Departmental Administration Assistant

ABOUT THE ROLE

Due to continued growth and an influx of client work, we are excited to be recruiting for a new entry level Departmental Administration Assistant to join our successful and Legal 500 ranked Education department.

Working under the direction of an experienced Administration professional, this is a great opportunity for someone looking for their first professional services job. You will join a supportive, friendly team who work with schools, academies and education organisations on a wide range of matters. Every day brings something different, and you’ll play an important role in keeping the team running smoothly and supporting colleagues.

The Education team works entirely electronically, and you’ll receive full training during your induction and beyond to help you get the most out of our systems and processes. Finally, you should expect a high degree of client contact as well as interactions with staff across the Department and the firm more widely.

Some of your day-to-day tasks will include:

• Manage file opening and closure processes, oversee client onboarding, liaise with compliance, prepare matter plans and support Lexcel requirements. You’ll also maintain accurate CRM information, including DealCloud and key client records.
• Support the team with billing and financial processes, including fee agreements, handling client monies (such as BACS payments, client account transfers and portal claims) and overseeing credit control. You’ll also help coordinate time recording and WIP reporting.
• Help maintain and develop key client relationships by managing client schedules, partner instructions and School Support Service activities. This includes organising client review calls and supporting retainer renewals.

Please note, we are sourcing this role directly and won't require agency support.

ABOUT YOU

You’ll be an enthusiastic individual who thrives in a collaborative team and enjoys supporting colleagues to do their best work. You’ll be highly organised with strong attention to detail and will take pride in delivering high-quality work and keeping things running smoothly. You will also be able to demonstrate an interest in the education sector.

You’ll bring clear, confident communication skills and feel comfortable working with a wide range of people, including senior leaders. Strong IT skills (especially Excel, PowerPoint and Word) will help you get the most out of our systems, and you’ll enjoy using technology to streamline processes.

Proactive and adaptable, you are able to stay calm under pressure and manage a busy workload with ease. You will recognise the importance of handling confidential information discreetly and will be happy to support occasional team events outside core hours.

In return, you’ll join a friendly, supportive department where your contribution truly matters, and where collaboration, growth and excellent client service are at the heart of everything we do.

WHY US

Winckworth Sherwood is an exciting, diverse, and growing business. We are a full-service law firm with a diverse client base, that prides itself on providing advice across a broad range of sectors and markets. Delivering a first-class service is key to everything we do.

Our clients range from some of the UK’s largest businesses and institutions, housebuilders and developers through to investors, professional partnerships, family offices, not for profit organisations and private individuals – all of which benefit from the flexible, practical approach of our lawyers.

We recognise that our people play a key part in our success and as a result we are committed to their development and well-being. We promote a healthy work-life balance and flexibility, keeping our people motivated and stimulated to deliver great things.

YOUR APPLICATION JOURNEY

Application review

Your profile will be screened by a member of the WS recruitment team. If shortlisted, your CV will be passed to the Education team for review.

No AI is used in our application screening process! Every candidate who applies to this role will be told if they have been successful or not in moving to the next stage.

1st interview (in person at our London office)

This will be a chance to meet with a partner from the Education department, as well as your potential line manager, who is the experienced Departmental Administration Assistant. You will be asked some questions about your experience, interest in the role, as well as having any questions you may have, answered. We will also assess your diary management and written skills with a scenario based task.

Every candidate who reaches this stage will be offered the chance to have a feedback call with our Recruitment Manager to understand why they weren't progressed to the next interview stage, so that you can use this feedback to help with other job applications.

2nd interview (in person at our London office)

This will be with the Head of Education, and another Partner in the team, who will discuss your interest in the role, what you are looking for professionally, and ask some competency/behavioural questions that relate to the key skills/behaviours needed for this position.

At this stage, you will also get to meet other members of the team, including a Paralegal, who can provide you with their insight into what it is like working in the Education team.

This is also a good opportunity to ask any final role/firm specific questions. Every candidate who reaches this stage will be offered the chance to have a feedback call with our Recruitment Manager to understand why they weren't offered the position, so that you can use this feedback to help with other job applications.

Offer of employment

If you are successful and accept our offer of employment, we will submit your details to our background screening company (Giant), who will conduct a series of background checks. Once these have been completed and we have separately validated your proof of right to work in the UK, a start date can be agreed, and your onboarding schedule can be planned.