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

Job title: Administrative Assistant Residential

Salary: B3 £26,403 - £28,142

Hours: 37 per week

Contract: Permanent

Location: Service Wide

As a Administrative Assistant you’ll thrive on maintaining efficient systems, supporting team success, and ensuring smooth day-to-day operations that contribute to the wider organisational goals.

It’s not about completing routine admin tasks, it’s about being a key part of the team that keeps everything running smoothly and efficiently.

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 you

As a Administrative Assistant, you will bring to the role:

Be able to prioritise work to meet conflicting deadlines and manage multiple priorities
Be able to communicate appropriately and effectively with a wide range of people through a variety of different methods
Be able to use initiative to develop solutions to day-to-day issues and problems

About the role

As our next Administrative Assistant, you’ll play a vital role in keeping our services running smoothly, supporting colleagues across the team, and ensuring everything behind the scenes works efficiently. In doing so, you’ll help deliver services that make a real difference to people across the city, contributing to better outcomes for our young people and the teams who support them.

The Administrative Assistant role is integral to our team supporting services for children, young people and families, ensuring effective communication, coordination and administration that enables frontline staff to deliver high-quality support.

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
flexible and hybrid working arrangements subject to service requirements
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

Please complete the online application form.

Read our guidancefor further advice on completing your application.

If you have any queries or would like an informal chat about the role, please contact Debbie Reynolds Debbie.reynolds@leeds.gov.uk

ADisclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check against the Children’s and 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. Please ensure you are eligible before applying.

Job description

Job purpose: Provide high‑quality administrative and organisational support to Children’s Residential Homes across Leeds. ensuring effective record‑keeping compliance with statutory requirements, smooth day‑to‑day rations, and timely support to management and care staff.

Responsibilities

Supervise staff, including regularly instructing, checking work, and advising and/or training staff as required.
Maintain accurate electronic and paper records in line with Ofsted, Leeds City Council, and Children’s Homes Regulations, ensuring all administrative processes support the safety and wellbeing of children and young people.
Support the management of children’s case files, incident logs, health records, and key documents.
Ensure timely completion and circulation of meeting minutes, including team meetings, handovers, and professionals’ meetings.
Provide day‑to‑day technical support for the residential homes’ electronic recording system, ClearCare, ensuring staff can effectively access and use the system.
Set up new user accounts, reset logins, manage access permissions, and action account changes promptly upon request from residential homes.
Consult with the ClearCare provider and Leeds City Council’s IT teams where required to resolve system issues and maintain data integrity.
Support staff with troubleshooting, navigation, and basic system training to promote accurate and compliant record keeping.
Coordinate staff rotas, managing updates, annual leave, sickness information, and agency bookings.
Arrange training, supervision sessions, and appraisal documentation.
Support recruitment processes, including advertising, scheduling interviews, preparing onboarding packs, and pre‑employment checks.
Support management of building maintenance requests, contractor visits, and health & safety compliance logs.
Use financial accounting systems, procedures, and organisation to assist, in operation of financial procedures, process purchase orders, invoices, expense claims, and petty cash in line with council financial procedures.
Monitor and order office and household supplies. Track budgets for supplies, activities, and home maintenance.
Function as a first point of contact for the residential home, responding professionally to staff, external professionals, families, and visitors.
Support the preparation of reports, data returns, and performance information for management and external regulators.
Maintain confidentiality and safeguard all sensitive information in line with GDPR and safeguarding policies.
Maintain up‑to‑date knowledge of policies, procedures, and statutory requirements related to residential childcare.
Assist in preparing documentation for Ofsted inspections, audits, and internal quality assurance visits.
The duties outlined are not meant 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

Demonstrating ability in numeracy and literacy or equivalent knowledge is essential.

Essential requirements Candidates will only be shortlisted if they can demonstrate that they meet all the essential requirements.

Able to accurately enter and retrieve data and information from digital and manual systems
Able to communicate appropriately and effectively with a wide range of people through a variety of different methods
Able to use and experience of the use of information technology e.g. word, spreadsheet, database, email etc.
Able to work within and interpret financial policies and procedures ensuring value for money
Able to prioritise work to meet conflicting deadlines and manage multiple priorities
Able to use initiative to develop solutions to day-to-day issues and problems
Able to and experience of developing constructive working relationships
Able to assist in the training of new team members.
Able to maintain confidentiality and follow safeguarding procedures.
Ability to work flexibly and collaboratively within a multi‑disciplinary team.
Knowledge of general office procedures and practice
Knowledge of relevant financial regulations to conduct financial transactions.
Experience of dealing with queries from a wide range of people
Experience of providing customer focussed services.
Experience of administrative work in a regulated, or sensitive environment.
Experience working with vulnerable children or families (or understanding of the sector).

Essential Behavioural & other Characteristics

Child‑centred approach in all work.
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 Leeds Ambitions of health and wellbeing, inclusive growth, thriving strong communities and a resilient sustainable city
Able to understand and observe Leeds City Council policies and procedures.
Perform duties having regard to an employee’s responsibility under Health, Safety and Wellbeing
Participate in appraisal, training, and development activities to ensure up, to date knowledge and skills.
Be aware of and support difference and ensure equality for all working in an anti-discriminatory manner, upholding 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
Flexible and adaptable to change to assist other services as required commensurate to grade.
The Council has adopted a flexibility protocol, and the role will be expected to work within these parameters.

Desirable requirements Candidates are not required to meet all the following desirable requirements however these may be used to distinguish between candidates

Knowledge of Children’s Homes Regulations, Ofsted requirements, and local authority procedures.
Experience in children’s residential care or social care settings.
Experience supporting rota management, finance administration, or recruitment.

#INT #LI-DN