Business and Office Administrator

Civic is a team of system thinkers in the built environment, creating positive impact for people, places and the planet.

We want our work to have a positive impact on the environment — helping people to live healthier, happier lives while respecting natural limits. We build without destroying, explore without exploiting, and seek to reuse rather than just consume. Above all, we listen, learn, and aim to create a lasting legacy.

Thriving together, today we have a team of over 200 members working across the UK, all united by our creative belief, bringing art and science together to solve problems. Our award-winning practice has studios in Manchester, London, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dublin.

We're looking for a proactive and organised Business and Office Administrator to join our Leeds studio. This entry-level role is ideal for someone looking to build a career in business administration and operations. You'll be the welcoming face of the studio, supporting colleagues, visitors and day-to-day business activities while helping to maintain an efficient and professional working environment.

• Hours: 16 hours per week over four days (Monday to Thursday)
• Location: Studio-based in Leeds (this is not a remote or hybrid position)
• Career development: A first step into practice operations, with scope to take on broader responsibility as you build experience

Responsibilities

The role is organised around four outcomes:

1. Front of House & Studio Environment

• Welcome visitors professionally to ensure a positive first impression of the company and the studio
• Ensure the studio is consistently clean, well-stocked (stationery, kitchen supplies) and set up for productive work
• Keep meeting rooms tidy and equipped, with any issues resolved before they affect a meeting.
• Organise refreshments for meetings and events.

2. Meetings, Communications & Travel

• Manage meeting room bookings, answer calls.
• Book travel and accommodation via Roomex and Trainline, ensuring all bookings are accurate.
• Supporting the team by printing and scanning documents and other ad-hoc project related administration tasks.

3. Studio Operations & Compliance

• Ensure studio facilities (kitchen equipment, utilities, plants,) are well maintained; issues are identified and escalated promptly.
• Undertake monthly H&S checks and meter readings. Make sure they are completed on schedule and any defects reported without delay.
• Be responsible for the studio access fobs, keeping a log of who has one and keeping them secure.
• Be part of the team who set up new projects on our software, ensuring details are completed accurately and on time.

4. Wider Practice Support

• Support organising team social events. Sourcing suggestions of venues and activities and booking them, working within given budgets.
• Support the company’s commitments to social value initiatives (work experience, STEM activities, volunteering) by coordinating events effectively in collaboration with the wider team.
• Support organisation of and attend business development events in the studio.
  

Experience & Qualifications

Essential

• GCSE Maths and English (or equivalent).
• Proficient in MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook).
• A professional, friendly telephone manner.

Desirable

• A-levels or equivalent.
• Previous experience in an office, hospitality or front-of-house environment.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build good working relationships.
• Works well independently and as part of a team, prioritising own workload effectively.
• Maintains professionalism and integrity in all interactions.
• Follows guidelines and instructions accurately, while using initiative to solve day-to-day problems.

Behaviours & Our Values

We expect the following in how the role is carried out, in line with our practice-wide values:

• Be Collaborative: Engage with other studios and collaborate positively with colleagues, clients and suppliers.
• Be Curious: Build your knowledge of the role and the practice and share what you learn with others.
• Be Helpful: Take on new responsibility willingly, without always waiting to be asked
• Be Passionate: Take ownership of your work and take pride in doing it well.
• Be Ingenious: Look for better ways to get things done, rather than defaulting to “how it's always been.”
• Be punctual, reliable, and consistent in meeting deadlines and commitments.

Our commitment to DEI

Civic is made up of brilliant people. Each of us is unique, whether in terms of our background, personal characteristics, experience, skills or motivations. And we value our people for the differences they bring to the table. These differences - this diversity - is powerful.

Nurturing an inclusive culture helps each of us to benefit from a wider range of these different perspectives, experiences and skills. We believe that this creates a happier, more productive working environment for us all.

We encourage applications from individuals who bring diverse perspectives and are passionate about contributing to an equitable and respectful work environment.

💰A fair and competitive salary, taking into consideration market rates and your experience level

🫶Flexibility. Our core hours are between 10:30am-4:30pm, with an early Friday finish!

⚖️Hybrid working. Most of our full-time employees come into the studio 3 days a week

🌴Generous holidays! 26 days of annual leave, plus bank holidays (pro-rata for part time employees). An extra day when you reach 3 years’ service, and another at 5 years!

🌞Holiday options. Buy or sell a week of holiday each year, or create a sabbatical pot by banking a week’s holiday for 3 years to take a month off on year 4!

👪 Enhanced Family Leave. Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption, shared parental and neonatal care leave pay, plus 2 days paid dependency leave and 1 weeks paid carers leave

🌱Wellbeing support. Mental health first aider support, mindfulness sessions and access to our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP)

🩹Health benefits. Life Assurance, Health Care Cash Plan, Gym discounts and free Eye tests

🤒Sick Pay. 4 weeks enhanced sick leave, plus 2 mental wellness days

⭐DEI network. An established Equity, Diversity and Inclusion network with regular team activities, plus 2 days of paid volunteering leave each year to support causes close to your heart

💡 Professional Development. Paid professional memberships, 2 days paid study leave (+ extra for exams), Chartership Preparation Courses, Chartership completion bonus, in-house ‘Civic Academy’ training, Management Development Programmes and a Mentorship programme for all employees

💷Financial benefits. Access to our HMRC friendly Workplace Nursery scheme, plus enrolment to our workplace pension scheme

🚆Sustainable travel. Season Ticket Loans & National Rail Cards, plus two salary sacrifice cycle to work schemes and cycling facilities at all our studios (showers, bike racks etc).