INTERNAL ONLY VACANCY. This post is open to existing Leeds City Council employees only. Applications will not be considered from external candidates.

Job title: Senior Administrator

Salary: C3 £32,061 - £33,699

Hours: 37 hours (all year round)

Contract: Permanent

Location: To be confirmed

Are you interested in a career in admin supporting Little Owls nurseries and Children Centres? Our Early Help Service is a great place to progress in your admin career, we support staff to learn and progress by offering regular training.

We are committed to the ambition of Child Friendly Leeds. We want Leeds to be a city where all children are safe, happy and healthy, do well at school, fulfil their potential and grow up to be active citizens with voice and influence.

Leeds City Council is one of the largest employers in the region with over 14,000 employees. We seek to recruit and develop talented individuals who embody our council values and ambitions.

About the role

As a Senior Administrator you will be based at a Little Owls nursery or Children’s Centre site managing and providing a high-quality administrative service for the Early Start & Children’s Centres service. You will support senior managers and staff teams offering first class customer care to service users. It is rewarding work, as well as energetic and at times challenging. It also involves a high level of financial procedural work and administration associated with recruitment processes.

You will:

Be responsible for planning, developing and monitoring of support services and the management of the administrative team.
provide a high level of admin support to managers and teams, including diary management, telephone answering, typing/data input and/or preparation of reports, minute taking and a variety of documentation.
Organise and supervise administrative systems within the service. Contribute to the planning, development and monitoring of support services and the supervision of administrative staff.
Operate relevant ICT packages eg word, excel, publisher, databases, spreadsheets, internet, outlook.
Use the financial accounting systems, procedures and organisation in order to process and monitor a range of financial procedures.
Provide excellent customer service to customers, colleagues and visitors.

About you:

We are looking for enthusiastic, adaptable candidates with personal qualities to support a very busy service. You must have:

Excellent communication, listening and organisational skills.
Good IT skills with knowledge of using databases and Microsoft packages.
Understanding of LCC financial processes and how systems link together to process orders from start to finish.
Multi-tasking skills to meet conflicting and sometimes short deadlines.
Knowledge of general office procedures and practice

We expect the following experience and qualifications:

Good standard of literacy and numeracy
NVQ Level 3 in Business Administration or equivalent would be desirable.
Good computer literacy
Experience of managing a team
Ability to work in different environments
Knowledge of LCC financial processes and systems.

What we offer you

We take pride in offering the best employee experience, with benefits including:

a competitive salary and annual leave entitlement plus statutory holidays
membership of the West Yorkshire Pension Fund with generous employer contributions
a clear career pathway and continuing professional development opportunities
a range of staff benefits to help you boost your wellbeing and make your money go further

How to apply

Apply for this job online.

Read our guidancefor further advice. Please check your information carefully and ensure you complete all sections before submitting your application.

If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the role please contact:

Amanda Ashe, Children’s Centre & Early Start Service Lead – Tel: 0113 3784500 Email: amanda.ashe@leeds.gov.uk

Applications received are assessed for shortlisting every two weeks. We hold interview panels regularly to fill ongoing vacancies.

Please be aware that successful applicants will be employed by LCC and not a particular centre and could be asked to work at any of the city wide Little Owls Nurseries or Children Centres.

A Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check against the Children’s or Adults’ barred list as applicable will be carried out on preferred candidates. Read our recruitment of ex-offenders policy.

We welcome applications from everyone and actively seek a diverse range of applicants from all backgrounds and cultures. We particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to, women, carers, veterans as well as LGBT+, ethnically diverse, disabled and care experienced people.

This role is based in the UK. Home Office guidance states that candidates must evidence their right to work in the UK prior to commencing employment, either as a UK or Irish citizen, under the EU Settlement scheme or having secured any other relevant work visa.

If you do not have the right to work in the UK, you must consider your own eligibility for sponsorship for a particular role through the Skilled Worker visaroute before applying. To be eligible for sponsorship you'll usually need to be paid the standard salary rate of at least £41,700 per year or meet one of the other eligibility criteria. Ensure you are eligible before applying.

Job Description

Special Conditions this post is subject to a higher level check with the Disclosure & Barring Service. Please note that a criminal record will not necessarily be a bar to obtaining employment; this will depend on the circumstances and background to any offence.

Job Purpose: Manage and develop an effective administrative system for the Early Start & Children’s Centres service. The planning, development and monitoring of support services and the management of the administrative team.

Responsibilities:

Take a lead role in the planning, development, design, organisation and monitoring of support systems/procedures/policies
Undertake appraisals/performance management review meetings with the administration team.
Assist with the procurement of services and securing sponsorship/funding for the service
Manage service contracts ensuring agreed timescales and standards are met
Take a lead role in the marketing and promoting the service. The review of and development of marketing and promotions documents
Develop good working relationships with outside agencies and stakeholders
Manage financial administration procedures, contributing to the setting of budgets and take a lead role in monitoring the relevant budget and ensuring effective spending of the budgeted sums
Liaise between managers and administration staff to ensure the effective delivery of the administrative function
Hold regular team meetings with administration team
Attend management meetings and minute as appropriate.
Deal with confidential and sensitive information some of which may be distressing.
Take lead role in the development and maintenance of recording and information systems
Present a positive personal image, contributing to a welcoming environment
Provide an excellent customer service to colleagues, customers and visitors
Provide detailed analysis and evaluation of data and produce detailed reports and information for senior managers.
Produce and respond to complex correspondence
Provide organisational and complex advisory and personal support to other staff
Manage complex administrative procedures
Be responsible for completion and submission of complex forms, returns etc., including those to outside agencies
Manage the administration of the services payroll, liaising with HR Advisory and BSC teams.
Ensure that policies and procedures relating to managing staff are undertaken E.G. managing attendance, performance management and grievances and disciplinary procedures
Be responsible for the selection and management of resources, including management of a budget and regular audit of resources
Take a lead role in the recruitment of Administrative staff and managing associated employment procedures.
Undertake the induction and training of administration staff, provide advice and guidance to staff and others on complex issues
Undertake research and obtain information to inform decisions
Attend all appropriate meetings as required by the senior officer
Work collaboratively with colleagues, knowing when to seek help and advice.

The duties outlined are not meant as an exhaustive list and will also comprise any other duties within the spirit of the post commensurate with the job evaluation outcome for this post.

Qualifications: NVQ Level 3 or equivalent relevant experience is essential

Essential Requirements: It is essential that you should be able to demonstrate the following criteria. You will only be shortlisted if you can demonstrate you meet all the essential requirements.

Able to communicate effectively with a wide range of people including sensitive and complex information
Able to establish and maintain accurate records using both manual and electronic systems
Able to accurately enter/retrieve data information from information systems
Able to contribute to the improvement of the service including processes and procedures
Able to prioritise own and team’s work to meet conflicting deadlines
Able to produce and present reports and data
Knowledge of general office procedures and practice
Knowledge of relevant financial regulations to carry out financial transactions
General understanding of HR procedures such as absence management, grievances and disciplinary procedures etc.
Experience of dealing with more complex and sensitive queries from a wide range of people
Experience of working in partnership with others to deliver work to set deadlines
Experience of managing and developing a team
Experience of providing customer focussed services
Experience of participating in teams and using own initiative
Experience of the use of the Microsoft packages
Experience of extracting and analysing data from information databases

Essential Behavioural & other Characteristics

Understand and embrace Leeds City Council Values and Behaviours and codes of conduct
Committed to continuous improvement in all areas and work towards delivering the Best City Ambition of Health & Wellbeing, Inclusive Growth and Zero Carbon
Able to understand and observe Leeds City Council policies and procedures.
Carry out all duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health and Safety Policies.
Willingness to actively participate in training and development activities
Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade.
Participate in appraisal, training, and development activities.
Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding the equality & diversity of Leeds City Council.
Recognise and appropriately challenge any incidents of racism, bullying, harassment, victimisation, and any form of abuse, reporting any concerns to the appropriate person
The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol and the role will be expected to work within these parameters.

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