The Middlebury College – CMRS Oxford Humanities Program is a Study Abroad program for American students, based in central Oxford and operated in association with Keble College. It is looking for an administrator who will play the central part in running the program, under the overall direction of the Principal.

The Administrator will staff the main office, ensuring that the program operates well on a day-to-day basis and that it provides a warm welcome to students, staff and visitors. The Administrator will manage the program’s financial operations, ensuring that bills are paid, accounts and legers are kept, and that the institution follows the advice of its bank and accountants. The Administrator will run the program’s HR, organizing the recruitment and on-boarding process, maintaining staff records, and making sure that employment is conducted in accordance with the highest possible standards. This is a wonderful role for a proactive, precise and professional person who is looking to build their career in a small and friendly educational setting.

The post contains a six-month probationary period with regularly documented reviews. The following describes what is available upon completion of the probationary period.

Job type: full time, permanent
Salary: £34,610 – £37,462, depending on experience
Location: central Oxford (single site)
Hours of work: Monday-Friday, 9am to 5pm, but with some scope for flexibility
Holiday entitlement: 24 days per year, plus the usual public and bank holidays
Contributory pension scheme: 6% employer, 4% employee
Employee Assistance Program
Private health care through Vitality
Enhanced maternity, paternity, childcare and sick pay schemes
Training and career advancement opportunities

Applications and informal enquiries should be emailed to mcmrs@middlebury.edu

Applications deadline: 5pm on Sunday 12 October 2025. Applications to include a covering letter, CV, and details of two referees. Interviews will take place in Oxford in the week beginning Monday 20 October 2025.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title: Administrator
Reports to: the Principal
Main Purpose of job: to be responsible for all aspects of operational administration for the Middlebury College – CMRS Oxford programmes in Oxford.

Duties:
Administrative and Operational

• Take primary responsibility for manning the main administrative office
• Share telephone & door answering with other staff members
• Deal with incoming/outgoing mail and deliveries and maintain Post Book
• Arrange parking/access as necessary
• Answer/refer general enquiries appropriately, including information requests, admissions queries, etc.
• Process complete applications upon notification
• Oversee student arrivals and orientation set-up
• Assist Academic Staff in planning and implementation of orientation sessions
• Make appropriate administrative and catering arrangements for various external and in-house events/orientations and be available for events if requested (events may be outside normal working hours)
• Create, maintain and update M-CMRS Student Handbook (practical information), in-house records/databases and CMRS Ltd website
• Create room booking sheets and allocate for teaching and events
• Obtain and record academic engagement/register information. Flag any issues arising with academic staff
• Set up and maintain the Absence Book, and ensure availability for reference
• Obtain and publish the Junior Dean duty rota, including termly kitchen rota
• Liaise with all staff regarding operational and administrative matters
• Procure & distribute M-CMRS promotional items for each program
• Serve as liaison, as needed, between M-CMRS and Middlebury’s IPOCs, Human Resources, Finance, and other departments
• Provide information and/or draft formal documentation, as required, to ensure that M-CMRS continues to comply with necessary regulations, policy and compliance matters
• Assist the Principal in dealing with student emergencies as they may arise
• Process CMRS Ltd alum transcript requests.

2. Financial

• Process incoming/outgoing invoices, expenses and claims
• Prepare, submit and process monthly payroll information to external service provider
• Prepare, distribute and process self-employed tutors’ claim forms or invoices in accordance with information provided by academic staff
• Pay in/withdraw funds from bank as necessary
• Prepare and provide internal books/ledgers and financial information for both M-CMRS and CMRS Ltd, and deal with matters arising
• Co-ordinate and comply with financial processes with the Middlebury Controller’s Office and/or IPOCs departments
• Minimise expenditure where relevant, but in all cases having regard to best practice, law and regulatory requirements
• Administrate and reconcile company commercial credit card account
• Prepare and update any internal financial policies.

3. HR

• Assist in the preparation, recruitment, interviewing and appointment of new staff
• Obtain required information and set up new starters
• Collate, process and deal with other HR-related queries and maintain personnel records, seeking professional employment advice when required
• Advise and write amendment to contract letters as/when directed by the Principal
• Provide occasional HR/Payroll support for the Middlebury Bread Loaf Oxford programme

4. Other duties

• To provide basic cover in the absence of the Facilities and Maintenance Co-ordinator, ensuring that one of the pair is present whenever possible.
• To undertake other duties appropriate to the post, on a temporary or permanent basis, as may reasonably be required by the needs of the business.

 PERSON SPECIFICATION

 QUALIFICATIONS

 Essential:

• Good qualifications (minimum to A-level) which demonstrate a high degree of literacy and numeracy.

EXPERIENCE

 Essential:

• Demonstrable experience of running an office/small organization successfully
• Proven knowledge and experience of financial matters, including elements such as making payments, keeping records, and ensuring compliance with internal policies and the law

 Desirable:

• Experience of recruiting, interviewing, and appointing new staff, including setting up new starters
• Some knowledge or experience of the higher education environment, especially in Oxford and/or the US

SKILLS

 Essential:

•  A high degree of accuracy and attention to detail, ensuring that the most important tasks are completed to the highest possible standards
• The flexibility to adapt to and juggle a wide range of tasks, prioritizing as appropriate
• The ability to build and maintain good relationships with a wide range of people, including students, staff, tutors and independent service providers 

• Excellent IT skills 

• The ability to communicate effectively and politely to everyone 

• Having the self-motivated drive that enables a person to work independently as part of a very small team.