Position Details
College of Medicine and Health
Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK
Full time starting salary is normally in the range £32,296 to £34,866 with potential progression once in post to £39,105
Grade: 6
Full Time, Permanent
Closing date: 9th March 2025
Our offer to you
People are at the heart of what we are and do.
The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.
We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.
We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.
Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high-quality subsidised day nurseries.
The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with a pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum, and botanical gardens.
Role Summary
The Executive Assistant (EA) will be integral to the senior administrative and operational team supporting the College of Medicine and Health. The appointee will report directly to the College Executive Officer and will provide essential support to the Pro-Vice Chancellor and Head of College, Deputy Heads of College, and other senior leaders. The EA will assist in ensuring the effective delivery of local operational and administrative services, maintaining high standards of efficiency, responsiveness, and professionalism to support excellence in research and teaching. It is essential that the post holder possesses knowledge of the challenges and opportunities within the Higher Education (HE) sector, with a particular focus on the UKRI funding landscape. The role also requires experience in providing financial support to academics, managing complex workloads, and ensuring operational delivery.
Main Duties
* Act as Executive Assistant to the Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Head of College. This will involve:
o Providing high-level diary support and making independent decisions to help arrange daily, weekly and forward-looking schedules
o Arranging meetings with internal and external stakeholders
o Drafting papers, letters and communications on behalf of the Head of College
o Providing general administrative support in respect of matters relating to Finance, HR, Travel and other related tasks.
* Providing cover and assistance within the wider Executive Office which provides support for other members of College Board and Senior Management Team. This may also involve taking ownership of various one-off tasks or events, or annual processes
* Support the administration of College meetings, such as College Board, College Leadership Forum, and College Assemblies. This will involve liaising with other Board members and external visitors regarding schedules and agenda items.
* Work with the College Executive Officer and the College Deputy Director of Operations to identify, develop and implement best administrative practice across the College and particularly with counterparts in the Schools.
* Instilling confidence to deliver on plans and projects, and an understanding of the requirements/importance of relevant functions.
* Work with the College Executive Officer and the University visa team to ensure effective management of key processes within this area, e.g. implementing the visitor process, visa applications, visiting personnel forms, and access to University systems.
* In relation to direct reports, responsibility for: performance management, attendance management including sickness monitoring/absence, occupational health referrals, and grievance procedures.
* Effectively administer the initiation of the renewal and termination of honorary contracts.
* Support the College Executive Officer in implementing change management strategies in relation to Professional Services staff.
* Support the delivery of service standards and local policies and procedures for the efficient operation of the area. With the College Executive Officer, identify collaborative opportunities to ensure consistency/continuity of policies outlining additional local requirements across all areas.
* Serve on and support Executive Committees, preparing papers and reports as required.
* Promote equality and value diversity, acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive working culture.
* Support the University’s sustainability agenda through resource-efficient working.
* Any other duties commensurate with the grade.
Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience
* Educated to Degree level (or equivalent qualifications) - where no equivalent qualification is held, significant practical relevant experience and expertise in a similar role will be required.
* Outstanding organisation and administrative skills.
* Independence, personal judgement, resourcefulness, flexibility, and self-motivation.
* Evidence of sound literacy and numeracy skills.
* Proficient IT skills, including the MS Office suite of programmes; adaptability to acquire new IT skills.
* Evidence of analytical skills and the ability to write clear and concise reports on complex matters.
* Strong negotiating and persuasion skills.
* Ability to interpret and communicate complex policy matters to students and staff.
* Excellent verbal communication skills - ability to communicate with a wide range of people at all levels, maintaining high levels of accuracy and attention to detail.
* Proven ability to plan and manage own workload and that of others in a highly efficient and effective manner, and to meet competing deadlines; working on a variety of complex issues simultaneously.
* Excellent interpersonal and networking skills; ability to develop effective working relationships with all levels of staff and external contacts.
* Ability to work effectively in a large, complex organisation, and to develop a good understanding of how the University and higher education institutions work.
* Knowledge of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010, and how to actively ensure in day-to-day activity in own area that those with protected characteristics are treated equally and fairly.
Role context
Roles at this level will require expertise and a detailed understanding of methods, systems and procedures in an administrative or professional area. You will either use specialist knowledge or have more of a planning/co-ordination/project role or a role which is supervisory in nature where you may manage a team doing similar kinds of work. You will have the opportunity to exercise a high degree of personal responsibility and initiative which you will use to resolve queries; you will use your judgement to deal with unforeseen problems and circumstances, all with limited guidance/supervision.
Core competencies/transferable skills
Working at this level you will be able to develop and successfully use the core competencies/transferable skills outlined in each of the areas shown below. As appropriate for the level, our Birmingham Professionals will take ownership for getting things done. You will be expected to be flexible as required in supporting your department and wider University.
Planning and organising
* prioritise and schedule work and resources to ensure on time and (where applicable) on budget delivery;
* set priorities and quality standards for a wide range of tasks and duties;
* contribute to written documents, for example guidelines internal to the area, taking account of audience;
* operate with limited supervision as they will have considerable scope for initiative, within established work procedures.
Problem solving and decision making
* anticipate and identify issues in own area based on experience;
* make appropriate suggestions for improvements and implement these when agreed in own area;
* facilitate change, and articulate the implications and benefits of change to others;
* focus on determining short-term priorities of work area, and how to maximise quality, efficiency and continuity.
Organisational understanding
* quickly develop an understanding of their working area and how it contributes to the success of the University;
* display an interest in how the University operates beyond own working area; develop and share this knowledge with others.
Relationships and communication
* develop and maintain excellent working relationships in own area, and more widely as required for collaborative working opportunities;
* communicate clearly and openly with others both within and external to the University, and use a range of communication skills and strategies to gain commitment to a course of action;
* demonstrate collaborative working at all times, including with others outside the immediate work area.
Further particulars can be found here
Informal enquiries to Wade Taylor, email: w.taylor@bham.ac.uk
View our staff values and behaviours here
We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website.
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