Administration Assistant

George Watson's College; City of Edinburgh; On-site; GBP 21,000 - 27,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free school lunches

Employer pension contributions up to 8

Cycle to work scheme

Discount and Benefits Scheme

Job summary

Erskine Stewart Melville (ESM) is recruiting an Administrative Assistant to join the School Operation Team on a temporary 9‑month basis. The role is full time with a salary of £24,024 per year.

The successful candidate will support front office administration, attendance coordination and procurement across departments, ensuring smooth running of ESM operations. Prior experience in busy offices and in education is preferred. Applications close 25 September 2026.

Qualifications

• Experience of working in a busy office environment.
• Experience in a school or education environment is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Front Office administration, including first line contact via email, phone or in person and maintenance of visitor records.
• Coordination of attendance matters including morning and lesson-by-lesson attendance and processes relating to missing students.
• Administration of stationery supplies and procurement requests for students, Senior School Academic Departments, Junior School Year Groups and School Operations Team offices.

Job description

The following content displays a map of the jobs location - Edinburgh

Number of Positions:

1

Contract Type:

Fixed Term Contract - Full Time

Please note the annual salary of £24,024 will be pro‑rated in line with the 9 month FTC.

Location:

Edinburgh

Closing Date:

25/09/2026

Department:

Administration

Region / Division:

ESMS

Job Role:

Operational/Professional Services

The Role

Erskine Stewart Melville are currently recruiting for an Administrative Assistant to join the School Operation Team on a temporary basis for 9 months. The role is full time with a salary of £24,024 per year.

The purpose of the role is to be responsible for assisting in administering the procedures and systems that underpin and facilitate the smooth running of ESM and will include such duties as:

• Front Office administration so that processes, systems and data are aligned, including first line contact for all enquiries by email, phone or in person and maintenance of accurate visitor records.
• Co-ordination of all attendance matters including morning and lesson‑by‑lesson attendance and processes relating to missing students.
• Administration of stationery supplies and procurement requests for students, Senior School Academic Departments. Junior School Year Groups and for School Operations Team offices.

The successful candidate must have experience of working in a busy and dynamic office environment, with multiple and varying demands and experience managing a busy and varied workload including email inbox and prioritising workload as required. Experience of working in a school or an education environment is preferred.

To learn more about this role, please access the job description provided.

ESM is unable to sponsor the employment of international workers in this role. International applicants will therefore be unable to apply for and secure a Skilled Worker visa. The successful candidate will only be able to take up this role if they can demonstrate an alternative right work in the UK.

Employees get access to a range of benefits including:

• Free school lunches
• Free Sports’ Club membership, including access to pool and fitness suites
• Paid moving house day
• Employer pension contributions of up to 8%
• Family friendly policies, including enhanced maternity leave
• Membership of the ESM Discount and Benefits Scheme, including a range of discounts at 130,000 retail and entertainment locations
• Employee Assistance Service
• Cycle to work scheme
• Car leasing salary sacrifice scheme
• Annual professional review process
• Regular salary reviews
• Funding towards professional qualifications

Values

We are looking for individuals who can embody and promote ESM values of Kindness, Confidence, Resilience, Integrity, and Curiosity while role modelling behaviours in line with our school pillars of Ambition, Innovation, and Community.

ESM is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. Applicants must undergo child protection screening, including checks with past employers and Disclosure Scotland.

All staff working at ESM have direct access to young people therefore all posts within the school are considered exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

The deadline for applications is Friday 25th September 2026. We anticipate that interviews will take place shortly after.

About ESM

Welcome to Erskine Stewart Melville, a school for 3-18 year olds, in the heart of Edinburgh, where innovation thrives. We are committed to the individual ambitions of every student by pushing the boundaries of traditional academia.

Our school cultivates creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration. We empower our learners to dream big and surpass their own expectations, using progressive teaching and learning. Our approach provides an expansive range of academic and extra‑curricular opportunities, as well as a dedicated wellbeing programme that supports the whole child.

The people that work for us are passionate, pioneering and strive for excellence in everything they do.We value the incredible contributions they make to school life, we invest in their careers and we support their ambitions so that they flourish professionally and personally.