Business Support Specialist

bit.bio is an award-winning spinout from the University of Cambridge. Our breakthrough technology combines synthetic and stem cell biology for the precise, efficient and consistent reprogramming of human cells used in research, drug discovery, and cell therapy. At bit.bio, we are passionate about engineering human cells that will enable the medicine of the future. To do this we need talented and curious people who want to make an impact on the future of science and therapeutics. As a team of individuals, we value science, collaboration, openness, curiosity and creativity. We are united by trust and respect for each other. Location: Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge Type: Full time, permanent Start: Immediate Salary: Competitive / Hours: 40 p/w Office based position Your role in our team: Reporting to the Head of Operations & Compliance, the Business Support Specialist ensures the smooth running of the bit.bio administrative and office functions, providing strong, reliable, and hands-on support for daily operations. This role is essential in helping us achieve organisational efficiency and creating a positive, welcoming working environment for colleagues, visitors, and contractors. Your key responsibilities will include: Daily Office Operations & Administration • Provide daily front-of-house support, including answering the door and delivering a first-class visitor experience. • Maintain high standards of office and kitchen housekeeping, including emptying and loading dishwashers’ morning and evening, restocking sanitary products and air fresheners, and coordinating weekly office plant maintenance. • Ensure meeting rooms are fully prepped (layout, functioning IT equipment/iPads, pens, and whiteboard cleaners). • Manage printers, checking paper and toner levels, ordering supplies and recycling cartridges. • Process daily post, distributing invoices/cheques to Accounts, national statistics to Finance, shredding bank statements, and managing outgoing mail. • Manage shared company mailboxes daily, triage and distribute inquiries to the relevant departments. • Update and manage TV slides and screens in communal cafe areas. • Developing and implementing office administration processes, systems, and policies. • Promoting and championing good office working practices and culture. • Scheduling meetings and updating the contacts database and employee lists. • Recording office-related data and creating KPI reports. • Supporting, as required, the wider Operations function. • Participate with emergency on call rota for out of hours response. • Liaise with Babraham Campus / Facilities, visitor security bookings, and other ad-hoc requests/tasks (e.g., lost passes, ANPR, other facilities issues). Visitor Management & Security • Maintain the visitor sign-in kiosk (Zoom Workspaces). • Assign, log, and securely store visitor badges. • Arrange visitor travel as required. • Chaperone visitors or contractors as required. Procurement, Travel & Expenses • Order and manage office supplies, stationery, and refreshments. • Manage Navan (the company travel portal), handling commercial and business travel bookings, travel requests, and assisting Finance with Navan expense tracking. Health & Safety • Under the guidance of Building Operations and H&S, act as a Lead Fire Warden and First Aid, ensuring procedures meet minimum compliance requirements. • Support with the weekly fire alarm tests. Systems, Culture & Employee Support • Manage desk bookings and workspace reporting, logging daily office attendance via Zoom Workspace. • Work closely with IT and HR teams to manage onboarding and offboarding, ensuring all new employees and contractors receive comprehensive office inductions. • Draft and send company-wide announcements via HubSpot. • Administer the Dot Compliance training portal. • Organise work events, and international activities (e.g. annual Christmas events) and staff gifts. You… • Have a welcoming attitude and helpful demeanour. • Have strong IT skills and technical ability. • Are an excellent administrator competent with MS Office, Google workspace, Macbooks and calendar management. • Have strong organisational, time management and prioritisation skills to manage conflicting priorities in order to manage workflow, to ensure the completion of essential projects, and meet critical deadlines. • Are an outstanding communicator at all levels within an organisation. • Can be flexible in accommodating ad hoc business support requests that may fall outside of normal working hours i.e. weekends. With essential experience in… • Proven experience in office and/or facilitates administration, finance administration, HR coordination, or a similar business support role. • Experience handling confidential and sensitive information with discretion. • Experience managing office procurement, purchase orders, and daily supply levels. • Experience coordinating employee onboarding, offboarding, and office inductions. • Experience organising meetings, social events, and company-wide activities. • Good understanding of office health & safety requirements (Fire Warden/First Aid) and workplace best practices. • Strong administrative skills with excellent attention to detail, accuracy, and the ability to manage competing daily priorities. • Confident managing visitor management systems (e.g., Zoom Workspaces), shared mailboxes, and communications platforms (e.g., HubSpot). • Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office/Google Workspace and confidence in learning new systems quickly. • Ability to manage business travel arrangements, bookings, and expenses (e.g., using Navan). • Strong written and verbal communication skills. • Ability to work with 3rd party vendors ensuring optimum service and cost efficiency. …and possibly… • Experience working in a life science, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, technology, or other regulated environment. • Previous experience working on a science/technology campus (such as Babraham Campus). • Experience using NetSuite or another ERP/procurement system. • Experience administering a compliance or employee training platform, such as Dot Compliance. • Knowledge of relevant UK workplace health & safety, fire safety, and employment-related requirements. • Experience working with gas cylinders and LN2 dewars. More reasons to join us: bit.bio provides a vibrant and dynamic work environment in an exciting, fast-moving time for biology. We work with cutting edge technologies and with our world-leading scientific advisory board. We conduct pioneering work with real-world impact. We trust our people to make significant contributions early on with opportunities to be involved in projects that are key to the success and growth of our young company. We invest in people, creating opportunities for personal development in an inclusive multi-skilled team with ambitious goals that provide opportunities to learn on the job from each other. Creativity and open minds are encouraged for everyone to contribute to the success of the company. For information on how we will manage your data please see our Candidate Privacy Notice