diff --git a/src/app/admin/admin-sidebar/admin-sidebar-section/admin-sidebar-section.component.html b/src/app/admin/admin-sidebar/admin-sidebar-section/admin-sidebar-section.component.html
index 4ffb690651..d47032c0fb 100644
--- a/src/app/admin/admin-sidebar/admin-sidebar-section/admin-sidebar-section.component.html
+++ b/src/app/admin/admin-sidebar/admin-sidebar-section/admin-sidebar-section.component.html
@@ -1,10 +1,19 @@
 <div class="sidebar-section">
-    <a href="javascript:void(0);" class="nav-item nav-link shortcut-icon" attr.aria-labelledby="sidebarName-{{section.id}}" [title]="('menu.section.icon.' + section.id) | translate" [routerLink]="itemModel.link">
+    <a class="nav-item nav-link d-flex flex-row flex-nowrap"
+       attr.aria-labelledby="sidebarName-{{section.id}}"
+       [title]="('menu.section.icon.' + section.id) | translate"
+       [routerLink]="itemModel.link"
+       href="javascript:void(0);"
+    >
+      <div class="shortcut-icon">
         <i class="fas fa-{{section.icon}} fa-fw"></i>
+      </div>
+      <div class="sidebar-collapsible">
+        <div class="toggle">
+          <span id="sidebarName-{{section.id}}" class="section-header-text">
+            {{itemModel.text | translate}}
+          </span>
+        </div>
+      </div>
     </a>
-    <div class="sidebar-collapsible">
-        <span id="sidebarName-{{section.id}}" class="section-header-text">
-        <a class="nav-item nav-link"  tabindex="-1" [routerLink]="itemModel.link">{{itemModel.text | translate}}</a>
-        </span>
-    </div>
 </div>
diff --git a/src/app/admin/admin-sidebar/admin-sidebar.component.html b/src/app/admin/admin-sidebar/admin-sidebar.component.html
index d3d8031994..95f9932834 100644
--- a/src/app/admin/admin-sidebar/admin-sidebar.component.html
+++ b/src/app/admin/admin-sidebar/admin-sidebar.component.html
@@ -9,19 +9,20 @@
      role="navigation" [attr.aria-label]="'menu.header.admin.description' |translate">
     <div class="sidebar-top-level-items">
         <ul class="navbar-nav">
-            <li class="admin-menu-header sidebar-section">
-                <a class="shortcut-icon navbar-brand mr-0" href="javascript:void(0);">
-                <span class="logo-wrapper">
+            <li class="admin-menu-header">
+              <div class="sidebar-section">
+                <a href="javascript:void(0);" class="nav-item d-flex flex-row flex-nowrap py-0">
+                  <div class="shortcut-icon navbar-brand logo-wrapper">
                     <img class="admin-logo" src="assets/images/dspace-logo-mini.svg"
                          [alt]="('menu.header.image.logo') | translate">
-                </span>
+                  </div>
+                  <div class="sidebar-collapsible navbar-brand">
+                    <div class="mr-0">
+                      <h4 class="section-header-text mb-0">{{ 'menu.header.admin' | translate }}</h4>
+                    </div>
+                  </div>
                 </a>
-                <div class="sidebar-collapsible">
-                    <a class="navbar-brand mr-0" href="javascript:void(0);">
-                        <h4 class="section-header-text mb-0">{{'menu.header.admin' |
-                            translate}}</h4>
-                    </a>
-                </div>
+              </div>
             </li>
 
             <ng-container *ngFor="let section of (sections | async)">
@@ -32,22 +33,20 @@
     </div>
     <div class="navbar-nav">
         <div class="sidebar-section" id="sidebar-collapse-toggle">
-            <a class="nav-item nav-link shortcut-icon"
+            <a class="nav-item nav-link sidebar-section d-flex flex-row flex-nowrap"
                href="javascript:void(0);"
                (click)="toggle($event)">
+              <div class="shortcut-icon">
                 <i *ngIf="(menuCollapsed | async)" class="fas fa-fw fa-angle-double-right"
                    [title]="'menu.section.icon.pin' | translate"></i>
                 <i *ngIf="!(menuCollapsed | async)" class="fas fa-fw fa-angle-double-left"
                    [title]="'menu.section.icon.unpin' | translate"></i>
+              </div>
+              <div class="sidebar-collapsible">
+                <span *ngIf="menuCollapsed | async" class="section-header-text">{{'menu.section.pin' | translate }}</span>
+                <span *ngIf="!(menuCollapsed | async)" class="section-header-text">{{'menu.section.unpin' | translate }}</span>
+              </div>
             </a>
-            <div class="sidebar-collapsible">
-                <a class="nav-item nav-link sidebar-section"
-                   href="javascript:void(0);"
-                   (click)="toggle($event)">
-                    <span *ngIf="menuCollapsed | async" class="section-header-text">{{'menu.section.pin' | translate }}</span>
-                    <span *ngIf="!(menuCollapsed | async)" class="section-header-text">{{'menu.section.unpin' | translate }}</span>
-                </a>
-            </div>
         </div>
     </div>
 </nav>
diff --git a/src/app/admin/admin-sidebar/admin-sidebar.component.scss b/src/app/admin/admin-sidebar/admin-sidebar.component.scss
index e6eb4a7037..59ee61c323 100644
--- a/src/app/admin/admin-sidebar/admin-sidebar.component.scss
+++ b/src/app/admin/admin-sidebar/admin-sidebar.component.scss
@@ -25,6 +25,11 @@
         .navbar-nav {
             .admin-menu-header {
                 background-color: var(--ds-admin-sidebar-header-bg);
+
+                .sidebar-section {
+                  background-color: inherit;
+                }
+
                 .logo-wrapper {
                     img {
                         height: 20px;
@@ -34,6 +39,10 @@
                     line-height: 1.5;
                 }
 
+                .navbar-brand {
+                  margin-right: 0;
+                }
+
             }
         }
 
@@ -44,26 +53,67 @@
                     display: flex;
                     align-content: stretch;
                     background-color: var(--ds-admin-sidebar-bg);
+                    overflow-x: visible;
+
                     .nav-item {
                         padding-top: var(--bs-spacer);
                         padding-bottom: var(--bs-spacer);
+                        background-color: inherit;
+
+                      &:focus-visible {
+                        // since links fill the whole sidebar, we _inset_ the outline
+                        outline-offset: -4px;
+
+                        // replace padding with margins so it doesn't extend over the :focus-visible outline
+                        //  → can't remove the padding altogether; the icon needs to fill out
+                        //    the collapsed width of the sidebar for the slide animation to look decent.
+                        .shortcut-icon {
+                          padding-left: 0;
+                          padding-right: 0;
+                          margin-left: var(--ds-icon-padding);
+                          margin-right: var(--ds-icon-padding);
+                        }
+                        .logo-wrapper {
+                          margin-right: var(--bs-navbar-padding-x) !important;
+                        }
+                        .navbar-brand {
+                          padding-top: 0;
+                          padding-bottom: 0;
+                          margin-top: var(--bs-navbar-brand-padding-y);
+                          margin-bottom: var(--bs-navbar-brand-padding-y);
+                        }
+                      }
                     }
+
                     .shortcut-icon {
+                        background-color: inherit;
                         padding-left: var(--ds-icon-padding);
                         padding-right: var(--ds-icon-padding);
-                    }
-                    .shortcut-icon, .icon-wrapper {
-                        background-color: inherit;
                         z-index: var(--ds-icon-z-index);
+                        align-self: baseline;
                     }
+
                     .sidebar-collapsible {
+                        padding-left: 0;
+                        padding-right: var(--bs-spacer);
                         width: var(--ds-sidebar-items-width);
                         position: relative;
-                        a {
-                            padding-right: var(--bs-spacer);
-                            width: 100%;
+                        .toggle {
+                          width: 100%;
+                        }
+
+                        ul {
+                          padding-top: var(--bs-spacer);
+
+                          // move nested elements over to the left and pad so their :focus-visible outline
+                          // doesn't get cut off by the parent section's icon
+                          margin-left: calc(-1 * var(--bs-spacer));
+                          li a {
+                            padding-left: var(--bs-spacer);
+                          }
                         }
                     }
+
                     &.active > .sidebar-collapsible > .nav-link {
                         color: var(--bs-navbar-dark-active-color);
                     }
diff --git a/src/app/admin/admin-sidebar/expandable-admin-sidebar-section/expandable-admin-sidebar-section.component.html b/src/app/admin/admin-sidebar/expandable-admin-sidebar-section/expandable-admin-sidebar-section.component.html
index 304220d3c4..a94df21bf7 100644
--- a/src/app/admin/admin-sidebar/expandable-admin-sidebar-section/expandable-admin-sidebar-section.component.html
+++ b/src/app/admin/admin-sidebar/expandable-admin-sidebar-section/expandable-admin-sidebar-section.component.html
@@ -2,26 +2,32 @@
     [@bgColor]="{
      value: ((expanded | async) ? 'endBackground' : 'startBackground'),
      params: {endColor: (sidebarActiveBg | async)}}">
-    <div class="icon-wrapper">
-        <a class="nav-item nav-link shortcut-icon" attr.aria.labelledby="sidebarName-{{section.id}}" [title]="('menu.section.icon.' + section.id) | translate" (click)="toggleSection($event)" href="javascript:void(0);">
-            <i class="fas fa-{{section.icon}} fa-fw"></i>
-        </a>
+  <a class="nav-item nav-link d-flex flex-row flex-nowrap"
+     attr.aria.labelledby="sidebarName-{{section.id}}"
+     [title]="('menu.section.icon.' + section.id) | translate"
+     (click)="toggleSection($event)"
+     href="javascript:void(0);"
+  >
+    <div class="shortcut-icon">
+      <i class="fas fa-{{section.icon}} fa-fw"></i>
     </div>
     <div class="sidebar-collapsible">
-        <a class="nav-item nav-link" href="javascript:void(0);" tabindex="-1"
-           (click)="toggleSection($event)">
-            <span id="sidebarName-{{section.id}}" class="section-header-text">
-                <ng-container
-                        *ngComponentOutlet="(sectionMap$ | async).get(section.id).component; injector: (sectionMap$ | async).get(section.id).injector;"></ng-container>
-            </span>
-            <i class="fas fa-chevron-right fa-pull-right"
-               [@rotate]="(expanded | async) ? 'expanded' : 'collapsed'" [title]="('menu.section.toggle.' + section.id) | translate"></i>
-        </a>
-        <ul class="sidebar-sub-level-items list-unstyled" @slide *ngIf="(expanded | async)">
-            <li *ngFor="let subSection of (subSections$ | async)">
-                <ng-container
-                        *ngComponentOutlet="(sectionMap$ | async).get(subSection.id).component; injector: (sectionMap$ | async).get(subSection.id).injector;"></ng-container>
-            </li>
-        </ul>
+      <div class="toggle">
+        <span id="sidebarName-{{section.id}}" class="section-header-text">
+          <ng-container
+            *ngComponentOutlet="(sectionMap$ | async).get(section.id).component; injector: (sectionMap$ | async).get(section.id).injector;"></ng-container>
+        </span>
+        <i class="fas fa-chevron-right fa-pull-right"
+           [@rotate]="(expanded | async) ? 'expanded' : 'collapsed'"
+           [title]="('menu.section.toggle.' + section.id) | translate"
+        ></i>
+      </div>
+      <ul class="sidebar-sub-level-items list-unstyled" @slide *ngIf="(expanded | async)">
+        <li *ngFor="let subSection of (subSections$ | async)">
+          <ng-container
+            *ngComponentOutlet="(sectionMap$ | async).get(subSection.id).component; injector: (sectionMap$ | async).get(subSection.id).injector;"></ng-container>
+        </li>
+      </ul>
     </div>
+  </a>
 </div>
diff --git a/src/app/admin/admin-sidebar/expandable-admin-sidebar-section/expandable-admin-sidebar-section.component.scss b/src/app/admin/admin-sidebar/expandable-admin-sidebar-section/expandable-admin-sidebar-section.component.scss
index 8670cf19aa..802fade8c1 100644
--- a/src/app/admin/admin-sidebar/expandable-admin-sidebar-section/expandable-admin-sidebar-section.component.scss
+++ b/src/app/admin/admin-sidebar/expandable-admin-sidebar-section/expandable-admin-sidebar-section.component.scss
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
         list-style: disc;
         color: var(--bs-navbar-dark-color);
         overflow: hidden;
-
+        margin-bottom: calc(-1 * var(--bs-spacer)); // the bottom-most nav-item is padded, no need for double spacing
     }
 
     .sidebar-collapsible {