Apprentice Senior Administrator
UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM
West Midlands (B15 2TT)
Closes in 21 days (Sunday 2 November 2025)
Posted on 9 October 2025
Contents
Summary
This role sits in the College of Medicine and Health and will support the administration of Health and Safety management in the college. The role will provide admin support to the College Health and Safety Manager and the Health and Safety Management committees in the college
- Wage
-
£23,718 a year
Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
Rising to £29,647. per annum after 12 months service.
- Training course
- Business administrator (level 3)
- Hours
-
Usually Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.
35 hours a week
- Start date
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Monday 5 January 2026
- Duration
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1 year 4 months
- Positions available
-
1
Work
Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.
What you'll do at work
During this apprenticeship, you will learn the following
- To deal with complex systems and procedures and will be expected to offer advice on these, including deciding on the response to more complex queries.
- To exercise your judgment on the answer to queries or on the direction of work within parameters set by your manager.
- On a day-to-day basis, you will be expected to resolve more complex queries without necessarily referring to your manager.
- Maintain high-profile working relationships with key stakeholders on your own initiative, fielding enquiries and ensuring that appropriate information is disseminated to stakeholders as appropriate.
- Organising events, including booking a venue, sending invitations, arranging refreshments, liaising with speakers, managing bookings, coordinating colleagues, advertising, collating feedback and reporting back.
- Will manage some smaller projects on own initiative, but will also carry out desk research and source data from internal and external sources in order to contribute to wider projects.
- To use a variety of complex University systems and processes to research, analyse and interpret complex data, producing bespoke reports as required. This may include identifying and resolving issues with the data.
- Support the management, development and implementation of operational processes and systems.
Process more complex data (which may be financial, HR, student-related or other), monitoring accuracy, chasing up missing information, and resolving any issues as appropriate. - Provide specialist advice and training to colleagues on the area of activity.
- As required, provide a professional secretarial service to relevant committees and meetings.
- You may be required to be responsible for one or more of the following: monitoring budgets, including processing payments, authorising expenditure, raising concerns where finances are not in line with the budget, procuring goods and services through the University system, updating and writing content for the department’s communications, eg intranet page, dealing with health and safety and facilities issues.
- HR-related tasks such as managing staff absence, induction, or dealing with leavers.
- Dealing with arrangements for international visitors.
- Monitoring internal procedures/compliance and ensuring these are followed and disseminated as appropriate.
- Supports equality and values diversity, moderating own behaviour to avoid unfair discriminatory impact or bias on others.
You will be expected to engage fully with the University of Birmingham apprenticeship scheme, attending mandatory group days and contributing to the successful promotion of the scheme by representing your department in a positive manner.
Where you'll work
Edgbaston
Birmingham
West Midlands
B15 2TT
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
HIT TRAINING LTD
Training course
Business administrator (level 3)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Skilled in the use of multiple IT packages and systems relevant to the organisation in order to: write letters or emails, create proposals, perform financial processes, record and analyse data. Examples include MS Office or equivalent packages. Able to choose the most appropriate IT solution to suit the business problem. Able to update and review databases, record information and produce data analysis where required.
- Produces accurate records and documents including: emails, letters, files, payments, reports and proposals. Makes recommendations for improvements and present solutions to management. Drafts correspondence, writes reports and able to review others' work. Maintains records and files, handles confidential information in compliance with the organisation's procedures. Coaches others in the processes required to complete these tasks.
- Exercises proactivity and good judgement. Makes effective decisions based on sound reasoning and is able to deal with challenges in a mature way. Seeks advice of more experienced team members when appropriate.
- Builds and maintains positive relationships within their own team and across the organisation. Demonstrates ability to influence and challenge appropriately. Becomes a role model to peers and team members, developing coaching skills as they gain area knowledge.
- Demonstrates good communication skills, whether face-to-face, on the telephone, in writing or on digital platforms. Uses the most appropriate channels to communicate effectively. Demonstrates agility and confidence in communications, carrying authority appropriately. Understands and applies social media solutions appropriately. Answers questions from inside and outside of the organisation, representing the organisation or department.
- Completes tasks to a high standard. Demonstrates the necessary level of expertise required to complete tasks and applies themself to continuously improve their work. Is able to review processes autonomously and make suggestions for improvements. Shares administrative best-practice across the organisation e.g. coaches others to perform tasks correctly. Applies problem-solving skills to resolve challenging or complex complaints and is a key point of contact for addressing issues.
- Takes responsibility for initiating and completing tasks, manages priorities and time in order to successfully meet deadlines. Positively manages the expectations of colleagues at all levels and sets a positive example for others in the workplace. Makes suggestions for improvements to working practice, showing understanding of implications beyond the immediate environment (e.g. impact on clients, suppliers, other parts of the organisation). Manages resources e.g. equipment or facilities. Organises meetings and events, takes minutes during meetings and creates action logs as appropriate. Takes responsibility for logistics e.g. travel and accommodation.
- Uses relevant project management principles and tools to scope, plan, monitor and report. Plans required resources to successfully deliver projects. Undertakes and leads projects as and when required.
Training schedule
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
Desirable qualifications
A Level in:
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Communication skills
- IT skills
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Customer care skills
- Problem solving skills
- Presentation skills
- Administrative skills
- Number skills
- Analytical skills
- Logical
- Team working
- Creative
- Initiative
- Non judgemental
- Patience
About this employer
A world top 100 university and part of the prestigious Russell Group, the University of Birmingham makes important things happen. Delivering groundbreaking research and excellent research led teaching. People are at the heart of what we are and do. The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success. We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University. We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work. Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries. The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum, and botanical gardens.
https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/ (opens in new tab)
Disability Confident
A fair proportion of interviews for this apprenticeship will be offered to applicants with a disability or long-term health condition. This includes non-visible disabilities and conditions.
You can choose to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident scheme. You’ll need to meet the essential requirements to be considered for an interview.
After this apprenticeship
Senior Administrator.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
HIT TRAINING LTD
apprenticeships@contacts.bham.ac.uk
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000345666.
Apply now
Closes in 21 days (Sunday 2 November 2025)
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