Administrator

Private Office and Secretariat Administrator (Apprenticeship) – Acas

Employer: Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas)
Salary: £27,000 – £31,170 per year (£27,000 National / £31,170 London)
Location: Birmingham, Bristol, London or Manchester
Contract: 18-month fixed-term appointment (Apprenticeship)
Working Pattern: Full-time, part-time or compressed hours
Grade: Executive Officer – Grade 10 Apprentice
Number of Vacancies: 1
Closing Date: 17 November 2026 at 11:55 pm
Reference: 488419
Visa Sponsorship: Not available. Acas does not hold a UKVI Sponsorship Licence and cannot sponsor visa applicants or issue Certificates of Sponsorship.

Job Overview

The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) is recruiting a Private Office and Secretariat Administrator Apprentice to provide administrative and governance support across its Private Office and Secretariat teams.

This is an 18-month apprenticeship opportunity for someone looking to develop a career in administration, executive support and governance while gaining practical workplace experience and completing an approved apprenticeship programme.

The successful candidate will receive training and develop skills in communication, records management, meeting coordination, customer service and administrative support.

The position offers a salary of up to £31,170, depending on location, alongside a Civil Service pension and other employee benefits.

Hybrid working is available, with a combination of home and office working agreed with the line manager. However, the role can only be undertaken in Great Britain and cannot be worked overseas.

Key Responsibilities

The successful candidate will:

• Provide administrative support across the Private Office and Secretariat teams.
• Maintain calendars, contact lists, shared mailboxes, logs and administrative trackers.
• Organise meetings, including invitations, rooms, virtual links, visitor arrangements and meeting materials.
• Prepare, format and organise meeting papers, documents and records.
• Take notes during meetings, prepare draft minutes and maintain action logs.
• Support diary management, inbox monitoring and routine correspondence.
• Arrange approved travel and accommodation and maintain accurate expense records.
• Coordinate routine communications with Council members and other stakeholders.
• Maintain confidential correspondence and governance records in line with data protection requirements.
• Provide flexible administrative support and contribute to improving team processes.

Eligibility Requirements

This is an apprenticeship development role. Applicants must meet the apprenticeship funding and eligibility requirements.

To be eligible, applicants must:

• Be aged 16 or over. There is no upper age limit.
• Have permanent right to work in the UK.
• Have been ordinarily resident in the UK, EU or EEA for three consecutive years before starting the apprenticeship.
• Have left full-time education by the apprenticeship start date.
• Not be receiving funding for another learning programme, including another apprenticeship.
• Not already hold or be working towards a similar or higher-level qualification, unless it is in a significantly different subject or business area.
• Have five GCSEs or equivalent at grade C/grade 4 or above, including English and Maths.

Applicants must provide details of their qualifications in the CV/qualification section. Evidence may be requested during onboarding.

Essential Skills and Experience

Candidates should demonstrate:

• Five GCSEs or equivalent at grade C/grade 4 or above, including English and Maths.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills.
• A commitment to providing excellent customer service.
• Strong organisational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and follow established procedures.
• Confidence using, or willingness to learn, Microsoft 365 applications, including Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel and SharePoint.
• Ability to handle confidential information responsibly.
• Commitment to completing the apprenticeship and applying the knowledge gained.

Desirable experience:

Previous experience in administration, customer service, diary management or meeting coordination is desirable. Experience gained through education, volunteering or employment may be considered.

This desirable criterion will only be assessed in tie-breaker situations.

Apprenticeship and Qualifications

The successful candidate will complete an approved apprenticeship programme while developing practical administrative and governance skills.

Applicants aged 19 or over when their apprenticeship training starts will no longer be required to hold or achieve English and Maths qualifications to pass the apprenticeship.

However, apprentices aged 16 to 18 will still need to achieve English and Maths qualifications to support their career progression.

Salary and Benefits

The salary depends on the successful applicant’s location:

• National: £27,000 per year.
• London: £31,170 per year.

Additional benefits include:

• Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%.
• Learning and development opportunities.
• Health and wellbeing support.
• Cycle to Work scheme.
• Interest-free season ticket loans.
• Volunteering opportunities.
• Discounts through the Acas Lifestyle website.

Working Arrangements

The successful candidate can work from Birmingham, Bristol, London or Manchester.

Hybrid working arrangements are available, with the balance between home and office attendance agreed with the line manager.

The role may occasionally require travel outside the applicant’s region.

Important: This position can only be worked in Great Britain. Overseas working is not permitted.

Visa Sponsorship Information

Acas has explicitly confirmed that it does not hold a UKVI Sponsorship Licence.

Therefore, it cannot sponsor applicants who require a visa to work in the UK or issue a Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS).

Applicants must already have the permanent right to work in the UK and meet the apprenticeship residency requirements.

Application and Selection Process

Applications will be assessed using the Civil Service Success Profiles framework, covering Behaviours, Ability and Experience.

Applicants will be required to complete:

1. An initial short application form.
2. An online Situational Judgement Test (SJT).
3. A 250-word statement for each of the following behaviours:
   • Managing a Quality Service.
   • Delivering at Pace.
   • Working Together.
4. A 250-word Personal Statement addressing the desirable experience criteria.

Important application deadlines: Candidates are advised to complete the online test within 24–48 hours of receiving the invitation. Failure to complete the test and submit the full application before the closing date will result in withdrawal.

Online tests will temporarily be unavailable from 6:00 am on 14 November 2026 until 6:00 am on 16 November 2026 due to system maintenance.

The lead behaviour for the initial sift is Managing a Quality Service.

Interview Details

Candidates who successfully pass the application sift will be invited to an interview via Microsoft Teams, likely from the week commencing 7 December 2026.

The interview will assess:

Behaviours:

• Managing a Quality Service.
• Working Together.

Essential experience:

• Clear written and verbal communication and commitment to high-quality customer service.
• Strong organisation, accuracy and attention to detail.

A reserve list may be held for 12 months. Successful candidates who are not immediately offered the position may be considered for similar vacancies during this period.

Security and Other Requirements

Successful applicants must undergo a basic criminal record check and Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks.

Acas is a Disability Confident Leader and can provide reasonable adjustments to applicants who need support during the recruitment process.

How to Apply

Interested and eligible applicants should submit their applications through the official Civil Service Jobs website.

Employer: Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas)
Job Reference: 488419
Closing Date: 17 November 2026 at 11:55 pm