Business administration apprentice jobs

This is an exciting opportunity for someone with excellent administrative skills who enjoys working in a varied role, providing outstanding customer service and ensuring the smooth day-to-day running of our organisation. Working from home, you will play a key role in supporting our training programmes, maintaining accurate records and delivering efficient administrative support to colleagues, facilitators and trainees.

To be successful in this role, you must be based in Stoke on Trent and be comfortable working independently while remaining connected with a remote team.

As part of the role, you will respond to telephone and email enquiries in a professional, friendly manner, enrol trainees onto facilitator training programmes, maintain accurate records using our CRM systems, process orders received through our online shop, generate certificates for newly qualified facilitators and arrange their distribution, prepare and post meeting and training packs, organise and take minutes of meetings, manage diaries, provide accurate administrative support across the organisation, and assist with a range of general administrative duties as required. No two days are the same, so we’re looking for someone who enjoys variety and takes pride in delivering high-quality work.

We are looking for someone who has previous experience in an administrative or team support role, along with experience of providing excellent customer service by telephone and email. You should have experience maintaining accurate records and handling confidential information, as well as using CRM or database systems. Strong written and verbal communication skills are essential, along with excellent organisational skills and the ability to prioritise workload effectively. You will need to demonstrate a high level of accuracy and attention to detail, a good working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications, and the ability to work independently while managing competing priorities.

We are also looking for someone with a friendly, professional and approachable manner, a proactive, flexible and positive attitude. An individual who holds compassion for the sector we work in and who can correspond in all manners in a sensitive way using non-stigmatising language and with a high degree of discretion. Whilst the whole team get together in person for residential development days 3 times per year you must be able to enjoy working from home the majority of the time. A reliable home working environment with a stable internet connection is also essential, as is residence within Stoke on Trent.

What we offer includes home-based working, a laptop and mobile phone provided, a supportive and friendly team environment, a varied and rewarding role where you can make a real contribution, and opportunities to develop your skills and experience.

To support the smooth running of HR, administration, IT coordination and organisational events. The role works closely with the Business Operations Manager, the Director of Finance and Business Operations and colleagues across the charity to ensure a positive employee experience and effective internal systems.

Senior Recruitment Consultant (Manager fast-track)

Location

Preston

Length of contract

Full time and permanent

Hours

37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday

To be worked between 8am and 6pm (inc 30-minute unpaid lunchbreak)

Pay Scale

£34,000 per annum plus on target bonus

Responsible to

Operations Director

Holiday entitlement

Paid holiday entitlement of 28 days, plus 8 bank holidays

Plus a day’s leave on your birthday, plus a wellbeing day’s leave

The Role

The purpose of the role is to win vacancies and place ex-offender candidates into sustainable paid employment with local employers. Working towards a promotion to Manager within 6 months, you will then also provide leadership to the Preston office team, being responsible for the management and Recruitment Consultant responsibilities for 70% of your role.

Purpose

We place people with convictions into paid work, so they can build purposeful lives and see their families thrive

Mission

We do this by providing practical employment support, linking them to companies with good jobs

Vision

A  society  where  people’s  past  convictions  don’t  define  their  employment future

Duties and Tasks

There are four main areas of work, all of which are vital to achieving the key positive outcome for the individuals we support: sustained meaningful employment.

1. New Employer Engagement

Expanding our network of employers to generate a regular flow of job opportunities, allowing us to place our candidates into work.

This will require new business development and excellent ongoing relationship management. You will identify which jobs are most sought after by our typical candidates and which are more specialist or occasional opportunities. Equally, you will gravitate towards employers who demonstrate agility and responsiveness in their hiring processes. Your client contacts are more likely to be business owners, divisional managers and site supervisors than social value or EDI teams.

You will:

• Proactively approach local employers who are advertising paid jobs that could suit current candidates on our books, for example through online searching using keywords for skills and industry sectors, sending over candidate details with the goal of obtaining recruitment instructions and securing interviews.
• Speculatively approach organisations that are not currently recruiting but are likely to have suitable vacancies in the future that match the typical skillsets of our candidates.
• Maintain a follow-up database of active and prospective clients and take ownership of industry sectors or geographical areas, in consultation with colleagues, to avoid duplication and maximise reach.
• Visit employers to explain our services, answer questions around protocols for interviewing or hiring ex-offenders and gain a clear understanding of the workplace environment, travel routes and employer requirements.
• Select and submit candidates who you consider suitable for vacancies, advocating for each individual based on your knowledge of them, their references, and the positive changes and efforts you have witnessed.
• Be prepared to positively challenge employer assumptions where you believe reluctance to consider a candidate is unfounded.
• Disclose the candidate’s offending history and risk profile, emphasising their personal attributes and work strengths.
• Guide employers through the interview and hiring process in close consultation with the candidate.

2. Job Finder Support

Interviewing ex-offenders, offering one-to-one job coaching to help them into work and providing ongoing mentoring during their first 12 months of employment.

Ours is a face-to-face, holistic and wraparound service that culminates in our candidates finding good jobs that last, with a wide array of socially inclusive employers. Our job finder support can begin in custody and continue through the gate into the community, or start within the community. Typically, we work with an individual for between one and three months to establish work readiness and continue supporting them for up to a year after they secure employment. Many people remain in touch and return to us for subsequent jobs over a period of years, and we consider our door to always be open.

You will:

• Conduct one-to-one assessments with job-seeking candidates and, using your professional judgement, either accept them directly into our paid-work search services or refer them to partner organisations for pre-employability support where barriers such as substance misuse or homelessness remain significant.
• Work with candidates over several weeks and months as a job mentor, meeting regularly to support all aspects of their job search.
• Help craft effective CVs and disclosure letters, ensuring candidates understand the facts and disclosure obligations relating to their spent and unspent convictions.
• Check that candidates have the correct Right to Work documentation and arrange replacement birth certificates and National Insurance letters where required.
• Book candidates onto relevant third-party training courses, including CSCS cards, HGV driver training and renewable energy qualifications.
• Encourage candidates’ own job search activity, including teaching them how to use online job boards and supporting them to complete online application forms.
• Submit candidates for opportunities available through our network of inclusive employers and proactively seek additional vacancies on their behalf.
• Organise interviews, ensuring candidates have the means to travel and appropriate interview clothing, providing support where required.
• Follow up after interviews, helping candidates manage expectations, process outcomes and rebuild confidence where applications have been unsuccessful.
• Confirm job starts with both candidate and employer, ensuring candidates have access to any required workwear and support with travel-to-work costs.
• Provide practical support where needed, including food parcels, hygiene packs, pre-loaded SIM cards, clothing and utility top-ups.

In-Work Support

After employment begins, there can often be unforeseen challenges facing newly employed candidates, particularly recent prison leavers. These may be practical, emotional or lifestyle-related. The strongest opportunity to advocate for a candidate and help sustain employment comes from having built trusted relationships with both the individual and their employer.

You will:

• Advise employers on successfully onboarding new employees during their first few weeks and months in work.
• Help employers understand and accommodate any additional support needs, such as housing transitions, medical requirements or probation appointments.
• Be aware of and navigate any negative Google or media reporting about a candidate’s previous offending, including advising on measures to protect privacy and reputation where appropriate.
• Remain in regular contact with candidates during their first 12 months in employment through check-in calls and meetings.
• Record all candidate and employer interactions and outcome reporting on the Itris recruitment CRM database.

3. Management of the Preston Team (Within Six Months)

You will:

• Line manage and develop the Preston office’s Recruitment Consultants, Trainee Recruitment Consultants and Resourcer, leading by example across business development and candidate support activities.
• Run the Preston office efficiently and effectively, ensuring the charity can carry out its work and, alongside the Operations Director, help develop, agree and implement business, operational and annual plans.
• Identify appropriate methods for monitoring office performance and report regularly to the Operations Director on performance against business, operational and annual plans and budget expectations.
• Ensure the office is aware of best practice and consistently works to achieve this within the constraints set by the Trustees and available resources.
• Facilitate regular group clinical supervision sessions for yourself and all team members.

4. External and Internal Relations

You will:

• Maintain and extend a network of referral partners who can direct candidates to us for job finder support, including charities, Jobcentres, probation services and police teams.
• Cultivate these relationships through regular visits, communication and updates.
• Assist in developing the charity’s local public profile and foster positive relationships with government, statutory, voluntary, private sector and other external stakeholders.
• Monitor changes in the external environment that may affect the charity, proactively advising the Operations Director and taking appropriate action where necessary.

This is a non-exhaustive list of tasks and may be amended from time to time in line with the needs of the charity.

Our Interview Process

This vacancy will close on 6th September, with applications being shortlisted on 7th September.

If you are successful at the shortlisting stage, you will be invited to attend the first stage of our interview process on Tuesday 8th September, between 4:30pm and 7pm, at our new offices in Preston.

We want our recruitment process to give you the opportunity to get to know The Recruitment Junction (TRJ) just as much as it allows us to get to know you.

The evening will begin with an introduction to TRJ from our CEO and Senior Leadership Team, giving you the opportunity to hear more about who we are, our values. the work we do and what it is like to be part of our team. You will also have the opportunity to ask questions in an open audience environment, allowing you to find out more about TRJ, our work and our organisation. Refreshments will also be provided.

You will then have a short, informal, face-to-face conversation with one of our hiring managers. This is designed to be a relaxed opportunity for us to learn a little more about you, while also giving you the chance to ask questions and decide whether TRJ is somewhere you would like to continue pursuing a career.

Following the first-stage event, we will invite successful candidates for a formal final interview.

Key dates:

• Applications close: 6th September
• Shortlisting: 7th September
• Stage One – Recruitment Evening: Tuesday 8th September, 4:30-7pm
• Stage Two – Formal Final Interview: Wednesday 16th September – time to be confirmed

We hope this approach creates a welcoming and informal first stage, giving you a genuine opportunity to learn more about TRJ, meet members of our team and decide whether we are a fit for each other.

About Spear Leeds

Spear is working in partnership with Bridge Community Church to deliver the Spear Programme in Leeds!

At Bridge Community Church, their heart is to work in partnerships wherever and whenever they can. They partner with organisations including Spear, to see their goals and vision achieved. The Spear Programme is delivered in Spear Leeds which offers young people professionally recognised coaching, for free, to support them into sustainable work or education. They leave Spear equipped to thrive in work and life. 

Key Information:

• Salary: from £26,000
• Full-time - Monday to Friday
• 25 days annual leave (including Christmas gift days) plus bank holidays
• Closing date: 7th September (we interview on a rolling basis and may close the role early if we find the right candidate)

For more information please read through our Job Specification and Work with us pack attached below. 

If you require any reasonable adjustments as part of the recruitment process, please let us know.

Person Specification

• An active Christian, dedicated to representing the values and ethos of Spear and Bridge Community Church.
• You have demonstrable experience as a coach, or a background in youth work or teaching, and are keen to develop these skills further.
• You have a heart for young people and releasing their potential, no matter what challenging circumstances they are facing.
• Effective interpersonal skills and high emotional intelligence with a sense of humour and fun.
• You are great at building relationships, with solid communication skills.
• Good administrative and organisational skills, working well under pressure with the ability to prioritise workload.

**Please note due to funding guidelines, this role is restricted to male candidates only**

About Us

We Are Survivors is a survivor-focused voluntary sector organisation that aims to create and facilitate safe spaces for male (including trans and non-binary individuals) survivors of sexual harms across Greater Manchester, providing access to quality-assured support. Our work is focused on developing ways for individuals to empower themselves to work through personal and sometimes painful issues, guided and supported by our trauma-informed team, following the trauma and recovery model.

Our vision is to have “A society where NO male survivor is left behind”

About the Role

The OUT Side OUT Spoken Navigator supports male survivors and survivor allies as they prepare to leave prison or another secure setting and rebuild their lives in the community. The role provides intensive, trauma-informed support shaped around each person’s individual circumstances, including completing risk and needs assessments and developing a tailored support plan. You’ll help people navigate challenges around housing, healthcare, benefits, employment and community connections, working closely with prison, probation, health, social care and other partner agencies. The aim is to reduce barriers; strengthen stability and ensure people continue to feel supported throughout the transition from custody into the community.

About You

You’ll have experience of providing one-to-one support or advocacy to people with complex needs and be comfortable working with trauma, risk and the challenges that can accompany release from custody. Experience within criminal justice, mental health, housing, social care or community services would be particularly helpful, as would an understanding of sexual harms affecting boys and men. You’ll be able to build trusting relationships while maintaining clear professional boundaries, manage competing priorities and work confidently with a range of partner agencies. We also recognise the value of transferable experience and welcome applicants who are thoughtful, reliable and committed to learning and making a meaningful difference.

Why Join Us?

· a competitive salary.

· annual leave package with incremental rises plus bank holidays.

· company sick pay.

· Birthday annual leave.

· monthly clinical supervision.

· pension contribution.

· and a range of discount and benefit programmes.

About Us

We Are Survivors is a survivor-focused voluntary sector organisation that aims to create and facilitate safe spaces for male (including trans and non-binary individuals) survivors of sexual harms across Greater Manchester, providing access to quality-assured support. Our work is focused on developing ways for individuals to empower themselves to work through personal and sometimes painful issues, guided and supported by our trauma-informed team, following the trauma and recovery model.

Our vision is to have “A society where NO male survivor is left behind”

About the Roles

At We Are Survivors, every role exists for one reason: to support male survivors of sexual harms and the people who stand alongside them. While each position has a different focus, they all contribute to providing safe, effective and trauma-informed services that help survivors and their loved ones move forward.

Head of Support and Advocacy

The Head of Support and Advocacy provides operational leadership across We Are Survivors’ support and advocacy services. Working closely with the Service Director, Operations Director and Executive Team, the role ensures services are effective, well governed and meet the needs of survivors and their loved ones. This includes overseeing our trauma-informed, survivor-centred approach; monitoring service performance; safeguarding and record-keeping; and ensuring contractual commitments and quality standards are met. The role also represents the organisation in external partnerships and helps shape services in response to changes in policy, evidence and the needs of people with lived experience.

About You

Head of Support and Advocacy

You’ll be an experienced operational or clinical leader who is comfortable overseeing services that work with trauma, mental health and complex needs. You’ll understand how to balance compassionate, survivor-centred practice with effective governance, safeguarding, quality assurance and contractual performance. Experience of working with men, sexual harms or people with lived experience would be valuable, alongside the ability to build strong relationships with staff, partners and stakeholders. Most importantly, you’ll be someone who can lead with clarity, curiosity and care while helping services continue to learn and improve.

Why Join Us?

· a competitive salary.

· annual leave package with incremental rises plus bank holidays.

· company sick pay.

· Birthday annual leave.

· monthly clinical supervision.

· pension contribution.

· and a range of discount and benefit programmes.

About Us

We Are Survivors is a survivor-focused voluntary sector organisation that aims to create and facilitate safe spaces for male (including trans and non-binary individuals) survivors of sexual harms across Greater Manchester, providing access to quality-assured support. Our work is focused on developing ways for individuals to empower themselves to work through personal and sometimes painful issues, guided and supported by our trauma-informed team, following the trauma and recovery model.

Our vision is to have “A society where NO male survivor is left behind”

About the Role

At We Are Survivors, every role exists for one reason: to support male survivors of sexual harms and the people who stand alongside them. While each position has a different focus, they all contribute to providing safe, effective and trauma-informed services that help survivors and their loved ones move forward.

The Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner provides trauma-informed, low-intensity psychological support to male survivors of sexual harms. Working within a flexible and person-centred model, the PWP helps clients understand the impact of their experiences and access practical, evidence-based interventions that support their wellbeing and recovery. The role maintains high standards of clinical governance, records interventions accurately and ensures each client receives safe, responsive and effective therapeutic support.

About You

You’ll be comfortable supporting people affected by trauma and able to provide structured, evidence-based psychological interventions within a flexible and person-centred approach. You may already have experience of working with men, sexual harms, mental health or complex needs, although we also welcome candidates whose transferable experience has prepared them for this work. You’ll be able to build trusting therapeutic relationships, work safely within professional boundaries and adapt your approach to the individual in front of you.

Why Join Us?

· a competitive salary.

· annual leave package with incremental rises plus bank holidays.

· company sick pay.

· Birthday annual leave.

· monthly clinical supervision.

· pension contribution.

· and a range of discount and benefit programmes.