About the role
Are you looking for a rewarding part time role where your organisational skills make a real difference? Join our vibrant and supportive Recruitment Team in the Fostering Service at Northamptonshire Children’s Trust, where every day brings variety and purpose. The team is responsible for recruiting and assessing potential foster carers to join the fostering service and are part of the wider fostering service where there are two further post approval fostering teams and one connected carers team.
Based at Angel Square, Northampton you’ll play a key role in ensuring our foster carers and team members receive the administrative support they need to thrive. From managing diaries and minuting meetings to processing invoices and medicals, your work will help create a smooth and efficient environment for those making a difference in children’s lives.
This is a fantastic opportunity to be part of a passionate and positive team in a role that offers both flexibility and purpose.
We welcome the opportunity to speak to any interested candidates so please feel free to email: Alison Sharp, Team Manager - Alison.Sharp@nct.co.uk and they can agree a mutually agreeable time to call you.
What will you be doing?
As a Business Support Officer, you’ll be at the heart of our operations, ensuring everything runs like clockwork. Your responsibilities will include:
- Providing high-quality administrative support to the fostering team and potential foster carers.
- Coordinating and processing key documents such as medicals, DBS checks and invoices.
- Supporting the Skills to Foster training by booking rooms, organising refreshments and “meet and greet” potential foster carers as they attend the training.
- Managing correspondence and maintaining accurate records
- Taking minutes at meetings and supporting diary management
- Adapting to the needs of a fast-paced, people-focused environment
You’ll be a valued member of a team that’s committed to supporting foster carers and improving outcomes for children.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, we encourage you to submit your application as early as possible.
About you
You’re a proactive and detail-oriented administrator who thrives in a busy, people-centred environment. You bring:
- A strong sense of initiative and the ability to work independently
- Excellent organisational skills and a keen eye for detail
- Confidence using Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint)
- Familiar with CHARMS the system used by the fostering service or a willingness to learn.
- Experience working in a customer-focused setting, with a commitment to confidentiality and data protection
- The ability to prioritise tasks and meet deadlines in a dynamic setting
- Flexibility on tasks as these can change at short notice.
If you’re looking for a role where your skills are valued and your work has real impact, we’d love to hear from you.
When applying please ensure your supporting statement covers how you fulfil the essential criteria set out in the person specification as this will be used for shortlisting. You will need to provide a full employment history including any gaps since leaving full time education
Our benefits
We are committed to continuous improvement, building a skilled, knowledgeable, and flexible workforce alongside promoting innovation and creativity whilst keeping children, young people and families at the heart of all we do.
We really value our workforce and offer you a great benefits package including:
- 28 days annual leave, plus 8 Bank Holidays (pro rata for part time) and an additional 5 days, after 5 years
- Local Government Pension Scheme plus immediate life cover (3 times your annual salary from day one) and ill-health pension protection.
- Opportunity to purchase up to 25 days annual leave
- 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.
- Employee discounts with local and national retailers, days out, finance, health and beauty, travel and eating out plus lots more.
- Flexible and family working arrangements including enhanced maternity benefits
- A permanent, supportive and inclusive management team where you will be empowered to make good professional decisions
- Extensive Learning & Development and career development opportunities
- Subsidised town centre car parking scheme
About us
At Northamptonshire Children’s Trust, children, young people and families are at the heart of all we do – in every decision we make and every action we take. Our mission is driven by the unwavering commitment to achieving the best outcomes for them. The Trust is wholly owned and funded but operationally independent from the Councils.
Our workforce are our most valuable asset and are pivotal to making the services and support we offer to children, young people and families who need us to be the absolute best we can be.
We value our colleagues and empower them to be able to do the best job of their lives every single day, working in a culture of support and kindness where achievements are celebrated and creativity is very much welcomed.
At NCT equality, diversity and inclusion are part of us and in everything we do, to enable all colleagues to develop and thrive in our organisation. We are a disability confident employer and have a commitment to care leavers who we guarantee an interview if they meet the essential criteria.
Join our dedicated team and be a part of an organisation where your work makes a real difference.