Business support officer jobs

Wilder Ecology, a subsidiary of Suffolk Wildlife Trust, is looking for a Business Support Officer to support the day-to-day administrative running of our consultancy. Wilder Ecology is a purpose-driven consultancy where every profit helps support the Trust’s vision of a wilder Suffolk, with nature thriving because people value it and take action to protect it.

This is an exciting opportunity for a well-organised and detail-focused professional to provide essential administrative, financial & operational support to the Wilder Ecology team. The successful candidate will help coordinate contracts, manage records & SharePoint file management, support enquiries, arrange equipment & servicing, assist with quotations and tender submissions and ensure important documentation is kept accurate and up to date. The role will involve working closely with the finance team to maintain contract records, monitor budgets, process expenses, support invoicing, purchase orders and help track financial performance across the consultancy.

Alongside strong administration & finance support, the post holder will contribute to the profitability & growth of the consultancy by helping analyse contract costs and financial performance, ensuring the team has the information needed to make effective decisions. This role would suit someone with excellent organisational skills, a strong eye for detail and confidence working across administration, finance and business support.

Wilder Ecology is the ecological consultancy of Suffolk Wildlife Trust. It provides specialist ecology services through a team of expert ecologists, with work focused on ecology, wildlife conservation & Biodiversity Net Gain. The consultancy delivers professional advice & survey services to high ecological & professional standards, working in accordance with CIEEM guidance and the Biodiversity Code of Practice for Planning and Development, and is also ISO-certified.

As part of Suffolk Wildlife Trust, Wilder Ecology combines commercial ecological consultancy with a strong conservation purpose. It is a member of The Wildlife Trust Consultancies network, which brings together consultancy teams affiliated with local Wildlife Trusts to share expertise, training & knowledge and to collaborate on larger projects. All profits generated by Wilder Ecology are passed back to Suffolk Wildlife Trust, helping to support the Trust’s wider work to protect & restore nature across Suffolk.

This is a permanent position working 20 hours per week (days and hours to be discussed at interview). The base of work will be Brooke House and the starting salary will be between £13,847.70 and 14,847.70 per annum (FTE £27,839.44) depending on skills, knowledge and experience.

To apply for this opportunity, please submit an application via our website by 9:00am on Tuesday 31 March 2026. The interviews are planned for Tuesday 14 & Thursday 16 April 2026 at Brooke House in Ashbocking.

Annual leave entitlement starts at 33 days per annum (including Bank Holidays), increasing annually to 38 days plus employees receive an extra day off for their birthday. We offer a 9% employer pension contribution with no employee contribution required, free 24-hour Employee Assistance Programme, free life insurance from day one of employment, free access to a private GP and discounts at high street retailers. Staff can also enjoy a 10% discount in our visitor centre cafes, including retail.

We are committed to being an inclusive organisation where everyone is welcome. As a conservation charity, we recognise the value of diversity both in nature and in our staff & volunteers. Suffolk Wildlife Trust is an organisation where everyone feels respected, valued & empowered to contribute, so that together we can deliver our vision, mission & strategic goals for a wilder Suffolk.

The Business Support Officer will play a key role in the smooth running of Community Leisure UK, with a specific focus on facilitating members’ meetings and managing queries from members. The postholder will ensure that our members’ Special Interest Group, and other thematic, meetings are organised and run efficiently, and that information is shared regularly with our membership via email. They will often be the first point of contact in relation to member queries and will be responsible for directing and responding to queries as appropriate. They will also be responsible for maintaining accurate contact details for the networks. An overview of our networks can be found on our website.

About Community Leisure UK  

Community Leisure UK is a national members’ association representing leisure and culture charitable trusts and social enterprises across the UK. We are a small team of 6, supporting c.100 members across the UK.   

Our Values

We embed our values through everything that we do, creating a common purpose and an organisational culture that we are proud of.  

• Integrity

We believe in a principled and ethical approach to our work, championing transparency in every aspect of our and our members’ work. 

• Fairness

Inclusivity and equity are at the heart of everything we do, regardless of the shape of size of members or partners.  

• Passion 

Our passion drives our work and our team, with a core belief in championing the Trust model and the value of public leisure and culture services. 

For further information on our work and areas of focus please visit our website.

What you'll get in return 

We are a remote based team, coming together for meetings and team days throughout the year. We are committed to flexible working, and to working with individuals to understand their optimum working patterns. In addition, we support ongoing CPD and training for all staff and work with Personal Development Plans to ensure we support progression and development.

Daily start of the day check ins, and weekly catch ups are arranged wherever possible with your manager and/or team, so that you feel fully supported in your work.

Please note that during your induction and probationary period, there will be a requirement to attend an office location in either Edinburgh or London on to do face to face training and induction.

Main Areas of Work and Requirements

The main areas of work and requirements of the Business Support Officer will involve:   

Administration 

• Prepare and circulate agendas and papers for Special Interest Group meetings in collaboration with the meeting Chairs and Community Leisure UK team 
• Record and track progress on agreed actions from meetings and support efficient follow-up 
• Support with the organisation for Regional Meetings in collaboration with Regional Directors 
• Organise online webinars, events and ad-hoc meetings as required in collaboration with the team 
• Ad-hoc admin support to the team as needed                                                          
• Support with the regular deletion of data in line with GDPR 
• Monthly mailout to collect submissions for the monthly ezine 
• Post members’ job advertisements onto the website 
• Support with minute taking at the three General Meetings per year 

Membership and Communications 

• Circulate network queries received from members 
• Respond to members enquiries in a timely and professional manner 
• Maintain and update content on the members’ area of the website  
• Keep contact details up to date on our database for our networks 
• Provide website logins for members when requested   

  Person specification  

To join us, you’ll need a keen interest in leisure, culture and the role of social enterprises and charities. We actively encourage applicants who are both working now and who are looking for work.   

 Prior experience  

• Experience of providing administrative and meeting support  

  Knowledge and understanding  

• Interest in the charity and social enterprise sectors   
• Knowledge and understanding of supporting committees  

Skills  

• Strong inter-personal skills supporting effective engagement and working with members, external stakeholders and venues  
• Ability to actively listen and to convey information clearly and concisely, including sharing information across the organisation and with members 
• High levels of accuracy and attention to detail
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to plan own workload, and take into account the workloads of others. 
• Completes work to a high standard and shares knowledge across the organisation  
• Respect other individuals; listens and takes into account different opinions, feelings and motivations; is trustworthy and acts with integrity; responds and acts constructively towards others  
• Take personal responsibility for the complete delivery of projects, tasks and outcomes 
• Is reliable and completes agreed work to timescale  
• Flexibility to adapt to changing priorities and handle unexpected situations 
• A willingness to learn and develop their professional and personal skills   
• Experience of using IT systems, including Microsoft products, and willingness to learn about other platforms including, but not limited to MailChimp and WordPress.