The Children’s Society is a leading children’s charity committed to making childhood better for all children in the UK. In Solihull we work alongside children at risk of becoming involved in crime and deliver group work in schools addressing issues of bullying, racism and domestic abuse. We also try to ensure the voice of children and young people is heard by those in power.

This is an exciting opportunity to provide innovative and high quality business administration to enable the project and the organisation to meet its responsibilities. You need to have the ability to undertake a range of administrative services, plan and monitor income and expenditure, engage in marketing activities and provide effective systems - all in an innovative and collaborative way.

You will need to have relevant qualifications or experience equivalent to ‘A’ level / NVQ 3 standard.

Hours of work will be 35 per week.

This post is funded until 31st March 2011.

Offers of appointment will be subject to a satisfactory Criminal Records Bureau disclosure.

Administration Manager

Job purpose:

To provide innovative, high quality business administration which enables the achievement of The Children’s Society’s and Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council’s objectives in line with its corporate responsibilities.

Reporting to:

Programme Manager

Reward Band:

Admin Staff XDE

Location:

The Children’s Society in Solihull

Key activities:

• To provide efficient and well ordered administration/secretarial services to the Programme Manager and team
• To support the Programme Manager and deputise on administration matters
• To contribute to the planning of the service
• Finance – To achieve effective use of resources by engaging in budget planning, monitoring of expenditure, accurate and timely invoicing of external income.
• Presentation & Marketing – To ensure that all points of contact with the project are clear, professional and exemplars of The Children’s Society and SMBC brand.
• Office Management – To provide effective systems for office management which establish and maintain a productive, inclusive and safe working environment
• Information – To maintain & devise effective records and monitoring and evaluation systems, which demonstrate the accountability of the project within The Children’s Society and SMBC.
• Admin services – To provide a range of administrative services to ensure that the project produces professional reports and documents, and that the project interfaces effectively with The Children’s Society’s organisational systems.
• Health and Safety – To take responsibility for Health and Safety issues at the project

Attainments:

In order to be considered for this post you will have to demonstrate that you already have:

Experience

• Contributed to the development and maintenance of high standards of service in an administration role with minimum supervision
• Planning to achieve best value and efficiency with the available resources
• substantial experience in a similar or equivalent role

Qualifications

• Relevant qualifications or experience equivalent to ‘A’ level/NVQ 3 standard

Work Based Knowledge

• Experience in the management and delivery of a diverse range of administrative tasks and financial reporting within a single or multi-site office environment
• Experience in developing administrative systems which increase and enhance maximum efficiency

Skills

• Strong IT skills. The Children's Society uses the Microsoft Office suite of applications
• Analyse, report and manage financial information
• A high standard of numeracy and literacy
• Ability to manage self and prioritise workload
• Strong communication skills with clients, public, staff and other professionals

Core Competencies:

In order to be successful in this role you will be able to demonstrate that you have the ability to:

• Takes a “can do” approach, demonstrating ambition, rigour, enthusiasm and tenacity in the setting and achieving of goals.
• Builds effective networks with internal colleagues and external stakeholders and uses these relationships to influence the running of the project.
• Be able to build appropriate relationships with children and young people.
• Communicates in a concise, simple and persuasive way through a variety of channels as the situation demands.
• Contributes to the setting and management of budgets whilst taking a lead in the monitoring and control of financial and other resources.
• Confidently applies knowledge and skills, generating practical solutions, in the pursuit of The Children’s Society’s vision, mission & values.
• Develops and maintains high standards of service, identifies opportunities where they can make a difference and ensures that their “customer’s” needs are being met.
• Encourages the development of new ideas to improve the quality and safety of our work, its relevance, appeal and effectiveness.
• Initiates collaborative team working to achieve results through and with other people, both inside and outside the organisation.

Special Job Circumstances:

This post has the following special circumstances:

• Occasional travel to attend project, regional and national meetings
• Occasional out of office hours working for attendance at meetings
• Some lone working created by the work pattern of other members of staff

(Please note: if you have difficulty meeting these conditions because of a disability or family circumstances the appointing manager will discuss it with you in order to consider reasonable adjustments to the job or working conditions)

Relevant Personal Characteristics:

So that you personally can succeed in this role and The Society you will require:

• A commitment to promoting the vision, mission and values of The Children’s Society
• The ability to carry out your duties with due regard to the Society’s policies and procedures
• A commitment to keeping children, young people, other service users and staff safe
• A commitment to diversity and equality in working relationships and practice
• Can work with complexity, to deadlines, displaying flexibility and adaptability in responding to and shaping changing priorities and demands
• Discretion and confidentiality
• Demonstrable commitment to personal and professional development