Join Our Team


Office Manager

The Armenian Institute is dedicated to making Armenian culture and history a living experience through innovative programmes and educational resources. Thanks to institutional funding and generous support from major donors, the Armenian Institute moved to larger premises in 2020 in order to make our library and archives accessible to the public, and host an innovative programme of cultural activities and events which saw our followers and audience numbers rapidly increase. 

We are currently seeking to recruit an office manager who will undertake and manage the day to day operations of the Armenian Institute. The ideal candidate will have previous experiences managing operations for a charity and handling administrative tasks. 

The post is designed for three days a week at £30,000 pro rata with an expectation for the new staff member to be in the office two of the three days.

We want to hear from all interested candidates.  Please download the Job Description and Person Specification, and submit a detailed covering letter along with your CV, outlining why you’re right for the role, to juan@armenianinstitute.org.uk. Any questions about the role should be directed to a member of our Advisory Committee via the same email address. Those candidates selected for the next stage will be interviewed in May. 

Please note that while Armenian language skills and cultural knowledge would be an advantage in this role, our priority skillset is operation and administrative management experience.

Deadline for submissions:  14th May, 2025 

Start date: as soon as possible subject to satisfactory recruitment checks.

Job Description


Public interface

  • Attend and support in-person events hosted by the charity;

  • Be prepared to offer commentary on contemporary and historical Armenian events or issues, where required. 

Operations and administrative manager

  • Lead a positive and collaborative culture which actively encourages and values the contributions of all team members, staff and volunteers

  • In conjunction with the chair and finance manager, maintain the monthly cash projections and oversee programme budgets for events in collaboration with the event programming manager;

  • Manage the charity email and all enquiries with the marketing and communications manager, responding in a timely manner to all enquiries and forwarding anything urgent to relevant staff or Board members;

  • Regularly check the post and inform relevant Board member or finance manager of important mail;

  • Deposit cash donations into the bank, and reporting accurately for accounting purposes on amount deposited;

  • Manage the petty cash (if any)

  • Be available to meet visitors at our offices and oversee any volunteers visiting the premises;

  • Oversee and support the Programme Manager in the delivery of institutional grants;

  • Support the Programme Manager in building fundraising pipeline and event programmes;

  • Develop and manage a major donor portfolio and utilise appropriate major donor cultivation tactics to achieve annual targets; 

  • Seek out and develop partnership opportunities that advance the Charity’s strategic objectives; 

  • Support the Programme Manager with the grant management and manage the required reporting;

  • Draft or edit donor correspondence;

  • Work within established financial procedures, suggesting amendments where appropriate; 

  • Take decisions in consultation with the Board on insurance, security, licences, maintenance, health and safety matters related to the office; and

  • Monitor and report to the Board and Building manager any issues that arise with the premises. 


Governance

  • Ensure they follow all legal and financial policies set in place by the Board. 

To be successful in this role, the Programme Manager should have:

Experience

Essential: 

  • Financial acumen, including budget management experience;

  • Experience of successfully managing operations for an organisation of AI’s size;

  • Experience working at operational and strategic levels;

  • Demonstrable evidence of working effectively in a small team 

Desirable:

  • Organisational development experience

  • Experience in the arts and culture sector

  • Experience within Armenian cultural institutions or Armenian studies

Skills and abilities

Essential:

  • Ability to think strategically;

  • Highly motivated and able to work in small teams;

  • Knowledge and ability to run an organisation that is compliant with all regulatory and statutory obligations;

  • Ability to communicate effectively and engage in constructive debate with all who have an interest in AI;

  • Excellent all-round communication skills and relationship management abilities;

  • Knowledge of and experience using Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Squarespace, and other relevant online software tools. 

Desirable:

  • Knowledge of the Armenian community, culture, history and language 

Education and Qualifications:

Languages

Essential:  

  • Professional-level English language writing and speaking skills

Desirable:

  • Armenian language (East or West dialect) speaking and understanding

  • Armenian language reading and writing skills

  • Other languages such as French, Russian, Arabic, other

Aptitudes 

  • Ability to work with flexible hours, as needed, including some evenings and occasional weekend dates to be agreed in advance

  • Ability to work with a variety of people and personalities

  • Willingness to mentor others, staff, volunteers and visitors

  • Interest in creating community

Working Pattern

The standard working hours for this position will be 8 hours per day, scheduled three times a week from 9.00 am – 6.00 pm, with a one-hour unpaid lunch break. We would consider some flexibility in how you allocate your working hours throughout the week. Remote working is available, but in-office presence will be necessary twice a week and during events. Occasionally, there may be a requirement for evening and Saturday work, but time off in lieu will be provided in such cases.

  • Reports to: Chair of Trustees

  • Location: 1 Onslow Street, London EC1N 8AS

  • The salary for this position is £30,000 per year, calculated on a pro-rata basis. The holiday allocation is 28 days per year, also pro-rated.

  • Closing date for applications: 14 May 2025.

Benefits

Pension Scheme Enrolment: As an employee, you will be enrolled in our pension scheme.

How to apply

Kindly submit your applications, including a cover letter and CV, to Juan de Lara, member of our Advisory Committee, via email at juan@armenianinstitute.org.uk