Office Manager (maternity cover - 12 months contract)

Here at the Financial Times, gold-standard journalism is just the beginning. 500-people strong, our Product and Tech team keeps us ahead of the ever-changing digital landscape by delivering cutting-edge products to over one million digital subscribers every day. Our plans for growth rely on a diverse, dedicated and dynamic group of product, tech, delivery and data specialists - everyone’s welcome in this friendly, forward-thinking team. And with entrepreneurial spirit, intelligence and opportunity at every turn, there’s no limits to where your FT career will take you.

We are now looking for an Office Manager, under a maternity cover who will help our employees in Sofia and accommodate office needs.

The Financial Times Sofia office is largely a Product & Technology (P&T) department so most of the interaction is with P&T staff - however this role will also liaise with local HR staff, local Finance staff and Global Facilities.

Responsibilities for the role

1. Facility-related tasks

• Maintain ongoing communication with the landlord, building manager, contractors, clients, and team
• Coordinate, oversee and plan essential services such as cleaning, catering, parking, waste disposal, etc.
• Schedule and supervise small repairs, office improvements and ad hoc requests
• Office access system management - order, activate/deactivate employees and visitors access cards
• Forecast budgeting for facility needs; 
• Create reports on maintenance, repairs, safety and make recommendations
• Responsible for Health&Safety procedures & COVID-19 safety measures

2. Office Management

• Order office supplies, catering (order breakfast (yogurt and oatmeal)
• Coordinate and plan courier services on request
• Visitors and guests: help with booking transfers, restaurants, etc.

3. Employment benefits tasks (health insurance, life insurance, savings plan, food vouchers, sports cards)

• Order and distribute, provide a list of new starters/leavers to vendors on a monthly or quarterly basis
• Organize and coordinate the annual health checks of employees
• Order and coordinate the delivery of work from home kit / office chairs to employees home addresses

4. Vendors management

• Source and engage reliable suppliers and vendors; collect offers and create comparison tables for different goods and services and make proposals to the management team
• Negotiate the terms and conditions in contracts, collaborate with local lawyers and Procurement team;
• Add and maintain signed contacts to the PMA system

5. Travel management

• Issuе business trip orders
• Provide employees with useful information about their upcoming travel - related to the Covid-19 restrictions, health&safety protocols in other FT offices
• Other questions ad-hoc requests regarding the business travels

6. Support in Employee

• Events organization (on-site and online) - collect offers, choose vendors,  logistics, etc.
• Book tickets for employees for different event
• Perform tasks related to the communication plan and Social media updates
• Inform staff and management team for the health&safety procedures & COVID-19 safety measures

7. Invoices management

• Help our Financial controller with - maintain the invoice register file and add priority for each payment; make sure that all invoices are paid on time;
• Make payments with the company credit card on requests, etc.
• Contact supplier/vendors when necessary

Requirements for occupation of position

Education

• BA degree or equivalent experience

Essential

• Previous experience of performing in an Office Manager role, within a large corporate/matrix structure.
• Experience in event management and coordination;
• Experience in basic accounting (keeping track of budgets vs spend, invoice management, basic reporting);
• Experience with vendor management;
• Experience with social benefits administration;
• Experience in crafting internal communication for staff (emails, newsletters, announcements);
• Previous exposure to dealing with senior and executive stakeholders;
• Excellent English - written and spoken.

Personal skills

• Independence and self-motivation;
• Flexibility and adaptability – identify issues, think creatively, propose solutions;
• Strong analytical skills and attention to details;
• Strong self-motivation, “can-do” and problem-solving attitude;
• Ability to prioritize and manage own workload well;
• Respectful of deadlines and inter-team assignments;
• Еxcellent verbal and written communication skills;
• Creative mind, initiative to suggest improvements and a team player in nature;
• High level of integrity;
• Sensible about managing and protecting confidential information.

Our social package includes

• 25 days paid leave
• Annual incentive plan
• 24/7 Employee assistance arogram for physical, emotional, financial and professional wellbeing support
• Medical and Life Insurance
• Enhanced maternity leave policy
• Multisport card subsidized at 50%
• Food vouchers
• Flexible working options
• Training programs

Anything else?
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Further Information

The FT are committed to providing an inclusive working environment for all. We are an equal opportunities employer who seeks to recruit and appoint the best talent regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief. We also promote flexible working and will consider specific requests around flexibility for all roles where it can be accommodated. Please let us know if you require any adjustments as part of the application process or to enable you to attend an interview. If you would like to discuss your requirements, or have any questions, please contact a member of our HR team who will be happy to help.