Victoria Earle
Bristol
Summary
A highly competent and experienced operations manager and communications professional with growing higher education experience. Working in SMEs for most of my career has honed skills in business development, marketing and customer service as well financial administration and logistics. Excellent at communicating with a wide range of stakeholders, understanding complex systems and streamlining processes. I respond calmly to challenges and enjoy a high level of responsibility. I am seeking a role for up to 21 hours per week.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work history
Senior Research Administrator, REASON Project, Faculty of Engineering
University of Bristol, Temporary Staffing Service
2024.12
- Events and administration support to REASON, a Smart Internet Lab research project exploring open 6G technology. I stepped in while the permanent post holder was on sick leave, helping to finalise logistics for a high-level plenary and helping plan a further two events.
Seed Shed Coordinator
Earthsong Seeds
Temple Cloud
2025.03 - 2026.04
- This is a varied part-time role for a small organic seed nursery, requiring excellent time management skills, quick thinking and high levels of flexibility.
- Office management (purchasing supplies, printer maintenance etc) and compliance (preparing documents for organic certification and other audits)
- Overseeing the customer service operations, including managing a small team of packers
- Handling customer enquiries and dealing with issues
- Trade customer relations (including new and existing customers).
- Sales events support (planning and implementation) and online marketplace management
- Website content writing and research.
Programme Support Officer/Programme Officer, IT Services
University of Bristol, Temporary Staffing Service
2024.01 - 2024.11
- I provided project governance support to the DSIT-funded Isambard AI Research resource and then the Emultimillion Modern Network Programme, as well as other Digital Strategy Programmes.
- Key support to the Senior Project Manager for Isambard AI during its planning phase: organising events, preparing agendas, minuting and recording Board meetings, and supporting the programme’s governance by ensuring all risks, issues, assumptions, decisions and dependencies were captured in the project management software PM3.
- Modern Network Programme: organising board and management meetings, requiring very complex diary management and communication with senior staff and PAs. Preparing monthly Programme reports for board meetings and setting up and steering monthly RAID reviews.
Programme Support Officer, Strategic Planning & Transformation
University of Bristol, Temporary Staffing Service
2023.09 - 2023.12
- I acted as a Support Officer to the Brand & Digital Presence Programme. Tasks and skills gained included:
- In-depth market research into Bristol brand agencies and other university rebrands.
- Editing and creating new pages on the Programme’s SharePoint site
- Restructuring the programme’s digital folder structure on SharePoint, creating a streamlined filing system
Marketing and Communications consultant
Creative SMEs
2020.04 - 2023.12
- Strategic marketing and communications services to small brands and entrepreneurs. Projects included:
- Helping Relight, a Bristol-based lighting designer, to develop a social media presence by establishing brand tone of voice and creating engaging content on LinkedIn and Instagram. This led to a 50% increase in organic sales leads. I designed an environmental Supplier Audit to enhance their reputation as a sustainable business.
- Communications consulting to broadcaster Melanie Sykes. This included editing her weekly subscriber emails and increasing the open rate from 60% to 70%. I helped launch her online magazine www.thefrankmagazine.com, writing ongoing content and editing articles. I worked alongside her publisher Harper North to organise and promote a highly successful book tour for her memoir Illuminated.
- Sales and marketing strategy for Bristol drinks brand Lovely Drinks through the pandemic. Achievements included two successful loan and grant applications, implementing a radical cost-cutting strategy, and reviewing the company’s core values and ethos. I helped navigate the business towards diversification into recipe development and white label service, including a PR campaign that generated an extra £10k per month income.
Project Officer
The Careers Service, Student Enterprise and Small Business team
2023.02 - 2023.07
- Communications, event management and administrative support to the Knowledge Exchange and SME Development team (ESME).
- Matched students to internship and IKEEP programme roles, supporting them through the process and working with Finance to facilitate timely stipend payments.
- Comms and engagement: I wrote content for social media, student email campaigns and wrote and edited blogs for My Career. I organised and promoted the student volunteering event series City Challenges, increasing attendance rates from 65% to 85% of sign-ups through promoting the events.
Office Manager
Love Struck Smoothies
Guildford
2019.04 - 2020.03
- A very fast-paced food business supplying frozen smoothies, shakes and soups.
- Logistics, customer service and marketing for this £15m turnover business that supplies UK and international distributors as well as Ocado and chains such as Pret a Manger, Bills and Giraffe
- Responsible for the customer cycle from processing orders to timely delivery of orders to distributors; problem-solving logistics issues; achieved an on-time delivery success rate of 95%
- Overseeing international orders and streamlining the documentation and compliance process, leading to a 10% increase in export sales and more timely payment of invoices.
- Managing social media platforms, increasing followers by 50% in 6 months; collaborating with a design agency to update our packaging, website, and POS within a tight budget.
- Initiated our successful application for B Corp status.
Sales Consultant (part-time)
Sharpham Park
Glastonbury
2018.12 - 2019.03
- A four-month contract during a time of growth at this award-winning organic spelt producer
- Increased efficiencies and revenue by updating the customer database, implementing a new CRM system and winning back 10% of lapsed customers through cross- and upselling.
- Re-wrote and re-formatted product sales material and launched the range on the sales platform Borough Box.
Co-founder, Operations and Sales Manager
Lovely Drinks Ltd
2008.08 - 2019.03
- A Bristol-based producer of multi-award-winning premium soft drinks
- Developed excellent relationships with customers, creating high customer loyalty rates primarily due to the deployment of friendly, helpful and efficient customer service
- Responsible for the customer cycle: processing customer orders, ensuring goods were dispatched quickly, issuing and chasing invoices, reconciling payments
- Managed the supply chain: creating and managing production schedules; organizing logistics and resolving delays and issues on a daily basis
- Grew sales by 30% year on year in the first five years through warm and cold calling and networking
- Set up the office; designed and executed company policies and procedures; Coordinated the day-to-day operations including production planning and managing a team of five staff
- Helped develop our HACCP procedures, helping us achieve accreditations including Vegan, SALSA, STS and National Trust Approved Supplier.
- Installed and implemented a new inventory and batch control system DEAR.
Education
MA Degree - Marketing
University of the Arts, London
BA Degree - Politics and Economics
University of Manchester
Skills
- Experienced in IT packages used by the University of Bristol including PM3 Project management software, Target Connect (MyCareer), Microsoft Office, Teams and SharePoint
- Knowledge of the project management lifecycle gained through working for two University PMO teams, enhanced by studying Waterfall and Agile methodologies
- Skilled at engaging with University staff at all levels and across departments and faculties
- Student communications and engagement experience gained from working at the University of Bristol Careers Service
Certification
- IAB Level 1 Bookkeeping Certificate (Credit) 2008
- ICF Accredited Postgraduate Certificate in Personal and Business Coaching, Barefoot Coaching 2007
- CAM Advanced Certificate in Direct Marketing and Sales Promotion (Distinction) 2002
- NCTJ Postgraduate Certificate in Journalism (Credit) 1991
References
References available upon request.
Hobbies and interests
I love connecting with nature and I regularly volunteer with a green social prescribing project called Roots to Wellbeing in Hartcliffe. I have taken part in wellbeing programmes at the Community Farm, Chew Magna, learning basic growing and propagating skills and taking part in outdoor crafts and mindfulness activities., I enjoy yoga, meditation, swimming and walking., I have recently joined a regular collage workshop to develop my creative side.
Timeline
Seed Shed Coordinator
Earthsong Seeds
2025.03 - 2026.04
Senior Research Administrator, REASON Project, Faculty of Engineering
University of Bristol, Temporary Staffing Service
2024.12
Programme Support Officer/Programme Officer, IT Services
University of Bristol, Temporary Staffing Service
2024.01 - 2024.11
Programme Support Officer, Strategic Planning & Transformation
University of Bristol, Temporary Staffing Service
2023.09 - 2023.12
Project Officer
The Careers Service, Student Enterprise and Small Business team
2023.02 - 2023.07
Marketing and Communications consultant
Creative SMEs
2020.04 - 2023.12
Office Manager
Love Struck Smoothies
2019.04 - 2020.03
Sales Consultant (part-time)
Sharpham Park
2018.12 - 2019.03
Co-founder, Operations and Sales Manager
Lovely Drinks Ltd
2008.08 - 2019.03
BA Degree - Politics and Economics
University of Manchester
MA Degree - Marketing
University of the Arts, London