Closing Date: 28 March 2022

We’re looking for two experienced administrators to help keep our organisation running smoothly and efficiently. You’ll be the first point of contact for public enquiries, and you’ll support our financial management – ranging from invoicing and expenses to payroll. You’ll help deliver our HR services, ensuring our staff have the equipment and working environments they need. You’ll also support our broad range of projects – from helping with events to administering meetings. It’s a role that will call on all your administrative expertise, and your skills in juggling a busy and diverse workload. No two days will be the same.

When you join Cumbria Action for Sustainability, you’ll be part of a friendly and dedicated team of almost 30 staff – most of us part time. We offer a supportive and flexible working environment with lots of great benefits. And, you’ll be part of worldwide efforts to tackle climate change, with an organisation that’s been helping Cumbrians to live more sustainability for more than 20 years.

Application and Interview Process

Please apply by completing the application form below. Please do not send a CV. Guidance for submitting your application is included in the form.

CAfS Application Form

Closing date for the return of the application is Midnight 28 March 2022.

Interviews will be via Zoom.

Job Description

If you would prefer to download the job description please use the link below:

Administrators Job Description

BENEFITS: CAfS offers an excellent working environment with benefits ranging from flexible working and a pension contribution. Find out more about the benefits of working at CAfS.

EMPLOYER: Cumbria Action for Sustainability (CAfS)  

LOCATION: Contractually based at our office, Rural Eden Foyer, Old London Road, Penrith, CA11 8ET. Whilst we would expect the role to be mostly office based, some home working may be possible with managers agreement. 

REPORTS TO: Administration and Finance Officer 

HOURS: 22.5 hrs a week. There may be some flexibility with the contracted hours, which can be discussed at interview if of interest to the applicant.    

SALARY RANGE: £18,525 – £22,000 per annum full-time equivalent (£11,115 – £13,200 for the 22.5 hour week), depending on skills and experience. 

DURATION: Fixed-term 12-month contract. With potential for extension subject to funding.  

APPLICATIONS BY: Midnight on 28 March 2022. Please apply using the application form. CVs will not be considered.  

ABOUT CAFS:  

Our vision is a zero carbon Cumbria which is socially, environmentally, and economically beneficial for all. 

 Our mission is to promote and facilitate low carbon living and its benefits – inspiring and supporting individuals, communities and organisations across Cumbria and beyond to take action to decarbonise lives, communities and businesses by 2037 or sooner. We do this through events, advice, training and practical projects across the county as well as providing specialist consultancy services. We share our knowledge, skills and practical experience as widely as possible.  

 CAfS is an award-winning charity with a team of 28 highly skilled staff, working with a pool of specialist contractors and volunteers to deliver around 20 major, transformational low-carbon projects each year. Now in our 24th year, CAfS is the first point of reference in the county for information on sustainability and low-carbon living. 

ABOUT ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE TEAM 

CAfS’ Finance and Administration Team is the backbone of the charity. The team keeps everything running smoothly and efficiently at CAfS, looking after our HR and financial systems, from payroll to invoicing and expenses. It ensures we have the equipment and work environment that our staff need, and has an important role in ensuring their health and wellbeing. The team keeps our policies and processes up to date, helps to keep us legally compliant and is often a first point of contact for the public. The tight knit team also supports colleagues delivering our many projects, from organising meetings to helping with events.

The two new administrators we’re recruiting will also be at the heart of the £2.5 million Zero Carbon Cumbria project, funded by the National Lottery. This exciting new project is helping Cumbria to reach its goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2037. Each administrator will support slightly different aspects of the project, and we’ll allocate these to the successful candidates according to their skills and experience. They include:

  • Administering the new Community Climate Grant Fund worth £100k, which CAfS runs. The administrator will process applications for funding from community groups across Cumbria. This will involve, for example, carrying out checks on details given in the applications, checking and recording of decisions, commissioning and ensuring payments, validating expense claims, and supporting the grant making panel.
  • Giving administrative support to the Zero Carbon Cumbria Partnership, which includes around 80 organisations from across Cumbria. The administrator will also help with our events and training programmes (online and face to face) – for example, setting up and managing event booking, coordinating meeting agendas, taking meeting minutes, and circulating papers.

Both roles will help with a range of other administrative tasks for CAfS centrally and for our projects, as required.

MAIN PURPOSE OF ROLES:    

  • To undertake a range of core administrative duties, such as collating and inputting data, managing contacts lists, responding to enquiries from the public and other organisations, assisting with staff recruitment etc.
  • To provide administration support for meetings and events – ranging from small, internal project team meetings to large online events involving people from multiple diverse organisations.
  • To provide support for our grant-making activity – ranging from processing applications and checking financial information to ensuring payments are made and keeping records. 

KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY:  

  • Administer and support various internal and external meetings as requested. This will include booking meetings (online and face to face), coordinating agendas, and taking and circulating minutes.  
  • Undertake work as directed by line manager and Project Managers, including but not limited to financial tasks, collecting and inputting data, data analysis, emails, meeting minutes, etc. 
  • Provide administrative support to the CAfS-based Zero Carbon Cumbria staff team.  
  • Provide an initial point of contact for enquiries about CAfS work.  
  • Perform a reception function, taking enquiries and requests and ensuring clear and full messages via phone, email or in person are logged and relayed to the relevant person and followed up as necessary.  
  • Ensuring purchases, invoices and payments associated with the projects are dealt with.  
  • Assist with the preparation of budget monitoring reports as directed by project managers.  
  • Support the delivery of CAfS events including dealing with bookings, event preparation, event set-up and event follow-up.  
  • Support the Zero Carbon Cumbria Project Manager to collate monitoring and evaluation data for the project.   
  • Establish and maintain contact lists for project managers.  
  • Order equipment for staff. 

 OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES

  • Help to monitor and manage our office@ and finance@ email inboxes. 
  • Ensuring documents are completed and filed appropriately. 
  • Ensure CAfS’ financial protocols are followed.  
  • Take part in staff meetings, team meetings and training.
  • Perform other duties that may be required from time to time. 

 

Person Specification

  Essential skills and attributes:   

  • Experience in providing administrative support in a dynamic and demanding environment.  
  • Excellent customer service to both internal and external customers.  
  • Proven ability to proactively handle a wide range of tasks and prioritise these effectively.  
  • Proven ability to use initiative and make effective decisions.  
  • Proven ability to use a comprehensive range of IT software (Microsoft Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint and MS Teams) and the willingness to train in additional IT skills as and when required.  
  • Accuracy and attention to detail, and the ability to work to tight timeframes.  
  • A good level of numeracy.  
  • Good written and proofreading skills.  
  • Tact, patience and diplomacy.   

  

Desirable skills and attributes  

  The following attributes are desirable but not essential:  

  • Experience of financial processes such as invoice processing, checking accuracy of payments. 
  • Experience of event organisation, meeting administration and effective minute-taking skills.  
  • Experience of Quickbooks finance package. 
  • Experience of database/customer relationship management systems.  
  • Experience of data gathering and collating eg customer event participant feedback data.  
  • Experience of setting up and helping to run online meetings eg MS Teams, Zoom. 
  • An understanding of the work of CAfS and the impact of climate change on the environment and economy.  
  • Understanding of and commitment to CAfS’ aims, values and objectives.  

  

If you would like more information about the role, please contact CAfS: [email protected].