Trust Senior Admin Officer

Job Purpose

The Senior Admin Officer is a vital member of the central Trust team, delivering high-quality, proactive administrative, governance, and financial support under the direction of the Chief Financial and Operations Officer. The postholder provides comprehensive clerking and governance services to the Trust Board, ensures meticulous financial processing, supports central HR/compliance functions, and maintains seamless operational coordination across the central team and multi-academy trust (MAT) initiatives.

Key Responsibilities and Duties1. Governance & Board Clerking

• Meeting Management: Prepare, assemble and distribute agendas, governance reports, and statutory document packs within strict timeframes in consultation with committee chairs and executive leads.

• Minuting & Action Tracking: Attend Trust Board and committee meetings to produce accurate, high-standard minutes and manage official action tracking logs to monitor governance outcomes.

• Statutory Compliance & Records: Maintain up-to-date governance databases, conflict of interest registers, attendance records, terms of office and Trustee profiles.

• Website & Compliance Publishing: Ensure statutory governance information, annual accounts, scheme of delegation, and required policies are accurately published on the Trust website in accordance with the Academy Trust Handbook and DfE requirements.

• Governance Onboarding: Coordinate pre-appointment compliance checks for Trustees and Local Governors, ensuring Single Central Record (SCR) updates, DBS clearances, Section 128 checks, and induction packs are completed.

• Policy Management: Oversee the Trust policy review schedule, tracking review dates, liaising with policy owners and coordinating approval workflows across the Trust Board.

2. Finance Administration & Procurement

• Financial Processing: Execute daily financial transactions, including raising purchase orders, processing invoices, goods receipt, and preparing payment runs using the Trust’s financial software in compliance with Trust regulations.

• Supplier & Queries Management: Serve as a primary point of contact for supplier queries, resolve invoice discrepancies and maintain accurate vendor records.

• Expenses & Credit Cards: Process monthly staff expense claims and Trust credit card reconciliations, verifying receipts and coding accuracy prior to approval.

• Audit & Asset Support: Assist the CFOO with internal/external audit preparation, maintaining financial documentation trails, and supporting the maintenance of the central asset register.

• Procurement: Support contract monitoring, supplier research, and tendering administration to drive best value for money across Trust procurement activities.

3. Central Team Administration & Operations

• Executive Coordination: Provide comprehensive administrative and diary management support to the Central Team and Executive Officers, coordinating high-level correspondence, schedules, and priority workflows.

• Events & Training Logistics: Coordinate central Trust events, conferences, Trustee training modules, and staff workshops, managing venue bookings, catering, reprographics and delegate communications.

• Central Communications: Act as a professional central point of contact for internal school teams, external partners, regulatory bodies, delegates and public enquiries.

• Document & Data Hygiene: Maintain structured, secure digital filing systems, central databases and administrative templates.

4. HR, Safeguarding & Compliance

• Single Central Record (SCR): Assist in maintaining the Central Team’s Single Central Record (SCR), conducting required pre-employment verification (DBS, identity, right to work, qualification checks).

• Data Protection (GDPR): Act as a local operational support for data protection, ensuring confidential records are securely handled, archived, or disposed of in line with statutory GDPR frameworks.

• Compliance Tracking: Monitor and record mandatory central staff training (e.g. Safeguarding, Health & Safety, GDPR) to ensure 100% compliance.

• Health & Safety Admin: Assist with central office risk assessments, visitor sign-in procedures, building access controls and incident reporting administrative logs.

5. General Responsibilities

• Carry out all duties with full commitment to Connect Education Trust policies, Health and Safety at Work legislation, and statutory guidelines.

• Provide agile operational support across the central administration function, covering peak workload periods, staff absences and key annual Trust deliverables.

• Actively participate in performance management processes and pursue ongoing professional development opportunities.

• Undertake any other reasonable duties aligned with the scale and responsibility of the post as directed by the CFOO.

Communications

Using a command of spoken English that is sufficient to effectively carry out the duties of the role and liaise verbally and in writing with parents, pupils, governors, agencies and other organisations.

Other Responsibilities

To undertake such duties of a similar nature as may be reasonably directed by the Headteacher from time to time. The duties and responsibilities of the post may vary from time to time according to the changing needs of the school.

The post holder shall ensure the duties of the post are undertaken with due regard of the Trust’s Health & Safety Policy and to their personal responsibilities under the provision of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and all other relevant subordinate legislation.

The post holder shall carry out these duties with due regard to the school policies, procedures and priorities.

All Connect Education Staff Will

• Promote equality of opportunity
• Follow Safeguarding and Child Protection policy/procedures
• Contribute to producing/delivering priorities in the School Development Plan
• Keep their own performance under review, contributing to monitoring, evaluation and review and participate in performance management/appraisal
• Promote positive attitudes and behaviour
• Contribute to the smooth day to day running of the school
• Be committed to achieving the school values
• Respond promptly to concerns from parents, staff or students
• Promote the school within the community
• Work in partnership with all colleagues including the Local Governing Board
• Support Code of Conduct for staff
• Have regard for and act in accordance with Health and Safety policy/practice
• Celebrate success of pupils and staff

All Connect Education Trust Schools are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. Therefore, all employees working at the Trust are expected to share this commitment. The Trust and its schools are committed to ensuring that no applicant or employee receives less favourable treatment or is disadvantaged on the ground of gender, age, disability, religion, belief, sexual orientation, marital status or race. We encourage expertise and staff that support one another to develop their own practice by creating remarkable futures for all pupils.