Membership and Administration Officer

Society For Experimental Biology

Length of contract
2 year

About the Organisation

Society for Experimental Biology (SEB) is an international membership organisation for those studying, practising, and with an interest in all areas of Experimental Biology. It aims to promote, demonstrate the impact and increase the influence of Experimental Biology and to foster cross-disciplinary connections within the scientific community. The Society encompasses three scientific sections covering Animal, Plant and Cell biology and has a programme of outreach, education, career building and diversity activities. The Society holds an annual conference and other events serving the needs of the above subjects and publishes five scientific journals.

About the role

We are seeking a Membership and Administration Officer to provide effective and efficient support across the Society, with a particular focus on membership and finance administration. The role will also provide support across Society events, governance, and other administrative activities, including attendance at the SEB Annual Conference and other events as required.

Responsibilities

Membership:

• Support the delivery of the Membership Strategy and associated projects, including campaigns to recruit new members and retain existing members
• Assist with CRM updates and functionality, including testing new features and changes
• Manage the SEB membership inbox, providing timely support for new membership and renewal enquiries
• Produce internal monthly membership reports for staff and trustees, including data integration and analysis
• Assist with the production of membership reports for governance and trustee meetings
• Maintain the membership database, ensuring CRM records are accurate and up to date
• Create and schedule membership communications for specific categories, and contribute to wider Society communications as required (SEB Member Magazine)
• Attend SEB membership events and support the onsite delivery of the Annual
• Conference and other Society events as required
• Act as first point of contact for SEB telephone enquiries

Finance Administration:

• Liaise daily with the finance team and other staff regarding invoices, expenses, refunds, payments, and receipts, processing items received through the invoice inbox
• Manage the membership bank transfer reconciliation process by reconciling payments within the CRM
• Coordinate SEB managers’ credit card expenditure, including processing and coding transactions
• Facilitate the weekly payment run process, including follow-up actions
• Manage budget coding, ensuring the correct use of annual codes and resolving queries with staff as needed
• Assist with banking administration, including downloading bank statements and responding to NatWest transaction queries.

Society Administration and Cross-Departmental Support:

• Act as the SEB staff representative for the Plant Section, providing committee support, liaising with the Chair, preparing timely minutes, and acting as the main point of contact for Society matters
• Provide administrative support to other sections to cover annual leave and staff absences
• Support the setup, delivery, and coordination of membership and journal webinars, as well as career workshops, including live webinar facilitation (admitting participants and monitoring chat activity), booking system administration, and coordination of event requirements
• Act as the University Liaison, supporting engagement with universities and partner organisations and coordinating related enquiries and activities
• Maintain the Society's storage facility, including stock control and coordinating the packing and couriering of event materials
• Provide cover for Grants administration and the grants inbox during staff absences, including processing applications and supporting handover
• Provide administrative support to the Events Team during high-workload periods
• Contribute to organisation-wide projects and support delivery of strategic aims when required

Governance Administration:

• Provide technical support during committee meetings, including screen sharing, admitting participants, and monitoring chat
• Support the collection and submission of required banking documentation from trustees and auditors
• Coordinate and distribute key governance dates and committee meeting invitations, liaising with trustees and issuing reminders as required
• Prepare minutes for working groups and committees when support is requested (OED Working Group or Events Committee), capturing key actions and decisions.
• Maintain and organise existing SharePoint filing systems, ensuring records are accurate, up to date and easily accessible.
• Support other administrative activities across the Society as required

Skills, Competencies, Experience & Attributes

Skills & Experience:

• Experience of providing good customer service, ideally within a membership, and similar organisation
• Good administrative and organisational skills, with experience of using CRM/database systems and Microsoft Office applications.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy, with experience of handling data, reports and financial or administrative records.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to build effective relationships with colleagues, members and external stakeholders.
• Ability to manage competing priorities, work to tight deadlines and use initiative, while working both independently and as part of a team.
• Experience of committee management desirable.
• A willingness to learn new skills, a proactive and positive approach, and the integrity and resilience to embrace new challenges.

Conditions of employment

• You need to be eligible to work in the UK. We are not able to sponsor visas.

Working locations

• Home-based
• Expectations of travel for meetings

How to apply

• Apply to our website
• If you have any queries about the role, please contact HR at [email protected]
• Please submit your CV and covering letter explaining your suitability for the post. Please note that applications will not be accepted without a covering letter. 

Interviews

• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. 
• Please note that interviews (virtual) will be scheduled as and when suitable candidates apply. 

Policies

This is because the Society is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community - a place where we can all be ourselves and succeed on merit. We offer a range of family-friendly, inclusive employment policies to support staff from different backgrounds.

The Society also takes the security of your data seriously. It has internal policies and controls in place to ensure that your data is not lost, accidentally destroyed, misused, or disclosed, and is not accessed except by our employees in the proper performance of their duties.

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