ADMINISTRATOR PROFILES
Sophie
Click here to listen to Sophie's words - spoken by an actor
I've been working in admin support for a number of years now, and I've done the job in all sorts of different places. What makes this role stand out is not so much what I do, but why. Here, nobody is under pressure to meet sales targets etc - we're all here to help keep the country secure. And that includes me.
You'll recognise the kind of work I do. Organising paperwork, keeping files up-to-date, general admin support and the like. Everyone in this role moves departments every two to three years. Right now, I'm working for the Legal Services department, and I've just found out my next role will be in Human Resources. After that, who knows?
What marks out an SIS administrator? Flexibility, people skills and good judgement are right up there. A solid grasp of numbers too. But what's really important is that we all care about the job SIS does.
If you've got all these attributes, you'll be supported, valued and appreciated like nowhere else. I can't recommend it enough.
Anna
Click here to listen to Anna's words - spoken by an actor
The first thing I thought when I started here was that SIS takes its admin function really, really seriously. The reason for this becomes very apparent, very quickly. SIS is, after all, an intelligence-gathering organisation that the UK relies on for its future. So, getting everything right information-wise internally is vital.
One thing I should say is that this is an admin role in the normal sense. I organise general paperwork, make travel arrangements, look after expense claims, keep files up-to-date etc. What makes the job stand out as far as I'm concerned is the atmosphere.
Because everyone buys into what SIS does, the whole team is really close knit. And for the same reason, admin has a high profile in the organisation. We're relied on and we're visible. What also caught my eye here was how diverse the place is. There are people here from lots of different backgrounds. That means lots of different perspectives and ideas on things.
People at SIS have genuine respect for each other. One of the reasons for this is that everyone is very well trained. When I started, I had two weeks of induction, eight weeks in records management and systems training, and more besides. After that I've had specific training for each admin post I've been in. Comprehensive isn't the word.