Development Secretary

We’re a thriving team passionate about working together to deliver excellence, all in a natural forest environment.

Welcome to Center Parcs – the number one choice for short break holidays, employing a team of over 10,000 across Head Office and six separate villages located in the UK and Ireland.

DEVELOPMENT SECRETARY (part-time secondment opportunity)

£20,600 per annum

Hybrid role with both office and home-working

This is an internal secondment opportunity covering maternity leave from the end of July 2025 until the end of September 2026. 

This role is key to providing secretarial and administrative support to the Projects, Landscaping and Sustainability teams within the Development department. 

The successful colleague will have previous experience of working as a Secretary to Senior Management level.  A good working knowledge of Microsoft Word and Excel will be required at intermediate / advanced level. 

In this role, you will provide general secretarial duties including typing, maintaining busy electronic diaries and opening and distributing post.  Other responsibilities include:

• Planning and organising meetings
• Arranging accommodation bookings and organising travel arrangements
• Maintaining the Development Operating budget
• Supporting the Project Managers in processing their project documentation, including collating specifications, creating project start forms and setting up relevant contracts from standard templates
• Processing and sending orders to suppliers using Web3
• Liaising with contractors, suppliers and village operations teams
• Tracking the progress of projects by generating up to date schedules, maintaining risk registers and tracking financial status of projects against expectations
• Other admin processes relating to the conclusion of projects, ensuring all information and records are filed in a clear and logical manner
• Taking minutes of meetings and action points.

This role will involve occasional travel to our Center Parcs villages, along with overnight stays when required.

HOURS OF WORK

This is a part-time secondment opportunity from the end of July 2025 until the end of September 2026 covering maternity leave.

You will be contracted to work 108 hours per 4-week period (27 hours per week). Normal working hours are 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. However, dynamic working is available whereby the earliest start time is 7am and the latest finish time is 7pm.

Please note, this role will be hybrid with a mixture of office and home-working. 

The preference would be for the 27 hours per week to be spread over 5 working days (Monday to Friday), however, the exact working hours will be discussed with the successful candidate.

Occasional travel to our Center Parcs villages, along with overnight stays when required.

ABOUT YOU

Essential requirements:

• RSA II Typing or equivalent
• Microsoft Word and Excel at intermediate/advanced level
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Effective communication skills to Senior Management level, internal and external
• Effective organisational skills
• Analytical skills
• Experience of working as a Secretary to Senior Management level
• GCSE English and Maths, Grade C or equivalent
• Confidentiality
• The ability to work on your own initiative and without close supervision
• Full UK driving license

Desirable requirements:

• Working knowledge of Web3, Grassroots, and Planon

ABOUT THE BENEFITS

Center Parcs is a fantastic place to work, and the benefits are as impressive as they are unique. Here are just a few:

• Colleague Bonus Scheme
• Pension Scheme with Life Assurance
• Colleague Recognition and Reward Scheme – offering a choice of Center Parcs and High Street vouchers
• Free use of our leisure facilities
• Discounted Center Parcs breaks
• 20% discount in our restaurant and retail outlets
• Access to Perks at Work Portal - offering a wide range of retail and leisure discounts
• An Employee Assistance Program - providing support on financial, health and legal matters
• Excellent opportunities for career development and progression with the opportunity to gain externally recognised qualifications

If this sounds like your ideal job, then we’d love to see your application.

Closing date:  20th May 2025 at 12 Noon

Interviews to be held:  2nd and 3rd June 2025

Please note this vacancy may close at any time once sufficient applications have been received. Early submission of your application is therefore encouraged.

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At Center Parcs, everyone’s welcome.

We recognise that we’re all at our best when we’re being ourselves. We are committed to building a culture that champions diversity, equity and inclusion, where everyone is treated fairly and with respect. We welcome people from all backgrounds and want them to feel valued for their individuality, thrive in our business and share a sense of belonging. We place a lot of value on recruiting based on behaviours rather than prioritising qualifications or experience.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer, please let us know if you require any support or reasonable adjustments during the application or interview process.