are expected to meet therequirements of these policies.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
* Excellent organisational skills.
* Ability to prioritise workload and adapt to change when required
* Previous experience of working within an administrative or secretarial team
* Experience of dealing with confidential and complex information
* Ability to take accurate formal and informal minutes
Desirable
* Demonstrate good numeracy and literacy skills
* Previous experience of working in a Healthcare or Social Care administrative setting
Experience
Essential
* Excellent organisational skills.
* Ability to prioritise workload and adapt to change when required
* Previous experience of working within an administrative or secretarial team
* Experience of dealing with confidential and complex information
* Ability to take accurate formal and informal minutes
Desirable
* Demonstrate good numeracy and literacy skills
* Previous experience of working in a Healthcare or Social Care administrative setting
Qualifications
Essential
* RSA 3 Word Processing or equivalent level of experience in practice.
* NVQ4 in administration or equivalent level administrative knowledge and experience
* GCSE English or equivalent
* Evidence of continuing professional and personal development
Desirable
* ECDL (European Computer Driving Licence)
* Shorthand or Speedwriting
Employer details
Employer name
Devon Partnership NHS Trust
Address
Wonford House
Dryden Road
Exeter
Devon
EX2 5AF
Employer's website
https://www.dpt.nhs.uk/ (Opens in a new tab)
Contact information:
Performance and Information Manager
Emma Baker
emma.baker51@nhs.net
#J-18808-Ljbffr