Business Administration Manager

Atomic Weapons Establishment; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 47,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

9-day working fortnight

270 hours annual leave

Pension scheme 9–13%

Professional development funding

Employee Assistance Programme

Job summary

Atomic Weapons Establishment is seeking an experienced Business Administration Manager to lead a critical service function, delivering efficient, customer-focused support in line with SLAs and priorities. You will drive performance, governance and capability development while transitioning to trusted professional partnerships.

You will oversee resource planning, continuous improvement and service transformation to enhance customer outcomes and operational excellence across AWE.

Qualifications

• Proven leadership and capability development experience.
• Strong stakeholder management and relationship-building skills.
• Sound judgement and confident decision-making.
• Customer-focused approach and commitment to continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Lead the delivery of Business Administration services aligned to business needs, SLAs and organisational priorities.
• Develop team capability, resilience and future workforce readiness.
• Manage resources, performance, risks and competing priorities across the service.
• Use performance insight and management information to drive decision-making and improvement.
• Build strong relationships with customers and stakeholders.
• Lead service improvement and transformation initiatives that enhance customer outcomes.
• Support governance, assurance and control activities that maintain service quality and effectiveness.
• Contribute to the wider development of Business Administration services and professional standards.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Judgement

Customer focus

Data-driven

Resilience

Communication

Professional development

Job description

Business Administration Manager

Location: RG7 4PR, located between Reading and Basingstoke, with free onsite parking. You may be required to work from other AWE sites when required.

Package: £46,500 - £65,000 (depending on your suitability, qualifications, and level of experience)

Working Pattern: AWE operates a 9-day working fortnight, with every other Friday as a non-working day.

This role is eligible for hybrid working, meaning employees typically spend three days on site in a long week and two days on site in a short week.

We support flexible working where possible, including part-time and varied working hours, so please let us know if you would like us to consider an alternative working arrangement when you apply.

About the role

Let us introduce the role Business Administration at AWE is evolving, and we are looking for an experienced and motivated leader to manage a Business Administration service function and help develop a high-performing, customer-focused team. As a Business Administration Manager, you will lead a critical service function, ensuring services are delivered efficiently, consistently and in line with customer needs, Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and organisational priorities. You will be responsible for service performance, resource planning, continuous improvement and capability development, while helping drive the transition from transactional support to trusted professional partnership. This is a fantastic opportunity to influence how Business Administration is delivered, enhance customer outcomes, and play a key role in driving operational excellence across AWE.

What you’ll do

• Lead the delivery of Business Administration services aligned to business needs, SLAs and organisational priorities.
• Develop team capability, resilience and future workforce readiness.
• Manage resources, performance, risks and competing priorities across the service.
• Use performance insight and management information to drive decision-making and improvement.
• Build strong relationships with customers and stakeholders.
• Lead service improvement and transformation initiatives that enhance customer outcomes.
• Support governance, assurance and control activities that maintain service quality and effectiveness.
• Contribute to the wider development of Business Administration services and professional standards.

What you’ll bring

• Proven leadership and capability development experience.
• Strong stakeholder management and relationship-building skills.
• Sound judgement and confident decision-making.
• Customer-focused approach and commitment to continuous improvement.
• The ability to use data and insight to drive performance and service outcomes.
• Resilience and adaptability in a changing environment.
• Excellent communication, influencing and problem-solving skills.
• A passion for developing professional support services and creating measurable customer value.

Essential Experience

• Leading and developing teams within a business support, service or operational environment.
• Managing performance against targets, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) or SLAs.
• Allocating resources and balancing competing priorities.
• Using performance data to inform decisions and improve outcomes.
• Managing risk, resolving complex issues and maintaining service delivery.
• Building effective customer and stakeholder relationships.
• Leading change, service improvement or transformation initiatives.

Benefits

• 9-day working fortnight – meaning you get every other Friday off work, in addition to 270 hours of annual leave.
• Market leading contributory pension scheme (we will pay between 9% and 13% of your pensionable pay depending on your contributions).
• Family friendly policies: Maternity Leave - 39 Weeks Full Pay and Paternity Leave - 4 Weeks Full Pay.
• Opportunities for Professional Career Development including funding for annual membership of a relevant professional body.
• Employee Assistance Programme and Occupational Health Services.
• Life Assurance (4 x annual salary).
• Discounts – access to savings on a wide range of everyday spending.
• Special Leave Policy including paid time off for volunteering, public service (including reserve forces) and caring.

Important things you need to know

You will need to obtain and maintain the necessary security clearance for the role. This will be funded by AWE. The nature of our work does mean you need to be a British Citizen who has been resident in the UK for the past 5 years in order to apply for SC clearance and 10 years for DV. We want you to feel comfortable and able to shine during our recruitment process. Please let us know on your application form if you need any adjustments/accommodations during the process. Our interviews typically take place over Teams and for most roles are a 1 stage process. Our ambition is to create workplaces where we recognise and celebrate differences, encourage diverse contributions and our employees feel able to be themselves at work. We strive to create a genuine culture of openness and inclusion and encourage diverse applicants. Any inclusion information you provide will be stored in accordance with GDPR and kept separate from your application form and CV, and the information will not be shared with anyone involved in interviewing or making hiring decisions. Please note that you must be a British Citizen to apply for a role with us.

We are an Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award Employer.