Editorial Administrator

Location: London (Hybrid - 4 days in the office, 1 flexible)

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Full-time 40 hours per week Monday - Friday

Reports to: Editorial Manager, The Observer

Who are we?

The Observer’s promise is in the name. The Observer bears witness; the best of journalism being curious minds at work. It loves the arts and ideas, both for their own sake and because they can change lives. It’s proudly progressive, but has no party allegiance. It’s open to different arguments and its editorial independence is non-negotiable. We are building a new Observer across print, audio and digital. We’re here to build journalism that lasts.

About The Role

We are seeking a highly organised and proactive Editorial Administrator to provide essential administrative and logistical support to our editorial teams. You will be the central point of contact for editors, reporters, and contributors, ensuring smooth operations in a fast‑paced newsroom environment. This role sits at the heart of our editorial function, managing day‑to‑day administration, including contributor payments, expenses, and travel organisation. It is an ideal position for someone who thrives on variety, maintains composure under pressure, and would enjoy working at the core of a dynamic newsroom.

Key Responsibilities

• Administrative Support
  • Act as the first point of contact for internal and external administrative enquiries from colleagues and contributors.
  • Manage incoming and outgoing post, ensuring items are distributed promptly and recorded where necessary.
  • Help coordinate desk rotas.
  • Assist with research for features, interviews, or special projects as required.
  • Provide cover and support to other editorial administration teams when needed.
• Payments
  • Enter commission payments into the in‑house payments system accurately and on a daily basis.
  • Monitor outstanding payments within the commissioning system, chasing approvals and resolving queries between contributors, editors, and the finance team to ensure timely settlement.
  • Maintain budget trackers for all commissions.
  • Accurately log all contracted contributions.
• Expenses and Budget Tracking
  • Process freelance and contributor expense claims in line with company policy, ensuring accurate coding and timely submission.
  • Track expense payments from submission through to reimbursement, chasing outstanding items with finance.
  • Support editors with departmental budget tracking and cost management.
  • Process invoices and cash advances, flagging any discrepancies or concerns.
• Travel and Logistics
  • Help coordinate editorial travel—domestic and international—including flights, accommodation, visas, press accreditation, and travel insurance.
  • Organise foreign currency requests.
  • Manage changes and cancellations while keeping within budget.
• Books and Review Copies
  • Help organise incoming books for review, logging arrivals and distributing them to the appropriate critics and editors.
  • Maintain the review copies database, tracking what has been sent out and chasing outstanding reviews where required.

About You

Essential

• Proven experience in an administrative role, ideally supporting teams within a busy, deadline‑driven environment.
• Exceptional organisational skills with the ability to prioritise and manage a high‑volume, varied workload.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience processing invoices, expenses, or payments and tracking workflows; comfortable working with figures and budgets.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office (especially Excel and Outlook) or equivalent tools.
• Meticulous attention to detail, particularly when handling financial data and contract information.
• A collaborative, proactive approach—demonstrating initiative and the ability to solve problems calmly.

Benefits

• 30 days holiday + bank holidays
• Private healthcare
• Group income protection & life assurance
• Pension
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Interest‑free season ticket loan
• Free snacks and drinks in the newsroom
• Hybrid working (London newsroom + 1 day remote flexibility)

Our Process

We aim to run our interview process at pace and with clarity at every stage, recognising how challenging it can be to balance alongside other commitments or interviews. The number of stages will vary depending on the nature and level of the role, but we see this as a two‑way process and hope you’ll enjoy the opportunity to meet a range of potential future colleagues.