Office & Finance Administrator – AIM

Job Profile for Post of Office and Finance Administrator

Responsible to: Head of Programmes, Director

Direct Reports: None

Other Staff: Director; Programme and Events Officer; Programmes and Grants Officer; Head of Communications; Marketing Officer; Membership Administrator

Job Purpose

The purpose of this role is to support a busy and friendly office with finance processes and administration, executive support, logistics for internal and external meetings and programmes, and organisational planning.

Place of work

Your normal place of work will be:

AIM Office, National Waterways Museum, South Pier Road, Ellesmere Port, CH65 4FW.

You are required to attend at the office at least one day per week, and by agreement with your line manager are likely to work from home routinely. Flexible working patterns are available.

You will also be expected to attend meetings and perform other duties at a range of locations throughout the UK and Ireland – travel will be limited and agreed in advance.

Salary and benefits

• £25,284 annually per 37.5 hour week
• 25 days holiday plus statutory holidays and 3-day office closure between Christmas and New Year
• Training and development allowance.

What we want you to achieve (Success Criteria)

• Supporting timely and accurate grants administration, providing good customer service to members and assisting in ensuring funders are satisfied
• Helping the Director and senior team to use their time effectively by taking over administrative tasks for day-to-day business, programmes, and small events (e.g. staff awaydays)
• Helping the team to stay organised and plan ahead.  

Summary of the role

• Provide administrative support to the Director and on occasion other senior staff including helping with diary management (booking large meetings), booking travel, booking meeting venues and catering, and file management (including maintaining filekeeping structures, maintaining records about Board and staff and other stakeholders, gathering documents for purposes such as grant applications, and pulling together data for audit and other financial purposes).
• Administer end-to-end grant processes, including creating and revising information packs for applicants, tracking incoming applications, carrying out eligibility checks, organising grant panels of 4-8 people to make decisions, taking notes at grant panel meetings, communicating with applicants about decisions, gathering information from successful applicants, collecting information from ongoing projects, assessing drawdown requests, and collecting final reports
• Help manage at least one shared inbox and receive enquiries and expressions of interest about programmes and grants and acknowledge and advise as necessary
• Owning the team planning processes and ensuring they are up-to-date with team priorities and activities
• Process grants payment requests including assessing the claims against eligibility criteria and application materials and issuing the payment run to outsourced bookkeepers
• Administering some organisational finance processes and keeping records, for example checking and sending Board expenses for payment, reviewing unreconciled payments and chasing receipts, reviewing and chasing late payments
• Administering value for money organisational contracts and subscriptions (e.g. mobile, internet)
• Act as a member of the AIM team at conferences, events and exhibitions including AIM National Conference (held around the UK in mid-June)
• Work effectively as part of the AIM team, contributing to areas of work outside the postholder’s immediate responsibilities to ensure a joined-up approach to serving members.

What you’ll need (Experience, Knowledge & Personal Qualities)

• Previous experience of general administration, team support, and finance processes and record-keeping, ideally in a public sector or charitable organisation
• Prior experience of working in culture, heritage or museums is desirable but not essential
• Experience of working in a small team
• Experience of working with customers
• Friendly and approachable, with the ability to be supportive to our members.
• Good IT, written communication, and knowledge management skills
• Confidence with handling numbers and financial material
• Able to manage different priorities and switch with ease between different tasks and areas of work, including reacting to emerging needs
• Ability to work positively and collaboratively within a small team and to liaise with freelancers.

This job description is designed to outline the main duties and responsibilities associated with the role but it is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties performed.

How to apply

We welcome job applications from all sections of the community and will only consider applicants on the basis of their relevant experience, qualifications, skills and abilities. You are invited to apply in confidence by submitting your Curriculum Vitae together with a covering letter to [email protected]. Your covering letter should set out clearly why you are interested in the role, what you will bring to it, and how your experience and skills meet the points in the ‘what you’ll need’ section. Your cover letter should be no more than three sides and your CV no more than two sides.

If you would like an initial confidential discussion, please email on the same address with your contact details.

Closing date: 12noon Monday 6 January 2025.