Job title: Administrator
Reporting to: Berin Centre Director
Hours of Work: 0.6 FTE (22.5 hours/week)
Location: Based at The Berin Centre, Berinsfield.
Salary and benefits:
£28,598-£30,024 FTE (£17,158.80-£18,014.40 pro rata)
Holiday entitlement of 25 days per annum plus bank holidays (FTE) and a pension scheme, for employees. Flexible working arrangements and partial remote working available provided on-site staffing is maintained. Enhanced maternity/paternity packages, and a free staff lunch from our cafe during full on-site working days.
Contract: Permanent
The Administrator role is an exciting addition to our friendly team, as it will be our first dedicated back-office role - creating the vital support that the charity needs to continue to grow. We are looking for an organised, proactive team member to step into this brand-new position and become the operational backbone of our team. If you thrive on variety - comfortably shifting from finance tasks and compliance to supplier coordination and a warm front-of-house welcome - and want to use your skills to facilitate this thriving community hub, we want to hear from you.
About The Berin Centre
The Berin Centre is a well-established hub within the Berinsfield community, providing family and community services including child and family activities and support, a Community Larder, social and skills-based groups for adults, and hireable space for complementary services including counselling and Citizen’s Advice. Our latest addition, our new Community Cafe - The Burrow, opened in September 2025.
Our Strategic Priorities for 2026 are:
- Develop the reach and impact of our core family, community and food services, ensuring integration at every opportunity
- Continually evaluate the community’s evolving needs and respond with relevant direct delivery or partner services
- Complete the refurbishment of The Berin Centre to a high standard, improving aesthetics, accessibility and energy efficiency
- Review our existing fundraising processes and mechanisms, identifying any new approaches to expand our prospects
Role summary
Over the last five years, The Berin Centre has been on an incredible journey of growth, expanding from a team of two to a passionate team of ten. We’ve scaled up our core family, community, and food services, and recently completed a major capital project to build our brand-new community café, The Burrow.
Until now, our frontline delivery staff and Director have balanced their own administration. As we reach this exciting new chapter, we need to build a resilient infrastructure to sustain our expanded operations - you will take ownership of the day-to-day mechanics that keep the centre running safely and efficiently.
This is a hands-on generalist role holding responsibilities across finance administration, HR support, building compliance, and everyday office coordination. You don't need to rewrite our systems; your primary aim is to ensure straightforward, vital tasks are completed with high accuracy and care. However, for the right individual there are opportunities to shape systems, improve processes, and potentially to specialise further as we continue to grow.
We’re committed to building a team that is diverse and inclusive and therefore actively welcome applications from marginalised and underserved groups including people of the global majority, trans and non-binary people, and people with disabilities. The Berin Centre is committed to opportunities to grow and develop, so even if you don’t have everything we’re looking for but are motivated to learn, we still want to hear from you!
Key Tasks and Responsibilities:
1. General administrative support
- Lead liaison with suppliers and contractors, including scheduling repairs and comparing quotes
- Improve and maintain filing systems
- Ensure policies are reviewed regularly against a schedule
- Monitor the organisation’s compliance against health and safety, GDPR, and other relevant legislation and make recommendations for improvements
- Research possible funding opportunities, passing suitable grant information to the Director
- Order routine supplies and ensure bathrooms, kitchens, and stationery are kept well stocked
- Update the website
- Staff the phones and welcome visitors as needed
2. Financial administration
- Reconcile bank transactions on Xero
- Pay and issue invoices
- Check payroll information provided by the accountants, and process payroll payments and expenses payments
- Support preparation of the annual accounts
3. HR Support
- Input information into Breathe HR, ensuring we maximise on it’s capabilities
- Keep records of all staff training, ensuring all mandatory training is kept up to date
- Support recruitment processes - post adverts, create shortlisting and interview packs, communicate with candidates, schedule interviews, and support the onboarding process for new starters
4. Responsibilities of all Berin Centre employees
- Ensure health and safety and safeguarding policies and procedures are followed, including carrying out practical risk assessments where needed
- Ensure that the Director is kept informed of all accidents, incidents, complaints and concerns, and support agreed actions as appropriate
- Support the day-to-day running of The Berin Centre on occasion
- Ensure that The Berin Centre is a welcoming, inclusive and nurturing environment for all
- Support the development of a culture of continuous improvement and user involvement; actively seeking opportunities to improve our services and to involve stakeholders in doing so
- Act at all times in a professional manner and positively promote The Berin Centre in all interactions
- Be accountable for own actions and practice, attending meetings, supervision, and development opportunities to ensure service excellence
- Manage individual workload and plan time effectively
Note: The post holder is expected to carry out other duties from time to time which are broadly consistent with those in this document. This job description is subject to changes to meet the needs of the organisation, following discussion with the post holder.
The post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and is subject to an enhanced criminal records check by the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Person Specification:
Experience and Knowledge
Essential:
- Experience of general office administration in a busy, public-facing environment
- Practical financial administration experience, including processing invoices, inputting data, and managing expense claims
- Experience using digital systems and software, ideally including Google Workspace, and a willingness to learn bespoke platforms (e.g., Squarespace, Breathe HR)
Desirable
- Knowledge of basic workplace compliance, such as Health & Safety or GDPR
- Experience coordinating recruitment processes, including scheduling interviews, managing candidate communication, and onboarding administration
- Experience working or volunteering within the charity or community sector, with a basic understanding of safeguarding principles
Skills and Attributes
Essential:
- Exceptional organisational and time-management skills, with the ability to manage a varied workload, prioritise tasks, and meet deadlines under your own initiative
- High level of accuracy and attention to detail, particularly when dealing with financial data, payroll, and filing systems
- Warm, welcoming, and inclusive interpersonal skills, with the ability to staff the phones and greet visitors to the centre with empathy
- A collaborative team player who is willing to roll up their sleeves and support the wider day-to-day running of The Berin Centre when needed
- Fluent in spoken English, with good written and verbal communication skills
Desirable:
- A proactive, problem-solving mindset, with the ability to look at existing administrative processes (like HR filing or stock ordering) and suggest practical improvements
To apply, please submit an up-to-date CV and a Covering Letter outlining your suitability for the role against the person specification to [email protected].
Closing date for applications: 5pm, Friday 4th of September
Shortlisting: week commencing 7th of September
Interviews: 16th of September, at The Berin Centre
For an informal conversation about the role, please contact Laura Harte, Director - 01865 341 944.
Pay: £28,598.00-£30,024.00 per year
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Company pension
- Employee discount
- Free parking
- Sick pay
Ability to commute/relocate:
- Wallingford OX10 7LZ: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)
Work Location: In person
