Business Support Assistant

British Ecological Society

Hours
35 hours per week

Length of contract
31st March 2028

About the Organisation

British Ecological Society (BES) was the first ecology society to be established anywhere in the world. We are now one of the biggest scientific societies for ecologists, with a membership of over 7,000 across 125 countries. We foster the study of ecology and support the ecology community at all stages of their careers through our journals, meetings, grants, and education and policy work. Our vision is for nature and people to thrive in a world inspired by ecology.

About the role

We’re looking for an organised and proactive individual to join our team as a Business Support Assistant. This is a varied and dynamic role. As part of our People & Operations team, you'll be providing essential administrative support to the small, passionate organisation, acting as the first point of contact for queries and guests, supporting our Leadership Team and Board of Trustees, and helping to ensure our office is a welcoming space.

Responsibilities

Business Support:

• Be the first point of contact for Society general enquiries
• Administer the hello@ BES email
• Act as first point of contact for all BES visitors
• Answer all calls to the BES main line, answer queries and forward calls where necessary
• Oversee deliveries, post and couriers to the BES offices
• Prepare meeting rooms for BES meetings and on-site events
• Maintain the BES Trainline, Premier Inn, Travelodge, and PayPal accounts
• Support in administration for Society projects
• Provide administrative support to the CEO and Senior Leadership Team, including travel and diary management, note-taking, and other duties as required
• Take minutes for the Board of Trustees and other key meetings
• Support in organizing committee and Board activities
• Provide on-site support during the annual meeting

Business Operations and Office Administration:

• Support the Business Operations Officer in ensuring that operational contractors deliver necessary services (facilities, cleaning, security, IT)
• Support the Business Operations Officer in ensuring the office is a positive and suitable place to work
• Be an office keyholder

Finance:

• Support BES staff with finance queries
• Attend and take Minutes for Finance Committee meetings
• Work with the Society’s external accountant, administering day-to-day financial processes including collating invoice requests and any follow-up queries raised by the accountants
• Administer fortnightly payment batches and organize a batch approval timetable
• Assist with audit queries in the lead-up to, during, and following the annual accounts audit work based in the Society office
• Administer the accounts@ BES email and answer general queries relating to invoices
• Follow up with suppliers on unpaid invoices (debtors) and VAT invoices (creditors)
• File and archive all financial records as appropriate
• Record all income received and pay in cheques
• Manage Petty Cash
• Seek to improve financial processes and services

Wellbeing:

• Research and deliver the staff well-being and social events, collaboratively with the Senior People Officer
• Track the wellbeing budget and keep a concise record of all outgoings

Team Support:

• Look to where the People & Operations team may further develop and improve its processes and support for the staff team and Society, either to improve their own capabilities or those of other staff
• Be available to support and cover other roles in the People & Operations team during short periods of absence and leave
• In exceptional cases and where reasonably possible, provide out-of-hours support to the Society when critical operations issues arise

Skills, Competencies, Experience & Attributes

Essential :

• Experience in an administrative role.
• Excellent organisational and communication skills.
• Proficient in using Microsoft Office software.
• Problem-solving skills and ability to work independently.

Desirable:   

• Experience in working in an office.
• Some experience supporting events.
• Some experience in finance administration. 
• Interest in the environment and ecology.

Compensation & Benefits

• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 each year to a maximum of 30 days, plus additional leave between Christmas and New Year's.
• BES also offers a generous paid sick leave policy.
• Contributes the equivalent of 8% of your annual salary into a sustainable pension fund.
• The Society runs monthly well-being activities, including social trips, creative courses and sustainable gifts.
• We endeavour to make our new custom-designed office a relaxed environment, with a casual dress code, free coffee, fresh fruit, pastries and toast, and regular social activities.

Conditions of employment

• Applicants must have the right to live and work in the UK. Successful applicants will need to provide evidence that they have the right to live and work in the UK. The BES is unable to provide visa sponsorship.

Working locations

• Hybrid model, working in the London office and remotely

How to apply

• For more information and to apply, please apply on our website and complete the application page.
• To apply for this vacancy, please submit:
  • Your CV - no more than 2x A4 pages detailing your education, training and work history, as well as any relevant key skills
  • Your answers to the outlined application questions
• We recognise that AI tools can support candidates in refining their job applications, particularly in improving clarity and language. If you choose to use AI to assist with your application, please remember that you are responsible for the content and quality of your application.
• AI may be used to improve - but must not replace - your own voice and experience. Applications must reflect your own understanding, experience and suitability for the role. We encourage all applicants to review their submission carefully before sending.

Interviews

• The interview is Thursday 29th October 2026

Policies

We recognise the value in having a diverse workforce, as well as the importance of creating equal opportunities for all. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds. We select candidates based on how well they meet the criteria for the role and are committed to ensuring that applicants are treated fairly throughout the recruitment process.

As part of your application, we ask you to provide equality and diversity information. This is entirely voluntary and is only used to help us to assess the diversity of our recruitment and further improve recruitment processes in future. It has no bearing on the success of your application and is not considered as part of the shortlisting process.

Return to listing