Business Systems Officer

Job introduction

Business Systems Officer – Schools ICT

Job introduction

We’re offering an exciting opportunity for someone skilled in managing business processes, data and communication/collaboration using digital tools/information systems to join our busy and successful Business Systems team based at Brighton & Hove City Council.  You may be working (or have previously worked) in a school or other learning organisation, but if not, you will have some understanding of school operations. 

Interview date: w/c 18 July 2022

For an informal discussion, please contact Zoe Buss, Business Systems Manager, zoe.buss@brighton-hove.gov.uk

About the role

Our Business Systems team comprises 6 colleagues who are part of an IT & Digital shared service working primarily across Brighton & Hove, East Sussex and Surrey, with additional traded customers across the South East. The Schools ICT team as a whole comprises around 55 colleagues from across the partnership. Our team’s hybrid working arrangements mean that you will be working flexibly from a range of different sites: home, BHCC office locations and occasionally, school sites and other locations in our geographical area.

The team supports MIS (Management Information Systems) and other complementary tools in schools. We undertake activities such as advising customers on completing day to day business processes, delivering training sessions, webinars and consultancies, testing and evaluating new system functionality, and developing briefing notes and guidance documents. Our service is a traded one, with our customers paying directly for the services they receive – so it’s especially important that all their contacts with us, whether through our Service Desk, Support Portal, follow-up calls and communications, training sessions, events or other channels, are dealt with professionally and positively.

You should have significant experience of using systems and digital tools relevant to schools, either as part of an IT team or directly in the school office or the classroom.

We would be especially interested to hear from you if you can offer three or more of the following:

• Expert knowledge of one or more of the four MIS systems that we are accredited to support.  These are: Arbor, Bromcom, ScholarPack and SIMS.
• Experience of using an MIS both in depth and broadly in a secondary school – particularly on the academic management side of things
• Experience of supporting customers’ or colleagues’ learning through delivering structured training (face to face or online) or informal development; and designing learning resources
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft M365 and Windows 10/11 and confidence with a range of devices such as Windows laptops, desktops and tablet devices;
• Knowledge of Google Workspace for Education;
• In depth knowledge of presentation, collaboration and learning technologies, equipment and media – eg MS Teams, Interactive teaching tools, meeting room and classroom technologies
• A good understanding of data management best practice and an appreciation of the information security and data protection considerations for schools.

In addition, you should be a great communicator who is energetic, self-motivated and reliable, and enjoys being the in-house superuser that people come to for help with being more productive using systems and digital tools. You must be a highly effective team worker who is also able to work well independently and take ownership of your own specialist work areas and small projects.

We are constantly striving to help schools to use their time and resources effectively and ultimately to improve their offer to children, young people, families and carers, so in this role you will be able to have an impact in local communities and lay the foundation for a fulfilling career.

You will have access to a wide support network in your role and there are many opportunities for personal development, both through formal training and informal knowledge and skills sharing.

Please read our Apply for a job at the council (brighton-hove.gov.uk) pages carefully. They give you all the guidance you need to complete your application as well as information on what will happen after you’ve submitted your application and at interview.

As part of your application, you will need to upload your CV and a supporting statement. Your supporting statement is the most important part of your application as it will be used in the shortlisting process to assess whether you meet the essential requirements for the role that are set out in the person specification and to decide whether you should be offered an interview. Before you start your application, please read our guidance here (CV guidance (brighton-hove.gov.uk) and Supporting statement guidance (brighton-hove.gov.uk) as this gives important advice which will increase your chance of success in the shortlisting process.

Additional information

Your starting salary will be pro rata if the above position is less than 37 hours or term-time only.

Work Permits: This role does not meet the requirement for UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) Points-based Immigration System. Successful candidates will need to evidence that they have the Right to Work in the UK.

Part office / part home – hybrid -  We are a workplace that supports flexibility and employee wellbeing in the way we work whilst providing the best service for our customers. Team and service working arrangements are designed to support both employee work life balance and team collaboration. These would be part of your individual working arrangements alongside any personal preference agreed with your manager in advance of joining.

For more information about our values and the benefits of working at the council, visit Why work for us (brighton-hove.gov.uk)

Company information

Please note that this post is subject to an Enhanced DBS (Disclosure & Barring) Check.

Encouraging a diverse workforce

Our city is known and loved for its diversity. Not only is the mixture of people, culture and skills vital to the economic and social development of the city, it's what makes Brighton & Hove such a great place to live, work and visit. We are committed to developing and retaining a workforce that is representative of the diverse communities we serve so we welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds. In order to achieve our aims of proportionate representation, we particularly encourage applicants from a BME or White Other background as well as those who identify as disabled, male or trans.

Find out more about our commitment to being a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone can achieve their potential by reading about our fair and inclusive actions, our anti-racism strategy and the work we are doing to encourage a diverse workforce (brighton-hove.gov.uk).