Administrator

Our client is based at Lavant House within the South Downs National Park, on the edge of the Goodwood Estate and North Chichester.  Built in the early 1700’s, and later owned by the 3rd Duke of Richmond, Lavant House is a period blend of Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian architecture and until recently, operated as a girls boarding school.  It is now being operated by a new charity, and helping young people (18+) prepare for successful careers in the 21st century.

Our client is a youth-friendly enterprise, committed to developing and training young people as they transition into adulthood and meaningful employment.  Our client will do this by providing an innovative and integrated program based around their needs for:

• Affordable accommodation
• Education and mentoring where needed in areas such as Maths, English and other scientific/engineering subject areas.
• Skills for life courses such as Food Hygiene, Budgeting and first aid.
• Rural skills: animal husbandry, grounds works, gardening
• Healthy and enjoyable sports opportunities: Tennis, Football, Cricket, Swimming, Sailing etc
• Realistic and integrated work experience and apprenticeships

They will also offer more specific training in areas of crafts, craftsmanship and scientific research according to needs over time.  They also provide ‘incubator space’ for high-tech startups and other businesses who are willing to provide work experience and opportunities for the young people onsite.  Their objective is that each young person leaves (after two years living/studying/working with them) confident, experienced and well prepared for the challenges of a happy and successful career in a field of their choosing.

One of the first set of opportunities for the young people is to work with them on the refurbishment and building works at Lavant House - for which they are naturally paid, but require on the job support, training and supervision. There is a minimum of five years of work ahead of them, and they welcome this - the work provides excellent ‘hands on’ opportunities for those young people interested in a career in business and construction-based skills and qualifications where desired.

The Administrator Role – What you’ll be doing

• Reception: answering/transferring incoming calls, greeting visitors & distributing post/deliveries
• Computer records: organising and updating through filtering, filing & labelling (inc spreadsheets)
• Researching: searching online to source effective solutions (inc those outside your knowledge base)
• Contractors: liaising with various trades, acquiring quotes and monitoring works and staffing
• Ordering: monitoring supplies of materials, stationery, snacks etc. and replenishing economically
• Accounts: creating & following-up invoices, reconciliation, taking card payments, printing payslips
• Meetings/Socials: arranging meetings/events/site visits (inc meals and/or minutes when required)
• Car parks: monitoring the CCTV daily, updating and issuing of permits and fines
• Routine: checking noticeboards, First Aid boxes etc… and a myriad of other items as needed
• Inductions: well-organised and informed welcome for contractors and Staff

You should apply if you have…

• Considerable experience, outstanding organisational skills and the confidence to use a range of IT
• An excellent command of English for letter and email writing (touch typing an advantage)
• A can-do attitude even when faced with tasks for which you have no previous experience
• The ability to multi-task, prioritise, adapt and delegate
• An excellent interpersonal manner under all circumstances, whether on the telephone or face-to-face
• Your own transport due to being based on multiple sites (car mileage paid @ 45p/m)
• Flexibility, discretion, loyalty, patience and a good sense of humour!
• Any experience of site maintenance, building works, health and safety regulation (COSH, CDM2015)

The Ideal Candidate:

You're hard-working, efficient, calm... and you are not sure if being called a “pedant” is a criticism. Indeed, you are highly organised but aware that not everybody can live up to your standards. Whilst you are intelligent and enjoy relating to a diverse range of people in new situations, you are happy to get stuck into a variety of random activities as the need arises and always keep on top of your areas of responsibility.

The perks

• An annual salary of £17,000 - £21,000 (depending on ability) for the equivalent of a 40-hour week
• 28 days paid holiday (including Bank Holidays) rising by a day each year to 31 days after 3 years’ service
• A generous bonus scheme to reward your contribution to the success of the organisation, paid at Christmas
• 4% contributions towards the NEST pension scheme
• Membership of a Health and Wellbeing support scheme
• Childcare Vouchers and membership of a Ride2Work scheme (discounted bicycles)
• A healthy social calendar
• Learning and development opportunities, both internally and externally

Next step

Applications should consist of your CV and a one page covering letter explaining how you fulfil the role above, and any other ‘value add’ you’d like to highlight.

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