Administration Supervisor – Financial Services
London | Permanent |£55,000
We are recruiting an experienced Administration Supervisor to join the London office of an established financial services organisation.
This is a broad, hands-on management position responsible for leading and developing a small administration team, overseeing facilities and third-party suppliers, and ensuring the smooth, accurate delivery of day-to-day administrative operations.
The successful candidate will ideally have worked within a bank or financial services organisation of fewer than approximately 700 employees, where they have been accustomed to taking personal ownership of a varied operational remit rather than working within a large, highly segmented corporate structure.
The role
Alongside support for multiple Executives, a key part of the position will be managing two direct reports. You will be responsible for their day-to-day performance, allocating and reviewing work, setting priorities, providing guidance and feedback, conducting appraisals, and ensuring work is completed accurately and to a consistently high standard.
You will also have significant responsibility for facilities and vendor management, working with external suppliers and internal stakeholders to ensure services are delivered effectively, and appropriate controls are maintained.
Your responsibilities will include:
- Supporting multiple Executives with their Administration, predominantly travel
- Managing, mentoring and developing two Administration Assistants, including delegating work, reviewing output, providing feedback and conducting performance reviews and appraisals
- Planning and prioritising the team's workload and ensuring deadlines and service standards are consistently achieved
- Taking ownership of day-to-day administrative operations and resolving issues without requiring close supervision
- Managing relationships with facilities providers and other third-party vendors, monitoring service delivery and addressing performance issues
- Overseeing vendor processes including contracts, approvals, risk assessments, expenditure, invoices and ongoing supplier management
- Maintaining accurate records and ensuring administrative expenditure is properly authorised and aligned with budgets
- Supporting senior executives and responding effectively to changing priorities
- Preparing accurate management information and reporting for senior management
- Maintaining and improving administrative policies, procedures, controls and documentation
- Identifying operational risks, control weaknesses and inefficiencies and taking appropriate action
- Supporting projects and coordinating their impact on administrative activities
- Deputising for the Head of Department in relation to Administration and Facilities when required.
The broader governance and compliance responsibilities are important: the JD specifically requires adherence to internal policies, governance frameworks, approval procedures, UK law and applicable regulatory obligations.
About you
We are particularly interested in candidates who can demonstrate:
- Previous experience managing and developing admin staff, ideally including formal appraisals, performance reviews and work allocation
- A management style that combines good interpersonal skills with the confidence to delegate, challenge, review and hold people accountable for the quality of their work
- Experience gained within financial services, banking or a similarly regulated financial environment
- Ideally, experience within a small or medium-sized bank or financial services business with fewer than 700 employees
- Practical experience of facilities and vendor/supplier management
- Exceptional attention to detail, with a strong focus on accuracy and quality
- Experience reviewing the work of others and identifying errors or areas requiring improvement
- Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage several competing priorities
- An understanding of governance, approval processes and internal controls
- Confidence dealing with senior management and a range of internal and external stakeholders
- The judgement and initiative to resolve operational issues independently
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
What we're looking for
This position would particularly suit someone who has worked in a smaller financial services organisation where administration managers are expected to be hands-on and take broad responsibility.
You may currently be working as an Administration Supervisor, EA, Administration Manager, Office Manager, Business Support Manager, Operations Supervisor or Facilities & Administration Manager within banking or financial services.
The strongest candidates are likely to be those who genuinely enjoy managing people: someone who can organise a team, delegate effectively, review the quality of their work, provide constructive feedback and create clear accountability, while remaining approachable and supportive.