Business Support Assistant (Maternity Cover)

Applications are invited for Maternity Cover for a Business Support Assistant to join the Earlham Institute, based in Norwich, UK.

Background: The Business Support team provide the administrative support to the Research Faculty, Operations Division, and Technical Platform staff, students, and visitors to ensure the effective operation of the Institute. The role is varied and often the team are asked to support the work of the other teams for events or meetings as the need arises. The post holder will work closely in a team of Business Support Assistant, together with the Senior Business Support Administrator and the Operational and Laboratory Manager.

The role: The Maternity cover will work alongside the Business Support Team and will be responsible for supporting the day-to-day operation of the Institute. As a member of the Business Support Team, they will form part of the reception team providing a friendly and professional first point of contact for the institute. In addition to reception duties, they will have responsibilities for making travel arrangements both national and international, recording and maintaining records of staff holidays and sickness, including any adhoc tasks as required by the business to ensure services are delivered to a high standard and on time.

The ideal candidate: The candidate should have five GCSEs at grades 4 and above or equivalent including English and Mathematics. They should have recent experience of working in an office environment and experience working with IT systems. The successful candidate should also have good verbal and written communication skills and friendly customer focus to interact with Institute staff at all levels as well as NBI support services, external contractors, visitors, and members of the public.

Additional information:

Salary on appointment will be within the range £24,000 to £26,500 per annum depending on qualifications and experience.

This is a full-time maternity cover post expected to last for 12 months, this could be shorter or longer depending on when the absent employee returns to work.

Interviews will be held on week commencing 13th April 2026.

Please note, this post does not meet UKVI requirements to provide visa sponsorship.

For further information and details of how to apply, please visit our website by clicking the 'apply' button or contact the Human Resources team on 01603 450814 quoting reference 1006081. As a Disability Confident employer, we guarantee to offer an interview to all disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for this vacancy.