Administrative Officer

ABOUT US

The Economist Educational Foundation is a fast-growing charity on a mission to ensure that every child is empowered to think critically and communicate effectively about the world’s most complex current issues.

Last year, 10,800 teachers downloaded Topical Talk lessons, reaching 532,000 children in over 86 countries. We are on track to double this number, reaching over 1 million school children by the end of 2026.

Topical Talk helps children join inspiring discussions about the news by providing:

• Topical Talk Headlines - award-winning weekly lessons for classroom discussions about global news stories

• Leadership for Change Prize - child-led solutions to complex global issues

• Community partnerships - support and training for teachers via partnerships with Multi-Academy Trusts in the UK and School Districts in America

THE ROLE

We are looking for a motivated Administrative Officer to provide the quality support and attention to detail that keeps our programmes running smoothly. You will be joining a passionate team dedicated to helping children all over the world develop their critical thinking and learn about global current affairs. We are a small but growing team of 17, and in this role, you will work across every part of the charity, seeing our impact in action and ensuring our daily operations are handled with total consistency.

We want a positive and supportive self-starter who takes genuine pride in their work being done well. You will be someone proactive who anticipates the team's needs and is always looking for ways to make our systems and processes more efficient. This is a brilliant opportunity to learn and grow with us; you will gain a unique, 360-degree insight into how a charity operates while benefiting from our position as an independent organisation supported by The Economist Group. You will experience both the charity and corporate sectors, building a professional network across the Group and developing a versatile, high-level skill set as you progress your career.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Team operations and administration

• Provide essential admin support including booking travel, purchasing equipment, managing the post, and supporting printing

• Act as the administrator for most team subscriptions, online tools and softwares

• Maintain a well-organised office environment, including inventory management for the team cupboard and equipment

• Proactively identify and fix broken systems, creating better ways to manage tasks

• Build strong relationships with the key teams from The Economist Group such as Facilities, HR, and IT to ensure smooth operational support to the Foundation’s work

Financial administration

• Accurately process and record weekly payment runs and invoices in the banking and finance systems

• Assist with financial reconciliation and proactively chase outstanding payments or missing receipts

• Process staff and volunteer expense claims, ensuring they align with the charity’s financial policies

Programme and event support

• Act as the first point of contact for the Foundation’s inboxes, providing excellent service to teachers by troubleshooting account issues and managing enquiries

• Support the programme and fundraising teams by collating qualitative and quantitative data on students and teachers for programme and funder reporting

• Manage the process of sending physical materials and resources to schools and teachers when relevant, including packing, addressing, and coordinating couriers or post

• Lead the logistics for webinars and live lessons on online event tools, including managing platform settings and hosting calls

• Coordinate logistics for team socials and events with partners, funders, and trustees, including room/venue booking, catering, and on-site setup

HR and onboarding

• Manage candidate logistics, including posting roles, redacting applications, handling diversity monitoring forms, and scheduling interviews

• Provide high-quality service to applicants, acting as a warm and professional point of contact for all interview coordination

• Lead the practical setup for new joiners, including IT access, office tours, equipment handovers, and managing DBS checks

WHAT WE OFFER 

• Real impact: you’ll support the team to make a real difference to children’s ability to think critically, listen well, express themselves and understand the big issues of our time

• A friendly, driven and highly-effective team: we are deeply committed to being an inspiring place to work, where we learn and achieve things that matter together. Our team of experts work creatively and collaboratively, whilst taking full responsibility for their goals

• Development and support: we invest in training and development and will support you to build the skills and experience as you need

• A competitive benefits package to support your wellbeing, growth, and work-life balance

We’re particularly keen for you to apply if you are from a community under-represented in the charity sector or have lived experience of facing extra barriers because of your background.