Senior Administrator - People (Maternity Cover)

South Devon College; Paignton; Hybrid; GBP 20,000 - 21,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave pro rata

Training and funded higher education

Local Government Pension Scheme 15.1%

On Site Nursery (Mama Bears)

Employee discounts

Discounted travel schemes

Job summary

South Devon College is seeking a Senior Administrator - People (Maternity Cover) in Paignton. You will lead end-to-end recruitment, manage employee records and onboarding, and deliver a high-quality People service while handling confidential information with professionalism.

The role requires strong IT skills, excellent organisation, and a commitment to safeguarding. The post offers hybrid working and a generous benefits package with a fixed-term maternity cover.

Qualifications

• GCSE Maths and English at Grade 4 or above or equivalent.
• Experience in pressurised customer-service environment.
• Strong IT and Microsoft Office skills.
• Excellent organisational skills with ability to prioritise deadlines.
• Accurate keyboard skills with attention to detail.
• Clear written and verbal communication; calm, diplomatic and confidential.
• Commitment to safeguarding of children and young people.
• HR environment experience or CIPD Level 3 qualification advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Manage end-to-end recruitment and selection, guiding managers and coordinating advertising and interviews.
• Act as front-line contact for People Team, delivering excellent service to staff, applicants and external stakeholders.
• Prepare offer letters, contracts and employment documentation, complete pre-employment checks and onboarding.
• Create and maintain employee records on HR systems and databases with accurate data.
• Monitor and process employee lifecycle activities (absence, changes, probation, family leave, leavers).
• Maintain the Single Central Record and support safer recruitment processes.
• Collaborate with colleagues to deliver a professional, efficient People service across the College.

Skills

GCSE Maths & English

Experience in pressurised environment

IT & MS Office

Organisational skills

Typing accuracy

Communication skills

Calm & diplomatic

Confidentiality

Safeguarding commitment

Education

CIPD Level 3 qualification

Job description

The job requirements are detailed below. Where applicable the skills, qualifications and memberships required for this job have also been included.

Job details

Job title Senior Administrator - People (Maternity Cover) Job reference REQ003324 Date posted 29/09/2026 Application closing date 21/10/2026 Location Paignton Salary £19,771.20 to £20,265.60 per annum Package Plus Excellent Benefits Contractual hours 29.6 Basis Fractional Job category/type Support Attachments Blank Job description

Salary: £19,771.20 to £20,265.60 per annum. Plus Excellent Benefits.

Contract Type: Fixed term maternity cover up to 12 months. Fractional. 29.6 hours per week, 52 weeks per year.

Location: Paignton, Devon.

Do you enjoy delivering great customer service while managing a varied and fast-paced workload?

We are looking for a Senior Administrator - People to join our busy People team on a fixed term maternity cover basis. Acting as a first point of contact, you will provide a welcoming, responsive and professional service to colleagues, applicants and external customers, resolving enquiries wherever possible and escalating more complex matters appropriately.

About the role

You will be responsible for:

• Managing the end-to-end recruitment and selection process, providing guidance to managers, coordinating advertising, preparing shortlisting packs and arranging interviews.
• Acting as a first point of contact for the People Team, delivering excellent customer service and responding to enquiries from staff, applicants and external stakeholders.
• Preparing offer letters, contracts and employment documentation, ensuring all pre-employment checks and onboarding processes are completed efficiently.
• Creating and maintain employee records on the HR system, SharePoint and other People Team databases, ensuring data is accurate and up to date.
• Monitor and process employee lifecycle activities, including sickness absence, contractual changes, probation confirmations, family leave arrangements and leavers.
• Maintaining the Single Central Record, monitor outstanding documentation and support the College's safer recruitment processes.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues to deliver a professional, efficient and high-quality People service across the College.

About you

To be successful in this role, you will:

• Hold GCSE Maths and English at Grade 4 or above, or an equivalent qualification.
• Have experience of working in a pressurised environment and providing a high standard of customer service.
• Have strong IT and Microsoft Office skills.
• Have excellent organisational skills and the ability to prioritise competing deadlines.
• Have accurate keyboard skills and exceptional attention to detail.
• Have clear and professional written and verbal communication skills.
• Have a calm, diplomatic and friendly approach.
• Have the ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality.
• A commitment to promoting the safety and wellbeing of children and young people.

Experience within a busy HR environment, knowledge of HR or CPD administration, database experience or a CIPD Level 3 qualification would be an advantage.

Our staff are integral to maintaining our passion and high-performance levels, and we reward our staff for this. Our benefits are designed to encourage a healthy work-life balance, and include:

• 25 daysannual leave (pro-rata of fractional) including the option to purchase additional holiday days;
• 1 additional day’s holiday for your birthday (does not have to be used on your birthday);
• 1 additional day’s holiday for every 5 years served;
• Christmas Closure of up to 2 weeks in addition to annual leave entitlement;
• Access to a wealth of training, apprenticeships and funded higher education opportunities as well as dedicated training days;
• Local Government Pension Scheme Employer pension contributions of 15.1%;
• Subsidised fitness suite facility, onsite hair and beauty salon, access to a wide range of catering facilities, outdoor gym and free eyesight tests;
• Major supermarket and high street employee discount schemes;
• Life Assurance (if member of pension scheme);
• On Site Nursery (Mama Bears);
• Employee Assistance Programmes;
• Access to Blue Light Card membership;
• Discounted travel schemes.

Closing Date: Midnight, Wednesday 21st October 2026.

Interview Date:Friday 6 th November 2026.

Having read the job description, should you have any questions relating to the role prior to applying, please contact Annaleigh Moore – Head of People via email at [e-mail].

We offer hybrid and flexible working patterns and welcome applications from people who wish to apply using these options.

Please note that you will be required to be in possession of an Enhanced DBS Certificate or be willing to undertake an Enhanced DBS check as a condition of employment at the College.

This College is committed to Safeguarding/Prevent and promoting the welfare of students, including children and young people, and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

The College is committed to applying its Single Equality Scheme at all stages of recruitment and selection. Shortlisting, interviewing and selection will always be carried out without regard to gender, transgender status, sexual orientation, marital or civil partnership status, colour, race, nationality, ethnicity, religion/belief, age, pregnancy or maternity leave, or union membership.

Reasonable attempts will be made to accommodate the particular needs of any candidate who has notified us of a disability. This may include changing the timing or location of any interview to enable the candidate to attend, providing information in different formats or larger type, etc.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare any cautions, convictions, reprimands and final warnings that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2013 and 2020).

Working at South Devon College, you can expect access to an exciting range of training, apprenticeship and opportunities for degree level study alongside your work to keep you at the top of your game, as well as generous holiday allowance of 25 days pro rata and a strong emphasis on work-life balance.

The staff at South Devon College are truly inspirational and this is a reflection on the whole College culture of continuous improvement and support for all of our students and communities.

We aim to provide our learners with excellent teaching and learning. Our staff are highly adept at working with and developing skills and knowledge in learners from different backgrounds. Our staff have consistently high expectations of all students and generate high levels of enthusiasm for participation in, and commitment to learning.