Facilities and administration officer jobs in Bristol, city of bristol
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Cerebra is the national charity dedicated to improving the lives of children with neurological conditions and their families. We provide vital research, support, and practical solutions that empower families facing complex challenges.
With an annual income of £3 million and a headcount of 68 employees, we have ambitious plans to double our income between 2025 and 2027, ensuring we can extend our impact, reach more families, and drive real change. To achieve this, we are investing in fundraising innovation, income generating ventures, and strategic partnerships, alongside enhancing our brand to increase our national recognition.
Our work is underpinned by our values ensuring that everything we do aligns with our mission to create a better world for children with neurological conditions.
This is an incredibly exciting time to join Cerebra, as we are preparing to launch our new strategy and brand. The COO is a vital leadership role that will support the drive towards even greater impact for children and families across the UK.
Our Services
Sleep Advice Service
Cerebra understands that if you have a child that doesn’t sleep, the whole family suffers. Many children with neurological conditions suffer from disrupted sleep. Our sleep advice service provides bespoke advice and support so that everyone can get a good night’s sleep.
Legal Rights Service
Our Legal Rights Service provides help and support to families of children with neurological conditions when they are faced with barriers and difficulties in accessing statutory support services they are entitled to. The service provides information on their legal entitlements.
Book and Toy Library Service
Our specialist postal lending library contains a wide range of books for both adults and children, plus a selection of sensory toys specifically chosen for children with a neurological condition.
Innovation and Product Design Service
Our Innovation Service designs and builds bespoke products that cater to the specific needs of children with neurological conditions. The aim of the service is to make products that are desirable and exciting, therefore promoting social inclusion, peer acceptance and enabling children to participate in everyday activities that are so often close to them.
Information Products
Cerebra publishes different information products to help families with a child with a neurological condition. Our information products offer comprehensive, up-to-date support and research-driven strategies to assist families with a wide range of issues.
Buzgi and Toy Adaptation Service
Cerebra designs and builds bespoke assistive equipment for disabled children, this includes creating custom mobility aids, switch‑adapted toys, and other innovative solutions to help children access play, learning, and independence.
The Bugzi - a mini powered wheelchair for children offers many children their first experience of independent mobility. It uses either a joystick or switches and adaptable seating for complex needs, and helps develop spatial awareness, confidence, and early mobility skills. The Bugzi is available through a national loan scheme.
Additionally, we operate commercial services (including a web shop) to supplement our income to support children and their families.
Our services are provided to families free of charge.
Job Title:
Chief Operating Officer
Reports To:
Chief Executive Officer
Direct reports:
3 senior managers (Finance (headcount of 3), HR (headcount of 1), IT (headcount of 5))
Purpose of the Role:
The Chief Operating Officer will play a vital role in supporting the Chief Executive Officer, Board and Leadership Team to deliver Cerebra’s vision and ambitious strategic aims. The Chief Operating Officer will provide strategic leadership and operational management across key areas within Cerebra including:
- Operational Systems
- Governance
- Compliance
- Finance and Growth
This is a pivotal executive leadership role, responsible for driving organisational performance, sustainability and growth. The COO will translate Cerebra’s strategic ambitions into effective operational delivery, ensuring robust governance, financial stewardship and a high-performing, values-led culture.
As a trusted advisor to the CEO and Board, the COO will lead core operational services and commercial activity, enabling the charity to maximise impact and generate sustainable income in support of its charitable objectives.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic & Executive Leadership
- Partner with the CEO and Board to deliver strategic priorities, growth and long-term sustainability
- Collaboration with the Director’s Group to ensure strategic alignment across the charity. The Director’s Group consists of:
Chief Executive Officer
Chief Operating Officer
Director of Fundraising, Marketing and Communications
Director of Research and Support Services
- Provide expert advice on finance, operations, commercial performance and organisational risk
- Lead organisational planning, business continuity, and operational resilience
- Foster a culture of continuous improvement, accountability and inclusion
Finance, Commercial & Sustainability
- Lead financial strategy, planning and performance, ensuring long-term sustainability
- Oversee budgeting, forecasting, cashflow and financial controls
- Lead and develop Cerebra’s strategy for commercial income , ensuring alignment with charitable objectives
- Support funding growth through strong financial insight and business case development
- Ensure robust financial governance, audit and compliance
Operations & Infrastructure
- Lead and strengthen operational functions including HR, IT, governance and administration
- Ensure effective systems, processes and infrastructure that enable growth, efficiency and impact
- Oversee procurement, contracts, facilities, and organisational compliance
- Drive innovation and value for money across operations
People & Culture
- Champion a positive, inclusive and high-performing organisational culture
- Oversee HR strategy, workforce planning and leadership development
- Ensure compliance with employment law and best practice
- Promote wellbeing, engagement and organisational effectiveness
Digital & Technology
- Provide strategic oversight of IT, data and digital development
- Ensure systems are secure, resilient and aligned to organisational needs
- Leverage data and technology to improve insight, decision-making and organisational impact
Governance, Risk & Compliance
- Ensure effective governance frameworks, risk management and regulatory compliance
- Support the CEO and Board with high-quality reporting and strategic insight
- Lead safeguarding, data protection and organisational risk strategy
- Drive a strong culture of accountability and ethical practice
Leadership & Management
- Lead and develop a small senior team across finance, HR and IT
- Build capability, strengthen performance, and embed a collaborative culture
- Model Cerebra’s values and leadership behaviours
Key Attributes
- Strategic and commercially minded leader with strong operational delivery experience
- Strong financial leadership and business acumen
- Proven track record of driving income growth, sustainability and organisational performance
- Skilled in governance, risk and stakeholder engagement
Please see attached job description for the Person Specification.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.
Are you an experienced senior administrator or operations professional who wants to use your skills to support a meaningful cause?
My client is a Black-led charity with a long track record of supporting Black and racialised women and children affected by domestic abuse and Violence Against Women and Girls. They are entering a busy period of growth and transition and are now seeking an Interim Senior Admin Officer to step in quickly, stabilise systems and support the organisation through change.
The role As Interim Senior Admin Officer, you will play a central role in ensuring the organisation runs smoothly, safely and compliantly. You will take stock of existing systems, put clear processes in place and provide practical support to staff and trustees during a period of onboarding and recruitment.
You will also work closely with the Admin Officer and Receptionist, offering day-to-day guidance, support and coaching to help them deliver to a high standard.
Key responsibilities include
- Reviewing and improving operational systems across administration, record-keeping, filing, archiving and IT
- Leading supplier and contract management, including reviewing value for money and setting up clear contract processes
- Supporting recruitment activity and onboarding of new staff and trustees, including inductions, equipment and access
- Developing, reviewing and updating organisational and HR policies in line with UK employment law and best practice
- Advising on employment matters such as contracts, grievance and disciplinary procedures and staff entitlements
- Ensuring strong governance and compliance, including Charity Commission and Companies House requirements
- Overseeing GDPR compliance, health and safety and statutory obligations
- Supporting facilities management, including getting the reception area fully operational
- Providing hands-on support and coaching to the admin team
- Producing a clear written recommendations report by the three-month point to support continuity
- Strong experience in senior administration, operations or office management, ideally within the charity or third sector
- Experience or knowledge of organisational and HR policies
- Knowledge of UK employment rights and employment law
- Hands-on understanding of charity governance and regulatory compliance
- Working knowledge of GDPR and health and safety
- Experience managing suppliers and contracts
- Confidence supporting recruitment, onboarding and HR processes
- A supportive, coaching-style approach to working with others
- The ability to prioritise, work at pace and get things done
- Strong cultural competence and commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion
- Role: Interim Senior Admin Officer
- Organisation type: Black-led charity supporting Black and racialised women and children affected by domestic abuse and VAWG
- Rate: £15–£18 per hour, depending on experience
- Hours: 20 hours per week, Monday to Friday
- Location: Newcastle upon Tyne (NE4), with on-site or remote working
- Contract type: Temporary
- Duration: 6 months
As a Black-led organisation, my client strongly encourages applications from Black women and women from racially minoritised backgrounds, who are under-represented in senior operational roles.
Why apply? This is a rare opportunity to step into a trusted interim role within a values-driven organisation doing vital, life-changing work. You will have the space to make meaningful improvements, support people to succeed and help shape a stronger future for the organisation.
We want you to have every opportunity to demonstrate your skills, ability and potential; please contact us if you require any assistance or adjustment so that we can help with making the application process work for you.
We want you to have every opportunity to demonstrate your skills, ability and potential; please contact us if you require any assistance or adjustment so that we can help with making the application process work for you.
About Us
Learning with Parents supports all families to have positive learning interactions together. We drive inclusive parental engagement by partnering with schools and leading the sector through learning what works.
By partnering with primary schools, we support thousands of families across the UK to enjoy learning together at home. Our child-led videos and hands-on family activities replace traditional homework. Through behavioural insight research, innovative technology and teacher training we ensure that as many families as possible are supported effectively.
We are working to improve parental engagement across the sector, by producing evidence of parents’ impact and generating insights into how schools can best support them. Learnings are disseminated through the Parental Engagement Forum and amplified through the Fair Education Alliance.
About the Role
The Operations Coordinator will play a key role across the charity, supporting the smooth running of Learning with Parents’ core functions during a period of growth and enabling the team to effectively deliver our programmes and achieve impact for disadvantaged families.
In particular, they will assist the Operations team with HR and recruitment processes, providing additional administrative capacity and supporting our finance functions. They will also provide essential administrative support for the Schools team, including supporting with responding parent and teacher queries, maintaining CRM systems and issuing invoices.
Core areas of responsibility
Financial Systems
- Support with accounting and financial systems, including: monthly reconciliations; paying expenses and invoices; and procurement.
HR Support
- Support with the recruitment process for staff, interns, work experience and trustees including advertising roles, supporting logistics for interviews, carrying out DBS checks, collecting references and sending unsuccessful applicants feedback.
- Support with HR record keeping, including staff training refreshers, keeping employee details up to date, policy refreshers etc.
- Support with the onboarding of new staff, including procuring necessary office equipment, setting up new members of staff on platforms and scheduling meetings as necessary.
- Support with the logistics for the annual staff away days and organise termly staff socials.
- Support the intern and work experience recruitment and support processes.
Programme Support
- Update the schools database and organisations database with the relevant programme information
- Support the Schools Team to deliver timely support for both schools and parents using our programmes through our help desk system, Hubspot
- Support with the invoicing and contracts for school partners, including supporting the Schools Team with ensuring school invoices are paid
- Provide logistics support with ordering and sending out teddies to schools for Ready teddy
- Support Curriculum team with subtitling videos
- Support Curriculum team with travel logistics from filming
- Support with any programme admin as directed by the school team.
Administrative Support
- Provide diary management support for the CEO and trustees
- Book travel for staff and external meeting spaces as required.
- Support with trustee meetings and external meetings, including organising travel, booking meeting rooms, organising lunch, minuting meetings.
- Manage all non-school related enquiries coming into the general Learning with Parents inbox and assist with responding to enquiries on HubSpot, as required.
- General administrative support as required.
Office Management
- Ensure office and kitchen resources are replenished as required i.e. printing paper, stationery, tea, coffee.
- Ensure the office and kitchen are kept clean and tidy.
- Ensure office equipment and furniture is in good working order and organise repairs and replacements as required.
About You
A successful Operations Coordinator will be eager to work in a small team, have a can-do attitude, and be keen to get stuck in to support the charity’s growth and impact.
Our ideal candidate would also be able to provide examples of when they have used the following skills and experience:
- Good organisational skills and ability to prioritise effectively
- Good attention to detail
- Excellent communication skills, verbally and in writing
- Ability to work well as a team and with a range of different stakeholders
- Keen to learn and develop new skills
- A desire to champion and uphold our organisation’s vision, mission and values.
Our ideal candidate might also be able to provide examples of when they have used some of the following skills and experience, although these are not essential:
- An understanding of education inequality in the UK
- Lived experience of some of the barriers that families from disadvantaged communities face in engaging with children’s learning
- Experience working within the UK education system, either in schools or in other organisations working in the space such as charities or suppliers
- Experience in (an) administrative role(s)
- Experience of book-keeping or support with other financial functions.
Our values
Our Learning with Parents values are key to how we work and inform our strategy, programme, and how we collaborate.
Ambition - We strive do more for the families, schools and organisations we work with
Collaboration - We value the voices of others and achieve more by working together
Exploration - We are curious and seek evidence to inform our work
Innovation - We test, learn, adapt and embrace failure in our pursuit of progress
Integrity - We act responsibly and honestly, and default to transparency
Supportive environment - We work to create an environment which supports growth, belonging and wellbeing for everyone
Apply directly on our website
Our vision is that every child is supported at home to fulfil their potential.
The client requests no contact from agencies or media sales.