Date: 26 Jun 2026
Location: Taunton, GB, TA1 4DY
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Company: Somerset Council
Business Support Assistant – Public Health
Closing date: 08/07/2026
Fixed-term contract until 30/09/2027
Salary: £24,796- £25,185 per annum.
Role summary
Are you organised, approachable and confident working with a wide range of people? We are looking for a Business Support Assistant to join a well-established Public Health team, with an excellent reputation.
You will be providing high-quality business support that helps our services and programme delivery run smoothly and effectively. This varied role will include supporting senior officers and practitioners, responding to complex enquiries which come in via the public health mailbox, maintaining accurate records, processing and monitoring FOI responses, and assisting with reporting, finance and project work.
You will be a trusted point of contact for colleagues, partners and service users, so we are looking for someone who communicates well, works with care and discretion, and enjoys being part of a supportive team making a positive difference for our communities. You will have experience of working in an office environment and will be confident in the use of Microsoft packages, particularly Excel, Outlook and Teams.
This is a fixed-term role until the end of September 2027. We will consider secondment opportunities for internal candidates.
What you’ll do - key responsibilities
Demonstrate initiative, organising and prioritising skills in providing general administrative support to the procurement service.
Provide a support service and maintain an understanding of service activities.
Examples of administrative duties may include: Compile and revise documents, prepare material for presentation, coordinate diaries, and take notes at meetings.
Work with accuracy, identify errors and make corrections where appropriate.
Act as a first point of contact and provide information to clients, suppliers and the public.
What we’re looking for – knowledge, experience & skills
Essential
Sound working knowledge of IT systems including Microsoft 365.
Experience of working in an administrative role and within a team.
Experience of communicating with members of the public face-to-face and via telephone, letter and email.
Experience of handling sensitive and confidential information.
Experience of minute taking.
Experience of using client management systems and spreadsheets.
Minimum NVQ level 2 standard/5 GCSEs, English and Maths, at Grade 4 or above with good standards of literacy, numeracy and accuracy.
Good organisational skills.
The ability to prioritise conflicting work demands and have a flexible approach.
The ability to follow agreed processes to ensure consistency is provided.
The ability to produce high standards of accurate work and to work to deadlines.
Ability to speak fluent English as stated in Part 7 of the Immigration Act (2016).
Additional Information
This is a fixed-term contract until 30/09/2027.
This is a full-time role working 37 hours a week.
25 days of annual leave (additional to bank holidays).
Interviews will be held on Friday July 17th or Monday July 20th and will be face to face at County Hall, Taunton.
Regretfully, we are unable to offer sponsorship for this role. We are only able to proceed with candidates who already have the right to work in the UK without the need for visa sponsorship
For an informal discussion about the post, please contact Jacqueline Burns, Public Health Officer – Commissioning, at
[email protected] 