Administrative Coordinator (Full time)

The Cambridge Archaeological Unit, Department of Archaeology is seeking an Administrative Coordinator to join our Administration team and co-ordinate the administrative operations of the Cambridge Archaeological Units commercial and research activities.

The Cambridge Archaeological Unit (CAU), Department of Archaeology was established in 1990 to create a bridge between academic and development-led archaeology in Britain. Over thirty years, it has grown into one of the UK's leading archaeological organisations. Based in Cambridge, the CAU has developed particular expertise in wetland and urban archaeology, with a research focus on Fenland, Cambridge and its hinterlands.

You will be based at the Cambridge Archaeological Unit at Storey's Way and report to the Administrator of the CAU as part of a small team. This is an interesting and varied post, for a candidate who enjoys working in a fast-paced commercial and research environment. The CAU conducts research activities on 50-70 commercial excavations and research projects a year and employs between 60-70 archaeological professionals.

We are looking for an experienced Administrator with demonstrable experience in the Education & Research sector. Preference will be given to candidates who already have experience of working with University of Cambridge systems (CHRIS, CCWS, CUFS, Invida) and have knowledge of the University's human resources and financial procedures. The candidate will have experience of coordinating administrative duties and will have demonstrable experience in human resources, finance and procurement and estates management.

Some of the key responsibilities for this role include: developing and maintaining office procedures, to coordinate a wide range of HR related issues and processes including maintenance of holiday and sickness records, probation, staff review & development processes, supporting the Administrator during recruitment, and processing of payroll & additional payments. Procurement & finance tasks. Gather and manipulate data on various aspects of the department as required. Please view the Further Particulars document for the full list of key responsibilities and the Person Specification.

You will have previous administrative experience in the Education or Research sector.

You will have excellent interpersonal and communication skills and a good standard of written and spoken English. You will have previous administrative and human resources experience and excellent IT skills. You must be able to multitask and work using your own initiative, in addition to working as part of a team.

To apply online for this vacancy and to view further information about the role, please click the 'Apply' button above. 

Closing date for application is: Friday 17 October 2025

In-person interviews will be held on Tuesday 28 October 2025 at our offices at 34 & B Storey's Way, Cambridge, CB3 0DT.

Informal queries regarding this post may be sent to Samantha Smith (cauhr@arch.cam.ac.uk) for queries about the role and relevant skills.

If you have any queries regarding the application process please contact hr@hsps.cam.ac.uk  

It is expected that the successful candidate will be in post latest by 1st December 2025 at the latest.

Please quote reference JD47538 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

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