Grade/Salary Range: Grade 5 - £25,138 - £28,759
Contract: Full-time, 35 hours per week
Section: Edinburgh Business School
Annual leave: 28 days plus 9-10 Buildings Closed Days
Please see our complete detailed benefits package for this role:
Detailed Description
The school is looking to appoint a full-time Senior Administrative Assistant who will be responsible for providing high quality day-to-day administrative support to the Head of Department for the Department of Management in Edinburgh Business School. The role holder will work within the academic department as the key administrative support for the Head and assist other academic colleagues in their department. The role is also expected to operate as a member of the Departmental Administration Team and wider School’s Support Team and work alongside administrative colleagues located in various areas of the wider School. The role will also act as a key administrative liaison point between a range of University Central Directorates in the best interests of their academic department.
The successful applicant will have a proven track record in the delivery of administrative services in an education context to senior staff and interacting with students and staff in a supportive role. They will be relied upon to provide an excellent administrative service to a wide range of stakeholders.
The ability to initiate and complete tasks to the highest standard is essential. Excellent organisational, interpersonal and communication skills are also vital to this role, as are strong IT skills (particularly with Microsoft Office packages). Applicants should have experience of working with staff and students in a customer-oriented supportive role. The role will suit a self-motivated individual who enjoys working with young people and who is able to work flexibly as a member of a team within a challenging and dynamic environment.
The work will be varied, and the post holder will be expected to deliver a fair, friendly and timely service to students and staff. All the support services within the School are committed to delivering a customer focused service to students, staff and visitors. To achieve this commitment, all support staff need to be adaptable, flexible, and prepared to support other teams and individuals within the School.
Key Duties and Responsibilities
Reporting to the Head of Operations for the School of Social Sciences, but working closely with the Head of Department and their departmental academic colleagues the post-holder will:
* Provide high quality administrative and secretarial support to the Head of Department
* Provide administrative support for Department’s routine activities, projects, and local governance activities including scheduling, preparation of agendas, circulation of documentation, minuting meetings, following-up actions and managing associated TEAMs and SharePoint sites. Examples include Boards of Studies, Programme Boards, and Staff/Student Liaison Committees
* Provide administrative and planning support to departmental project working groups and departmental events series for staff delivered locally and globally via TEAMs or Zoom as and when required (e.g. CPD events, and occasional conferences etc.)
* Work closely with the relevant University Central Services to help organise the work of the department and optimise the support for the department’s staff in understanding and following the correct practices and procedures in a timely manner
* Play a central role supporting the Departmental Leadership Team and building a sense of community for the students and staff of the department
* Responsibility for the upkeep of the Departmental WorkSpace (SharePoint) and various Departmental Microsoft Teams sites, ensuring consistency of approach in how departments are presented to the wider university
* Prepare relevant documents and information required from the department to facilitate School governance and to respond to requests from wider service departments of the University on behalf of the Head of Department
* Act as a champion for continuous improvement in administrative processes and procedures at Departmental and School levels to enhance effectiveness and efficiency
* Signpost Academic Tutors to where they can find general advice for their tutees relating to L&T policies, procedures, and practices to enhance the student experience across the department
* Administrative support for academic colleagues in key roles across the Department to enhance the staff and student experience via local projects, initiatives, and events
* Help with the organisation and facilitation of induction events designed to build and sustain excellent staff-student relations
* Provide cover for colleagues working in a similar role during periods of annual leave and operate in a network for Departmental Administrators across all Departments in the wider School
* Work collaboratively and effectively with colleagues in the wider School Professional Services team and with a variety of relevant University central services.
Please note that this job description is not exhaustive, and the role holder may be required to undertake other relevant duties commensurate with the grading of the post. Activities may be subject to amendment over time as the role develops and/or priorities and requirements evolve.
Essential and Desirable Criteria
This section details the attributes e.g. skills, knowledge/qualifications and competencies which are required in order to undertake the full remit of the role.
Essential
1. Educated to at least SCQF Level 6
2. Experience of working within a similar role
3. Competent in the use of relevant IT packages
4. Well-developed interpersonal skills
5. Demonstrable professional and proactive approach
6. Demonstrable ability to work quickly, flexibly and accurately in a dynamic, changing and pressured environment
7. Demonstrable provision of excellent customer service
Desirable
1. Experience in Higher Education
2. Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Excel
3. Experience in organising events such as conferences and seminars
4. Experience of booking travel and accommodation
5. Commitment to ongoing personal development
6. Experience of minute taking
7. IT skills in web management and content editing and/or use of SharePoint
How to Apply
Applications can be submitted up to midnight (UK time) on the 4th of April 2024.
Please note that interviews for shortlisted candidates will take place on W/C 22nd of April 2024.
For an informal discussion about this post please contact – Dr. Darren Cunningham, Head of Operations ( d.p.cunningham@hw.ac.uk ). This information is provided for the purposes of potential candidates to ask questions about the role being advertised. It is not provided for employment agencies to contact the Hiring Manager.
This role does not meet the minimum requirements set by UKVI to enable sponsorship of migrant workers. Therefore, we cannot progress applications from candidates who require sponsorship to work in the UK. For further information on this please visit the UK Visas and Immigration website:
Heriot-Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities. Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all.
We welcome and will consider flexible working patterns e.g. part-time working and job share options.
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