Administrator

Job overview

The Administrator ensures the effective operational and business delivery of the West Midlands Regional Research Delivery Network (RRDN). They provide a high-quality administrative service, maintaining an excellent working environment for staff, and supporting the Network’s critical support operations.

• Manage daily operations, act as the first point of contact for queries, procure equipment/supplies, book/set up meeting rooms, and provide basic IT support. Liaise directly with service departments at the NHS Host Organisation (Royal Wolverhampton Trust).
• Provide comprehensive administrative and secretarial support to the Senior Leadership Team and core team. Coordinate diaries, arrange appointments, take accurate minutes, and manage professional correspondence.
• Develop and distribute effective communications for internal/external partners. Maintain strong working relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders, including NHS consultants, managers, clinical staff, and national organisations.
• Operate within a matrix management structure across the regional geography. Provide flexible cross-cover support across multiple sites, assisting with one-off projects and large events as network priorities dictate.

Main duties of the job

• Manage diaries, arrange appointments, prepare meeting materials, draft correspondence/basic reports, and maintain electronic distribution lists.
• Serve as first point of contact for enquiries (phone/Teams). Handle mail, confidential waste, and stationery. Troubleshoot/maintain office equipment (PCs, laptops, printers).
• Administer staff records (expenses, travel, study leave, mandatory training, risk assessments). Support recruitment (advertising, interviews, onboarding files). Process goods/services requisitions.
• Create and maintain paper/software filing systems. Format databases, spreadsheets, and update Google Sites/LMS platforms. Collate data to produce branded presentations and statistical reports.
• Book venues/digital rooms, order catering, and set up equipment (requires occasional lifting of tables/chairs).
• Draft and circulate agendas/papers. Attend meetings (requires travel) to take formal minutes, track action items, and issue reminders.
• Represent the RRDN professionally. Communicate effectively with NHS staff, senior leaders, patients, and the public.
• Work autonomously, use initiative to solve problems, prioritize competing deadlines, and maintain strict confidentiality. Act as a flexible team player to ensure high-quality service.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

General Office 1. Support the delivery of an efficient administration function to support the Senior Leadership Team, Heads of Service and wider team as required, including diary management, meeting prep and support with actions, writing email, letters and basic reports. 2. To provide administrative support for day-to-day business delivery and maintenance of staff records and filing systems including training reports, turnaround, expenses, finance, travel bookings, study leave forms. 3. To undertake all routine administrative work with regards to the recruitment of new staff, including arranging advertising, the application process, interviews and preparing personal files, in line with Trust policies and local procedures. 4. To create, manage, develop and maintain good administrative systems, including the establishment of appropriate paper and software based records systems. 5. Act as first point of contact for callers to the RRDN offices and for telephone and written enquiries. Receive and deal with incoming telephone / Teams / Hangout calls in a polite and professional manner, redirecting or taking messages and using initiative to deal with queries where appropriate. 6. Respond to queries dealing with problems and determining appropriate course of action. 7. Sort, log, distribute and prioritise incoming mail for the team using judgement and experience to decide which documents may be passed directly to other members of the team for action and information. 8. Undertake general office support e.g. order stationary, collection of confidential waste, photocopying/faxing, management of incoming/outgoing mail 9. Requirement to create and format databases/spreadsheets and create or add content to Google sites and other LMS platforms 10. Arrange replacement/maintenance/repairs of general office equipment; photocopier, printers, Laptops, PCs. 11.Maintain contacts, electronic distribution lists and update regularly. 12. Inform others of new contact details or other appropriate information to ensure effective communication and sharing of information. 13. Arrange for the requisitioning and receipt of goods and services and maintain all associated paperwork. 14.Monitor mandatory training attendance and ensure Risk Assessments are undertaken. 15. Be proactive in the identification of workload issues affecting service provision and assist the Service to implement action plans to resolve issues. 16. To collate information using a variety of resources. Produce documents adhering to branding guidelines, analyse reports, compile presentation materials, spreadsheets and graphs to agreed time scales and formats. 17. To assemble and collate data from files. Compile statistics and other information as directed by the Head of Service. 18.Manage the booking of and set up of meetings rooms. Meetings 1. Arranging meetings; including booking venues or online meetings, arranging equipment, ordering catering, producing draft agenda and associated papers on behalf of the chair, sending to attendees in a timely manner and collating attendance. 2. Act as the first point of contact for meeting members regarding meeting arrangements, requirements and attendance. 3. Circulating papers on behalf of the Senior Leadership Team / Head of Service and using initiative to solve problems as they arise. 4. Take accurate and formal minutes of meetings (which may require travel to attend meetings). Ensure distribution of the minutes to the attendees in a timely fashion. Follow up actions from minutes of meetings ensuring reminders are issued at the appropriate time in order that the team has time to complete such actions. 5. Support department meetings, chasing actions and producing papers as requested. 6. Assist in the preparation and formatting of presentations such as slide sets for meetings. 7. Arrange appointments on behalf of the team. 8. To assist in the arranging and management of team meetings and events. Communication 1. To act as the first point of contact for the Service upholding the reputation of the team, West Midlands RRDN and the NIHR RDN. 2. Liaise with a wide range of NHS and other professional personnel, including those at a senior level within the RRDN and partner organisations. 3. To communicate effectively and professionally with a wide range of stakeholders such as patients and the public. 4. To use various methods of communication (email, telephone) to ensure effective and timely communication. 5. Type correspondence, memos, emails and other documents from audio recordings, written copy, dictation of verbal instructions, on behalf of the Service and general own correspondence as required. 6. Provide administrative support for Service communication materials by overseeing the circulation of these. 7. Be familiar with key contacts supporting the activities of the RRDN. General duties 1. To be able to work autonomously, making judgements and decisions as appropriate, whilst ensuring the effective coordination and smooth running of a high profile office systems. 2. To , as required by the role (in agreement with the postholder). 3. Occasional lifting/carrying e.g. setting up laptop/projector and moving meeting room chairs/tables 4. Frequent requirement to sit at a keyboard / screen. 5. To maintain confidentiality at all times and adhere to departmental standard operating procedures and policies. 6. To work effectively as a team member. 7. To use own initiative. 8. To organise work tasks and time effectively to meet competing deadlines. 9. To always ensure a high quality of service to customers/stakeholders and to be helpful and facilitate. 10. Keep up to date with developments in the NIHR RDN. 11. Any other duties of a similar nature and commensurate with the grading of the role, as requested by the Head of Service.