ACL Business Operations Assistant

ACL Business Operations Assistant

Permanent, Part Time

£25,959 per annum (full time equivalent)

Location: Chelmsford

Working Style:  Fixed-base worker

Closing Date: 12th August 2026

Please note that visa sponsorship is not available for this role. Applicants must have a current, unrestricted right to work in the UK.

This is a part time opportunity working 29 hours per week with a pro rata salary of £20,346 per annum.

Adult Community Learning (ACL) is ECC’s provider of lifelong learning experiences for Essex residents. 

ACL offers qualifications to help people move nearer to, enter, or progress within the workplace or gain skills to enhance life chances. The service focuses many of its programmes and activities on the hardest to reach communities within Essex. ACL learners have access to a diverse range of accredited and non-accredited courses which encourage creativity, healthy lifestyles, social inclusion, and engagement. 

The Business Operations Assistant will carry out effective front-line duties by providing high quality customer service at our receptions and carrying out general duties around the centre to maintain the learner experience whilst in centre. 

Working Pattern:

• Monday 08:30 – 16:00 (half hour break)
• Tuesday 08:30 – 16:00 (half hour break)
• Wednesday 11:30 – 19:30 (half hour break)
• Thursday – either 08:30 – 16:00 or 11:30 – 19:30 (half hour break)

Accountabilities

• Deliver high quality “first point of contact” customer services to positively promote ACL, by efficiently handling customer enquiries and providing information, advice, and guidance (IAG).
• Provide service and support to a wide variety of customers such as those with English as a second language, mental health needs, disabilities, and additional needs.
• Ensuring the customer learning experience is positive by providing best possible customer services, working collaboratively with other ACL staff, and putting the learner at the heart of all we do. This will include activities such as assessment booking, face to face enrolments (full cost / non assessed subjects) and obtaining customer feedback. 
• Contribute to the security of and access to the site, this will include activities such as:
• occasionally locking and unlocking buildings and acting as key holder responding to calls outside normal working hours, setting, checking, and turning off alarms.
• Issuing learner / visitor badges, stopping unauthorised access, safeguarding those in the centre, supporting the open / closing of centres as back up to premises and ensuring fire and Health and Safety requirements are fully met – PEEPS etc. 
• Support the Business Operation leads in the day to day running of an ACL Centre by ensuring the needs of specific groups are met, utilisation is maximised, and the environment meets expectations.
• Where required (centre specific), ensure premises functions are fulfilled. Including: setting up rooms for private hire, joint responsibility with Premises Assistants for preparing refreshments for meetings and private hire and ensuring health and safety requirements in centres.
• Providing administration support to teams within ACL in a timely fashion to support the smooth running of the service. Contribute to the management of stock, ordering and delivery of goods and services required by the Business Operations team. Including: Banking / Petty Cash, contacting learners to remind them of upcoming assessments / events and supporting the skill hubs.

The Experience You Will Bring

Essential: 

• Educated to level 2 (GCSE) or equivalent by experience.
• Proven customer service skills.
• Good communication skills and confident with face to face, phone, email, and remote interactions.
• Experience from customer facing roles.

Desirable: 

• Able to work in a team and work under pressure.
• Requirement to travel between centres as and when needed - driving license desirable.
• Good working knowledge of IT and in particular Microsoft packages including Word, Excel, Teams, and Outlook

To read more about our business area, please visit: Policy, Economy, Investment and Property

Why Essex?

As one of the largest and most dynamic UK local authorities, Essex offers a stimulating public service environment. Covering over 1,420 square miles and serving 1.8 million residents, we’re committed to transformational change and delivering better quality at lower cost. Recognised in the top three of the latest IMPOWER index for productivity, we ensure everyone matters in Everyone's Essex . With flexible working options and a focus on innovation, whether you are looking to develop your career or contribute to the local community, Essex is the ideal place for you.

In March 2026, the Government announced that councils in Greater Essex will be reorganised into five new unitary authorities from April 2028. In addition to this, Greater Essex has been accepted on to the devolution priority programme, where we will work towards establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority. You can read more about these changes, and what this may mean for this role, on our careers site .

Essex County Council is proud to be a Disability Confident Leader. We’re committed to interview all disabled applicants who choose to apply under our Job Interview Scheme if they meet the minimum requirements of the job. Please speak to our Recruiters if you require any reasonable adjustments during the process. We’re also committed to interview all veterans and care leavers, who meet the minimum requirements of the role for which they are applying.

Once you’ve secured your role within Essex County Council you will receive many great employee benefits, including support for unpaid carers and flexible working arrangements to accommodate their needs.

At Essex County Council, we value integrity and ethical behaviour. We kindly ask that you embrace our code of conduct and the Nolan principles , including throughout the recruitment process. Your commitment to these standards helps us maintain a positive and respectful workplace for everyone.

As part of employment with Essex County Council (ECC) should your role require a DBS check you will be required to register with the DBS update service. The DBS update service ensures all registered DBS certificates are kept up to date and allows authorised parties to view the status of your certificate. This is an annual subscription, and you will be responsible for ensuring this is maintained. For further information on the DBS update service please go to 

Essex County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, and expects all employees and volunteers to share this commitment.

If you would like to be kept up to date on other relevant opportunities, blogs, news, events and industry related news at Essex County Council, please join The Essex Talent Community

If you have queries on this role or require anything further, please email  View email address on workingforessex.com

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