Senior Administrator

Do you want to help us improve human health and understand life on Earth? Make your mark by shaping the future to enable or deliver life-changing science to solve some of humanity’s greatest challenges.

We are seeking an experienced and highly skilled Senior Administrator to join the renowned Parasite and Microbes Programme (PaM) at the world-leading Wellcome Sanger Institute.

About the Role:

This is a pivotal role leading the operation of the PaM’s wider administrative busy function. This is a great opportunity for a proactive and professional executive assistant / senior administrator to lead the programme’s administrative team. This includes providing high-level executive assistance to the Head of Programme, administration support to the PaM leadership team and the wider programme to ensure successful delivery of the programme strategy. You will thrive at juggling complex diaries, responding quickly to changing needs and using your initiative to proactively make decisions.

You will be responsible for:

• Executive assistance to the Head of Programme including diary management, meeting organisation, inbox management and coordination of actions.
• Lead and line manage the administration team ensuring a seamless and professional administration service is delivered for the Programme as a whole.
• Oversee the Programmes event planning, international travel, recruitment, new starters and visiting researchers.
• Create, plan and implement new administrative systems, transfer to project management software in collaboration with team members, standardise SOPs and ensure best practice.
• Ensuring all administrative processes are managed effectively and efficiently across the programme is a key function of the role. 
• Other administrative tasks such as purchasing, taking minutes of meetings, completing paperwork and processing expenses.

About You:

To excel in this role, you will have substantial experience in providing high-level administrative support to senior managers in a fast-paced environment. In addition, you will have:

• Significant experience working as an Executive Assistant to Senior Managers in a research, academic or biotech organisation.
• Experience of developing/reviewing administrative processes and systems.
• Ability to meet the requirements of a dynamic and often complex workload, with changing priorities and many interruptions.
• Experience of leading and line managing administration teams.
• Able to pay close attention to detail to enable tasks to be completed accurately and in a timely manner is an essential requirement of the role. 
• Highly organised, efficient, self-motivated and energetic, able to work independently in a dynamic environment with flexibility, adjusting to varying priorities as necessary and finding solutions to challenges that arise.
• Able to build effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders at all levels
• Confident and proactive, able to work using own judgement and initiative to make decisions on behalf of the HoP where appropriate.
• Discretion and diplomacy in dealing with confidential information and sensitive issues.
• Have line management experience.

Essential Technical Skills:

• Previous executive assistance / administration experience in science-based sectors, biotech start up, academia
• Evidence of the ability to deliver a high-quality executive assistance service across a complex and evolving organisation
• Exceptional organiser with the ability to plan, prioritise, and manage workload and the ability to execute workstreams and tasks across multiple stakeholders and time zones
• The ability to work independently and adaptable and willing to take on a diverse array of responsibilities
• Ability to recognise sensitive and/or confidential information and handle appropriately upholding absolute confidentiality
• Experience in line management
• Experience of creating, planning and implementing new administrative systems
• Experience of creating and implementing administration workstreams in and using Project

Essential Competencies and Behaviours:

• Strong interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills
• Evidence of working autonomously in a fast-paced environment
• Enjoy working in a multidisciplinary team and collaborating with colleagues
• Ability to independently troubleshoot issues
• Clear understanding of issues of confidentiality
• Able to work effectively under pressure
• Ability to work flexibly and collaboratively
• Solution focused
• Able to build and maintain strong working relationships

About Us:

The PaM Programme is a globally influential programme working on a mission to advance our understanding of the critical role microbes play in human health and disease. Through this, we will transform the infectious disease and microbiome fields, and global health outcomes.

Other Information:

Please include a cover letter along with your CV. In your cover letter, include detail on how your knowledge, skills and experience match the requirements of the role described. If you have any queries please contact [email protected].

Salary per annum: Up to £41,049 to £48,000 (dependant on skills and experience)

Administrative Support & Management job family: Grade 2 Role profile

Contract Type: Permanent

Closing date: 29th September 2024

Hybrid Working at Wellcome Sanger:

We recognise that there are many benefits to Hybrid Working; including an improved work-life balance, with more focused time, as well as the ability to organise working time so that collaborative opportunities and team discussions are facilitated on campus. The hybrid working arrangement will vary for different roles and teams. The nature of your role and the type of work you do will determine if a hybrid working arrangement is possible.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

We aim to attract, recruit, retain and develop talent from the widest possible talent pool, thereby gaining insight and access to different markets to generate a greater impact on the world. We have a supportive culture with the following staff networks, LGBTQ+, Parents and Carers, Disability and Race Equity to bring people together to share experiences, offer specific support and development opportunities and raise awareness. The networks are also a place for allies to provide support to others.

We want our people to be whoever they want to be because we believe people who bring their best selves to work, do their best work. That’s why we’re committed to creating a truly inclusive culture at Sanger Institute. We will consider all individuals without discrimination and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees, where everyone can thrive.

Our Benefits:

We are proud to deliver an awarding campus-wide employee wellbeing strategy and programme. The importance of good health and adopting a healthier lifestyle and the commitment to reduce work-related stress is strongly acknowledged and recognised at Sanger Institute.

Sanger Institute became a signatory of the International Technician Commitment initiative In March 2018. The Technician Commitment aims to empower and ensure visibility, recognition, career development and sustainability for technicians working in higher education and research, across all disciplines.

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