Faculty Support Administrator

Confidential; Cambridgeshire and Peterborough; Hybrid; GBP 25,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

Cranfield University in Bedfordshire is seeking an organised administrator to join a pooled resource supporting academic staff, researchers and PhD students. You will handle purchase orders, travel bookings, and respond to emails while maintaining records.

The role requires discretion, strong communication, and proficiency in Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access. You will prioritise tasks, work independently, and provide cover for the Faculty Administration Team when needed.

Qualifications

• Excellent interpersonal skills including written and verbal communication.
• Demonstrates discretion and confidentiality with sensitive information.
• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access.
• Ability to manage workload independently and support the wider team.
• Attention to detail and accuracy under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Process purchase orders and booking travel requests.
• Provide admin support to academic staff, research staff and PhD researchers.
• Maintain up-to-date records on internal databases.
• Coordinate internal and external meetings, conferences and seminars.
• Support the Faculty Administration Team and cover where needed.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Communication

Discretion

Office proficiency

Tools

Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Access

Job description

Faculty or Department: Faculty of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Based at: Cranfield Campus, Cranfield, Bedfordshire
Hours of work: 37 hours per week, normally worked Monday to Friday. Flexible working will be considered.
Contract type: Permanent
Salary: Full time starting salary is normally in the range of £27,537 per annum
Apply by: 04/10/2026

Role Description

We welcome highly organised, self-motivated people to join our team to provide administration support with things including, but not limited to, raising orders for equipment and booking travel requests.

About the Role

You will need to provide first-class administrative support as part of a pooled resource to academic staff, research staff and PhD researchers within the Centres/Theme, which will include processing purchase orders, booking travel, managing emails and general enquiries, coordinating internal and external meetings, conferences and seminars, and maintaining up-to-date records on internal databases. This role ensures operational efficiency, professionalism and high standards of customer service, while proactively recommending improvements where appropriate.

The role is a key part of a flexible 'pooled resource' at the thematic level, coordinated by the Personal Assistant to the Director of Theme. Operating as a shared resource, the role will support major initiatives across the Theme and, where necessary, as directed by business needs and the Administration Team Lead, provide cover for the Faculty Administration Team and provide Faculty- and University-wide support.

About You

Maintaining effective relationships is key to the job. You will therefore need to be able to demonstrate excellent interpersonal skills, including written and verbal communication skills, as you will be communicating with a wide network of staff and students within the Theme. You will be privy to confidential information in relation to staff, students and business decisions, and it is imperative that absolute discretion and confidentiality is shown, whilst contributing to the sense of professionalism with external contacts/clients and promoting the values of the organisation.

Using your experience in administrative work, you will have a thorough understanding of office systems, processes and databases, and a strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office packages such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access.

You must have the ability to manage workload independently but also support the wider team and have knowledge and initiative to resolve both standard and non-standard issues and queries, being proactive and taking the initiative to manage issues and find solutions promptly to ensure smooth and effective administrative support. You will be able to refer to the team for guidance as appropriate. The ability to prioritise and organise effectively a disparate range of tasks with minimal supervision, and the ability to work under pressure whilst maintaining attention to detail and accuracy, are important aspects of the role.

About Us

As a specialist postgraduate university, Cranfield's world-class expertise, large-scale facilities and unrivalled industry partnerships are creating leaders in technology and management globally. Learn more about Cranfield and our unique impact here .

Our Values and Commitments

Our shared, stated values help to define who we are and underpin everything we do: Ambition; Impact; Respect; and Community. Find out more here .

We aim to create and maintain a culture in which everyone can work and study together and realise their full potential. We are a Disability Confident Employer. We are committed to actively exploring flexible working options for each role and have been ranked in the Top 30 family friendly employers in the UK by the charity Working Families . Find out more about our key commitments to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and Flexible Working here .

Working Arrangements

Collaborating and connecting are integral to so much of what we do. Our Working Arrangements Framework provides many staff with the opportunity to flexibly combine on-site and remote working, where job roles allow, balancing the needs of our community of staff, students, clients and partners.

Closing date for receipt of applications: 4 October 2026