Role Introduction

An opportunity has arisen to work for the alumni organisation of one of the world’s most high-profile, independent schools as the Old Etonian Association (OEA) External Relations Co-ordinator at the Old Etonian Association (OEA), situated at Eton College, near Windsor.

This is a broad, varied and interesting role, suited to a multi-tasker to ensure the smooth operational running of the OEA Office. The post-holder will develop strong relationships with stakeholders including the OEA Director, academic and administrative colleagues and other external stakeholders to include service providers.

The post-holder will be required to develop, implement and maintain robust administrative systems and take a lead in supporting the development and implementation of processes across concurrent projects.

Due to the needs of the school and the department, we may interview suitable candidates before the closing date. This job may also close early if a large number of applications are received. You are advised to submit your application as early as possible to avoid missing your chance to apply.

Main Duties

• You will be the first point of contact for all communications into the OEA, managing incoming and outgoing correspondence, communications and emails as appropriate, ensuring that replies and responses are timely;
• You will have experience of, and enjoy working in, a fast-moving environment and be able to work autonomously, as required;
• You must be able to judge the priority of calls, filtering sensitively and tactfully;
• You will have a flexible approach to the tasks as they arise, for example manging and actioning the email traffic, whilst assisting the Event Officer with OEA event preparation and collating publication material;
• With a can-do approach to projects and administration, you will provide strong customer service to the OEA community, Board and Director. Projects may include carrying out benchmarking, researching event venues and costings, sourcing suppliers and advertisers and coordinating the OEA annual publication and termly e-newsletters;
• You will have responsibility for maintaining the OEA database, updating information daily, sending mailshots and carrying out research from the database as required by the Director and Committee and providing data in a variety of formats;
• Checking and filing bank statements, administrating expenses and liaising with the OEA accountants to assist with the production of Management Accounts;
• You will have a competent understanding of GDPR and associated compliance regulations;
• You will maintain the office policies and procedures; identify and influence efficiencies for internal processes and third-party services providers where appropriate;
• You will arrange meetings and assist with the preparation of agendas, reports and minutes for board meetings and must be comfortable drafting a variety of outputs for the Director;
• Effective management of the Director’s diary, liaising with Eton College’s Leadership Team, Committee members and other stakeholders and/or service providers to maximise use of their time and minimize conflicting appointments;
• You will lead on OEA annual events which include the OEA Lecture and committee meetings which are usually held in London.  You will assist the Eton College Events and Engagement Officer with reunion events, throughout the year, with occasional evening support
• Commitment and promotion of equality, diversity and inclusion;
• All positions at Eton are classed as ‘regulated activity’ as per the Keeping Children Safe in Education 2023 guidance, therefore a good understanding of safeguarding procedures is essential;
• Commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, including by not limited to, completing safeguarding training as required, and ensuring any safeguarding updates issued by the College are read and understood;
• Understand and comply with procedures and legislation relating to confidentiality.

The Ideal Candidate

Skills and Competencies Required

To be successful in this role, you will need to be able to demonstrate the following:

• Experience of providing confident and accurate administrative support and juggling competing priorities;
• Proficient knowledge of Microsoft Office;
• Experience of working with CRM systems, particularly InTouch or ThankQ would be an advantage;
• Experience of working across social media platforms would be advantageous, such as LinkedIn and Instagram;
• Experience using Eventbrite;
• Experience of organising events;
• Experience of budget planning, maintaining financial controls and service provider management, recording costs and income for events and publications and preparing reports for the Director/Committee.

In addition to your experience, you may enjoy this role if you possess:

• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal with the ability to liaise with a wide variety of people with particular emphasis on telephone communication;
• The ability to work autonomously and undertake operational and administrative functions to ensure specific projects are delivered efficiently;
• A high degree of personal integrity and the demonstrable ability to deal with confidential information with discretion and professionalism;
• Good organisation skills with experience in multitasking and problem solving with accuracy would be an advantage;
• The ability to liaise with other senior members of staff across the Eton community;
• Take pride in your work and always deliver to the highest standard;
• Have excellent attention to detail.

Working Pattern

• Your working hours will be 35 hours per week, Monday to Friday, with one hour unpaid for lunch.
• You will be working 52 weeks per year.
• You will be entitled to 21 days holiday. If a bank holiday falls during a school term period, you will be required to work this day and you will receive an additional day’s holiday in lieu.

Benefits

Eton College offers a wide range of benefits, including an 11% employer contribution to your pension (with 4.9% employee contribution), Employee Assistance Programme, enhanced Maternity / Paternity scheme, a cycle to work scheme, subsidised lunches during term time, free access to the College’s sport and leisure facilities and discounts at local retailers and businesses.

About the College

We are an equal opportunities employer and are seeking applications from suitable candidates from all backgrounds. We are dedicated to creating and sustaining an environment that values individuality and difference and celebrates the diversity of both staff and pupils by fostering perseverance, tolerance and integrity. We believe in equal opportunity for everyone, irrespective of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation or socio-economic background.

If you have any queries about the application process or any problem with submitting your application online, the Recruitment Team will be happy to help. Should you require any reasonable adjustments to be made or facilities provided to enable you to apply online, please do not hesitate to contact us on recruitment@etoncollege.org.uk so we can make adjustments accordingly. 

DISCLOSURE CHECKS

Eton College is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and applicants must be willing to undergo child protection screening appropriate to the post, including, but not limited to, reference checks with past employers, an Enhanced Disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service (including Barred List information), an online search and, where applicable, Prohibition checks. If you are successful in your application, you will be required to complete a DBS Disclosure Application Form.  Any information disclosed will be handled in accordance with any guidance and/or Code of Practice published by the DBS. The College is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore all convictions, cautions, reprimands and final warnings (including those which would normally be considered as “spent” under the Act) must be declared, subject to the DBS filtering rules. It is a criminal offence for any person who is barred from working with children to attempt to apply for a position at the College.

Eton College