Senior Business Support Officer

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Permanent, part time – 17 hours per week. We are seeking a reliable and well‑organised Senior Business Support Officer to provide essential administrative and financial support to the team at Bristol Harbour. This role focuses on managing routine business processes, maintaining accurate records, and ensuring that day‑to‑day operations run smoothly within a busy marine environment.

• Carry out a wide range of administrative tasks, taking responsibility for completing processes from start to finish.
• Manage invoicing, purchase orders, and other financial transactions, ensuring accuracy and timely reconciliation.
• Handle face‑to‑face enquiries from harbour users and provide clear, straightforward information about the City Docks Competent Harbour Area.
• Maintain compliance with local and national procedures, ensuring documentation and records are kept up to date.
• Support the Harbour Master and Office Manager with planning and allocating resources to keep business support functions running efficiently.
• Respond to internal and external enquiries, including issues that require escalation, and ensure they are resolved appropriately.
• Provide data and information to colleagues on business support matters.
• Monitor adherence to relevant guidance and legislation to support consistent service delivery.

• Effective and reliable organisational skills with the ability to manage several tasks and deadlines at once.
• Clear and confident communication skills for dealing with enquiries and providing accurate information.
• Experience in administration or business support, ideally in an operational or regulated setting.
• Able to work independently, use initiative, and make practical decisions when needed.
• Experience with working with financial processes, data entry, and record‑keeping systems.

This is an exciting opportunity to play a vital role in the smooth running of Bristol Harbour operations. You'll work in a unique setting, supporting a team dedicated to maintaining safety, compliance, and efficiency in one of the city's most iconic locations.

At Bristol City Council we go that extra mile for our people; we offer a work environment which is fast‑moving and supportive, giving you the chance to use your skills and develop new ones within a high‑profile organisation. For the majority of our roles hybrid working arrangements are available, giving teams the opportunity to work in a way that suits them, balancing service need and individual choice – mixing both home and office working.

Join us and you'll receive an excellent rewards package including flexible working and flexitime, membership of the Local Government Pension scheme, and a generous annual leave allowance. In addition, you'll be working in a supportive environment where you'll have the chance to make Bristol a better place and contribute to its future.

If you share our values and are ready to be part of our exciting journey please select the apply button below.

To be shortlisted for interview you'll need to demonstrate how you meet each of the essential criteria in the Person Specification within the Further Information section of your application. On occasion we will receive high numbers of applications, we may then shortlist against the desirable criteria along with the essential criteria, so if you can, please demonstrate how you meet this in your application.

It is Bristol City Council's practice to request references for candidates that have been offered a job. However, if you are applying for a job that requires a Disclosure and Barring Service check then we will request your references once you have been invited to an interview.

We’re a Disability Confident employer which means we value recruiting and retaining disabled people. Any job applicants who consider themselves to be disabled and meet the essential criteria in the Person Specification are guaranteed an interview. We’ll make reasonable adjustments throughout the interview process and provide continued workplace support throughout your career.

For further information, please refer to the Job Description and Person Specification or alternatively, please contact Maria Pearce

Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and we reserve the right to close this vacancy early. We therefore encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

At Bristol City Council, we value having a workforce as diverse as the city we serve. We therefore welcome, develop and promote people from all sections of the community. Appointments will be made on merit.

The personal information section (including your name) you'll complete as part of the application form will not be visible to hiring managers, but is used confidentially to make sure that everyone is treated fairly.