At AQA, we’re committed to advancing education and we’re committed to our people. As the largest provider of academic qualifications in the UK, we mark over 10 million exam papers each year and it’s our people who make this happen.
Recruitment Administrator
Permanent
Guildford: £26,000 – £27,600
Hybrid Working – 2 days a week in the office
Looking to develop your career in recruitment and HR?
At AQA, we believe great recruitment starts with great people—and that includes you. If you're organised, detail-driven, and committed to delivering a smooth, supportive experience for candidates and colleagues alike, we’d love to welcome you to our team.
As a Recruitment Administrator, you’ll play a key role in helping us attract and hire talent across the organisation, from entry-level roles to our Executive Board. You’ll be part of a collaborative, hybrid‑working team that values inclusion, flexibility, and continuous improvement.
We’re proud to offer:
- A generous pension scheme with up to 18.5% combined contributions
- 25 days annual leave (rising with service), plus bank holidays and Christmas closure
- Private Medical Insurance and a Health Care Cash Plan
- Paid volunteering days and access to refurbished office spaces with discounted campus eateries
- Smart hybrid working – 2 x days a week in our Guildford office
At AQA, we are committed to fostering a workplace that celebrates diversity and promotes equity and inclusion. We believe that a diverse team brings richer perspectives and drives better outcomes. Our ED&I strategy ensures that everyone—regardless of religion, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, age, disability, sexual orientation, or background—is valued, respected and empowered to thrive.
We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds and lived experiences.
What will I be doing?
- Managing the recruitment inbox and responding to queries
- Coordinating interviews and selection events
- Maintaining recruitment trackers and producing reports
- Supporting Workday testing activities and other system improvements
- Handling admin tasks like purchase orders and supplier liaison
- Using HR and ATS systems such as Workday
What do I need to succeed?
- Experience of working in an administrative role, ideally within HR or recruitment
- Experience using HR, recruitment, or ATS systems (e.g., Workday) is desirable
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Excellent attention to detail and process accuracy
- Confidence using Microsoft Office (especially Excel, Outlook, Word)
Ready to apply?
Upload your CV and a short cover letter telling us why you’re a great fit. We’ll be reviewing applications as they come in and may close the advert early if we find the right person—so don’t wait!
Applications close 23:59 on Tuesday 31st March.
Interviews will be held face to face in our Guildford office.
Recruitment Agencies
We have a preferred supplier list (PSL) in place.
Unsolicited CVs will be treated as a gift. We will not be subject to or liable under your terms and conditions for agency fees.
Full Job Description
Summary
Purpose:
The Recruitment Administrator provides essential administrative and organisational support to the Resourcing team, ensuring smooth and efficient recruitment processes across AQA. The role ensures candidates receive a positive and consistent experience, supports hiring managers with timely information, and helps maintain compliant and accurate recruitment documentation. By delivering high‑quality administrative services, the role directly contributes to AQA’s ability to attract and onboard skilled people who support the organisation’s mission and values.Landscape:
This role reports to the Recruitment Manager and sits within the Resourcing function in the People Group. It is part of a collaborative team that delivers recruitment services across all AQA business units. This is a Core-level role focused on delivery, organisation and administrative support. The role requires frequent coordination with Recruitment Advisors, Lead Recruiters, the People Services Team, hiring managers and candidates. The post has no line‑management responsibilities and does not hold budget accountability.
Activities:
Deliver day‑to‑day administrative support across the end‑to‑end recruitment process, including tracking applications, processing documentation and maintaining accurate candidate records.
Coordinate candidate communication, responding to enquiries, providing updates and ensuring candidates and hiring managers receive timely and helpful information.
Keep systems and records up to date, including Workday and shared directories, ensuring all data is compliant, well‑organised and accessible.
Prepare and organise interviews and assessments, including booking rooms, setting up virtual meetings, greeting candidates and processing assessment materials.
Support advertising and attraction activity, posting job adverts, updating website and Hub content, liaising with job boards and monitoring usage/credits.
Maintain accurate management information, producing reports on applicant volumes, conversion rates and recruitment activity to support planning and evaluation.
Create and update administrative resources, including templates, guidance documents, trackers, planners and PowerPoint materials, ensuring they meet AQA brand standards.
Support recruitment fairs and promotional events, helping with logistics, materials and onsite/virtual coordination.
Provide general administrative support such as arranging travel, meetings and team activities, contributing flexibly to the needs of the People Group.
Work methodically and independently, managing competing priorities, escalating issues appropriately and maintaining high levels of accuracy and professionalism.
To be successful in this role, you will need to demonstrate:
Knowledge
Understanding of administrative processes and procedures, ideally within a recruitment or HR environment.
Working knowledge of IT systems and Microsoft Office applications.
Skills & Behaviours
Ability to deliver accurate administrative work with strong attention to detail.
Clear and professional written and verbal communication skills.
Ability to build cooperative working relationships within the team and across departments.
Ability to organise and prioritise tasks, working to deadlines and managing varying workloads.
Proactive approach to completing tasks and progressing work independently when appropriate.
Ability to maintain confidentiality and uphold data protection requirements.
Commitment to learning, improvement and applying feedback.
Strong and accurate data entry and record‑keeping skills.
Effective IT skills, including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and recruitment/HR systems.
Experience
Experience of working in an administrative role, ideally within HR or recruitment.
Experience using HR, recruitment or ATS systems.
Qualifications
A good standard of general education (e.g., GCSE Maths and English A*–C / 9–4 or equivalent).
Desirable Criteria
Experience supporting recruitment events or promotional activities.
Familiarity with maintaining digital content (e.g., job boards, intranet pages).
Additional Information
The role may require occasional travel to other AQA sites, including overnight stays when needed.
Hybrid working arrangements are typically available depending on business requirements, typically to be in the office two days per week.