What is the job?

An experienced and motivated Office Manager responsible for managing daily administrative operations and contributing to cultural initiatives by working closely with people across all levels of the organisation. This role contributes to the smooth functioning of our operation and requires excellent organisational, communication, and influencing skills.

Working Hours: Monday to Friday 8.00 am – 4.30 pm (Hybrid working available, Part-Time applications will be considered).

Department: Administration

Interview process: 2 stage process following shortlisting – First stage: 1 hour Teams interview

Second stage: OnSite 1 hour interview

Who we are?

Thorlabs is a global, industry leading optical technologies company. We are experts in the design and manufacture of a range of innovative photonics products. We use these products in manufacturing and research, from fibre optics to piezo motors. We are the gold standard with optics laboratories worldwide. There are now 22 facilities across the world in 9 countries. Here in Ely, we are responsible for the Motion Control and Optical Tables product line.

Where you will be working?

It’s a hybrid role, working in our new purpose-built facility in Witchford, Ely as well as your home. Our purpose-built facility is just 12 miles from Cambridge, within the beautiful medieval city of Ely. There are train and bus links to Ely from Kings Cross and Liverpool Street London, and our site is within distance of Ely train station and Ely Bus station.

What is essential to us…

• Degree or equivalent in Business Administration, Management, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in office management, administration or a similar operational support role.
• Proven track record of independently managing office operations.
• Experience working with senior managers and supporting cultural or/and internal communications is a plus.
• Strong organisational and time management skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Proficiency in office software (e.g., Microsoft Office Suite, SharePoint).
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and prioritise effectively.
• Leadership and team management abilities.
• Problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Demonstrates attention to detail in all aspects of their work.
• Familiarity with Canva is a plus for supporting internal communications.

What we would like you to do/ to see…

• Office Administration: Manage and coordinate office activities and operations to ensure efficiency and compliance with company policies.
• Executive Support: Provide administrative support to senior management. Attend senior meetings to capture key discussions and action items.
• Event Planning: Organise key meetings, workshops and conference events, both on-site and off-site, including logistics, venue coordination, managing communications, materials preparation, and catering as required.
• Key Visitor Coordination: Serve as primary contact and coordinator for visiting guests from other Thorlabs operations and third-party organisations. Ensure our external travel and accommodation service provides excellent support.
• Communications: Support internal communications by coordinating/editing employee newsletters, maintaining engaging digital content on our SharePoint site, coordinating the weekly team brief cascades, and other related activities.
• Outreach: Co-ordinate local networking opportunities – reaching out to local schools, colleges, and charities. Attending local business events such as Chamber of Commerce, business park events and awards.
• Business Planning: Support the annual business planning process by working with senior managers to collate entity and departmental objectives and associated initiatives. Ensure timely cascade to all employees.
• Office Budget Management: In collaboration with the General Manager and Finance, develop necessary workflows to monitor and approve office spending such as travel, company events, and outreach activities. Ensure company expenses are properly documented.
• Project Management: Assist in cultural change and other key entity projects and initiatives as defined by the General Manager. Responsibility for project tracking and communication.
• Operational Culture: Collaborate with senior leaders and other key stakeholders on initiatives that drive our ongoing culture of empowerment and continuous improvement across all departments.
• Team Celebrations: Coordinate budget achievement celebrations to reward employees when financial targets are met.
• Entity Event Coordination: Collaborate with external event management companies to support the planning and execution of annual events such as our Summer and Christmas parties. Ensure all logistics, communications, and on-the-day details are effectively overseen.
• Office Visuals: Maintain an engaging office environment by working with internal stakeholders and external graphic designers to coordinate the design and installation of internal graphics, such as posters, wall art, and daily visual management boards.
• Accreditations: Collaborate with leaders and other key contributors such as HR to progress our ‘Investors in People’ journey and associated accreditation level.
• General: Manage shared inboxes for travel and events, responding promptly and professionally and support other routine office administrative duties.

What will you get?

At Thorlabs, there are lots of opportunities for in-house customised training and development that accelerates your career progression. We have free onsite parking, free refreshments, as well as an entertainment area in our large canteen for your enjoyment.

And the benefits are?

Competitive Salary to attract the best, plus an excellent benefits package including pension, health care, 25 days holiday plus public holidays.

Job Reference: THOR-VC-1390

This is a rolling campaign, so we will actively interview applicants. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

We welcome applications from persons who are over 18 years old.

*This is a legal requirement, further information is here School leaving age - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

This role does not currently meet the UK Visas and Immigration criteria for obtaining a Skilled Worker Visa; we are therefore unable to accept applications that require employer sponsorship in order to obtain a Skilled Worker Visa.

We would encourage all internal applicants to inform their line managers of their interest in this position.

-Contributed Pension Scheme -Group Life Cover -Private Health Care -Group Income Protection & more.

Please apply through the Apply for this job button or send a copy of your CV along with a covering letter and your salary expectations to: Human Resources at Thorlabs Ltd, 204 Lancaster Way Business Park, Ely, Cambs, CB6 3NX or e-mail recruitment@thorlabs.com.

We are Disability Confident Committed

In line with the requirements of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006, all applicants must have a valid permission to enter or remain in the UK with no condition that prevents them from working in the UK. Documented evidence of such permission will be required from candidates as part of the recruitment process.