Admissions and Parent Support Officer

Job Description: Admissions and Parent Support Officer

Reports to:  Admissions and Parent Support Manager

Location:    West London (White City) with occasional travel to nursery sites

Contract:    Permanent

Pattern:       Full Time (37.5 hours per week) - Part-time considered, minimum 0.8 FTE

Salary:         £27-29k (depending on qualifications and experience)

About the role:

We are seeking an Admissions and Parent Support Officer to join the Ark Start team. This is a varied and rewarding role for someone who enjoys working with people, thrives in a fast-paced environment, and takes pride in being highly organised and detail-oriented.

Ark Start currently operates six nurseries across London, with more settings due to open over the next year. Each Admissions and Parent Support Officer will support up to four nurseries, working closely with nursery managers and families to ensure smooth admissions processes, excellent customer service, and effective communication.

The role would suit a highly organised individual who would thrive working with a range of different people in a dynamic and fast-growing organisation.

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage the admissions and sales process to achieve occupancy targets.
• Act as the first point of contact for parents via phone and email, ensuring a professional and welcoming service.
• Oversee Ark Start’s general communications, ensuring queries are answered promptly or directed appropriately.
• Liaise with area managers to keep information accurate and up to date, supporting both customer requirements and financial targets.
• Maintain accurate records on the management information system.
• Handle initial complaints and queries, escalating to nursery managers where necessary.
• Ensure all admissions data is current and reliable.
• Provide regular reports to nursery managers and SLT on enquiries, occupancy, and forecasts.
• Monitor and report on additional paid services, including catering, bookings, and offsite visits.
• Manage catering bookings, track orders and uptake, and ensure waste is minimised.
• Carry out regular debt reviews, ensuring timely follow-up and escalation where required.
• Arrange and coordinate home and setting visits for new starters, ensuring families feel welcomed and supported.
• Ensure parent declarations are issued and signed.
• Ensure funding is applied to the systems correctly and claims submitted in a timely manner.

Other

• Support and cover across all Ark Start nurseries, as required
• Update communications templates and process plan
• Support with marketing for new nursery openings
• Undertake other tasks as directed by the Admissions and Parent Services Manager

• Our working patterns aim to strike the right balance between in-person collaboration and remote working. You will be based in our state-of-the-art office in West London, allowing you to connect with colleagues, with the flexibility to work remotely on occasion
• Our flexitime policy allows you to work your hours around our core hours of 10.00 - 16.00, helping you prioritise your work-life balance and personal commitments
• 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays, rising with each year of service up to 30 days after 3-years’ service. This entitlement is pro rata for part time employees. This entitlement excludes bank holidays
• As an Ark employee, you will have the opportunity to be part of the TPT (The Pension Trust) scheme, our workplace pension scheme where we make an 11% contribution; you are not required to contribute towards this scheme unless you choose to
• Access to high-quality professional learning throughout your career, offering both face-to-face sessions and a bespoke online learning platform
• Access to Ark Rewards scheme offering savings from over 3,000 major retailers, interest-free loans available for season tickets or a bike, gym discounts offering up to 40% off your local gym and free eye tests

Diversity and inclusion:

We aim to build a diverse and inclusive organisation where everyone – staff and students – can do their best work and achieve their full potential. We want to reflect and represent diverse perspectives across our organisation because we know that doing so will make us stronger and more effective. To know more about Ark’s diversity and inclusion commitments, please click on this link.

Safeguarding statement:

Ark is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people in its academies. In order to meet this responsibility, its academies follow a rigorous selection process to discourage and screen out unsuitable applicants.

Ark requires all employees to undertake an enhanced DBS check. You are required, before appointment, to disclose any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. Non-disclosure may lead to termination of employment. However, disclosure of a criminal background will not necessarily debar you from employment - this will depend upon the nature of the offence(s) and when they occurred. To read more about Ark’s safer recruitment process, please click this link.

Please note we will be reviewing applications on an on-going basis and this role may close earlier than advertised depending on the level of response. We strongly encourage to submit your application at your earliest convenience. 

If you would like to hear more about this role or about Ark Start, please contact [email protected].