Business Support Officer
Job description
Original text imported from Reed
Business Support Officer
Location: Edinburgh
Salary: £33,000 per annum (pro rata)
Hours: Full-time, 35 hours per week (Monday to Friday)
Contract: Fixed-term until 31 July 2026
Start Date: Immediate
Reed is recruiting on behalf of a well-established innovation and commercial organisation associated with a leading academic institution in Edinburgh. Our client is seeking a highly organised and proactive Business Support Officer to provide high-quality administrative and operational support within a fast-paced professional environment.
The Role
This is a varied and hands-on role supporting several internal teams. You will be central to the smooth running of daily operations, assisting with coordination, administration, and project support across the organisation.
Key Responsibilities
- Provide comprehensive administrative support across multiple departments
- Coordinate meetings, travel, accommodation, events and catering
- Raise purchase orders and support onboarding and induction processes
- Assist with funding applications and related project administration
- Support due diligence checks and assist with contract administration
- Act as first point of contact for CRM/database updates and queries
- Maintain guidance documents, reports and dashboards
- Manage agendas, record actions and track follow-ups from meetings
- Effectively prioritise workload to meet deadlines
The Ideal Candidate
You will be an experienced administrator with excellent attention to detail and a proactive, customer-focused approach.
Essential:
- At least 2 years’ experience in an administrative or business support role
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Confident using Microsoft Office and internal systems/databases
- Good numerical skills and strong organisational ability
- Able to manage competing priorities in a busy environment
Desirable:
- Experience supporting finance or operational processes
- Experience using Salesforce or a similar CRM system
If you have the necessary experience and think the role is for you, please apply now or contact Robbie Telfer @ Reed Edinburgh Office
Key skills
AI-extracted from the job advert
Application advice
5 AI-generated recommendations to maximise your chances.
⭐ Highlight your Microsoft Office proficiency and CRM experience at the top of your CV as these are specifically mentioned as essential requirements
📊 Quantify your administrative achievements: "Coordinated 15+ meetings weekly, managed travel for 25 staff members"
🌐 Emphasise any Salesforce or similar CRM experience as this is listed as desirable and will set you apart
🎯 Showcase your multi-departmental support experience as this role requires supporting several internal teams
🤝 Demonstrate your ability to manage competing priorities with specific examples of deadline management in busy environments
Suggested CV bullets
3 bullets our AI drafted for this specific advert, mirroring its ATS keywords.
Add these 3 bullets under your most recent experience:
- •Coordinated 25+ weekly meetings across 4 departments, managing travel arrangements and catering for 150+ attendees annually
- •Processed 200+ purchase orders monthly using Microsoft Office systems, maintaining 99% accuracy rate for financial approvals
- •Maintained Salesforce CRM database for 500+ contacts, updating records and generating monthly reports for senior management
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Letter preview — tailored to Reed
Dear Hiring Manager,
Reed's Business Support Officer role at your Edinburgh innovation organisation immediately caught my attention, particularly the opportunity to support multiple departments while managing CRM systems and coordinating complex administrative processes across funding applications and contract administration.
My background in administrative support has equipped me with the Microsoft Office proficiency and database management skills essential for this varied role. I am particularly drawn to the challenge of supporting an organisation linked to academic excellence while managing the operational demands of a commercial environment.
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Interview questions
10 questions generated from this advert.
Technical
- ›How would you approach setting up a new CRM database for tracking client interactions?
- ›Walk me through your process for creating purchase orders and ensuring approval workflows
- ›How do you maintain accuracy when updating multiple databases simultaneously?
- ›Describe your experience with Microsoft Office applications for report creation
- ›How would you handle data migration between different systems?
Behavioural
- ›Tell me about a time you had to manage multiple urgent priorities simultaneously
- ›Describe a situation where you improved an administrative process
- ›How do you handle difficult stakeholders when coordinating meetings or events?
- ›Give an example of when you had to learn a new system quickly
- ›Tell me about a time you identified and resolved an operational issue proactively
STAR answer examples
Model answers using the Situation-Task-Action-Result framework. Adapt to your own experience.
Tell me about a time you had to manage multiple urgent priorities simultaneously
Describe a situation where you improved an administrative process