Requisition ID: 26115
Location:
Newcastle, GB
Contract Type: Open Ended
Working Pattern: Full Time
Posted Date: 29 Aug 2023
Salary: £25,742 to £26,444 with progression to £27,979 per annum
Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.
Closing Date: 06 September 2023
The Role
We are seeking a highly motivated and enthusiastic individual to join our multidisciplinary School. Based in the busy School of Geography, Politics and Sociology Professional Services office you will work in liaison with the School Research and Finance Operations Co-ordinator and School Research Manager to provide a comprehensive administrative service to our postgraduate research (PGR) students and to academic colleagues, in particular to supervisors and school postgraduate directors. As a first point of contact for queries, the postholder will maintain an excellent working knowledge of processes and systems involved in the administration of postgraduate research, directing colleagues and students to relevant information, advising on best practice, and supporting students throughout their candidature from application to graduation. The role involves liaison with a wide range of colleagues across the school and university, necessitating excellent communication skills, tact and discretion, and excellent attention to detail.
If you would like to discuss the role, please contact Jenny Dawley for further information; Jenny.Dawley@ncl.ac.uk
Key Accountabilities
- Assist with the recruitment and admission of students, including assisting with advertising and marketing of studentship opportunities
- To lead, guide and provide specialist support to academic colleagues and applicants to studentship competitions, independently liaising with funders, DTPs and pathway leads through the competition process
- To support research students and academic colleagues during the PhD student life cycle, including organisation and participation in registration and induction activities and progression procedures for PGR students across the School
- Ensure attendance and supervisory meetings are recorded, through regular monitoring processes and liaison with relevant colleagues
- Manage and maintain student records, ensuring that all current and archived documents can be accessed in an efficient manner
- Maintain an excellent working knowledge of current processes and procedures relating to PGR matters, ensuring efficient and rigorous implementation of the University PGR Code of Practice and research programme regulations
- Collate, organise and interpret Graduate School procedures for in-school implementation
- Research, collate and prepare information as required for quality assessments for example, but not limited to, Annual Monitoring Review
- As the main point of contact for PGR related matters within the school, work with colleagues across the School, Faculty and University to identify, disseminate and implement best practise in PGR administration
- Service (as secretary) the school committee meetings pertaining to postgraduate student matters, assist with the servicing and organisation of student voice committees where required
- Administer school support funds for PG students, including hardship and supplementary fieldwork and conference funding through devolved budget responsibility. Assist with and refer student finance queries as appropriate
- Assist Postgraduate Research Directors in the review of student risk assessments pertaining to fieldwork
- Assist in the set-up of research funded studentships unique to the school
- Independently communicate clearly with students and staff via a variety of methods including virtual learning environments, handbooks, e-mail, webpages and in person
- Support student wellbeing, signposting students to sources of support and referring on to PGR senior tutor as necessary. Liaise with students, student wellbeing services and academic colleagues to implement student support recommendations. Undertake student display screen assessments
- Receive Student Support Plans from Student Wellbeing Services and communicate requirements to those concerned, liaising where relevant with support teams across academic and professional support services, to co-ordinate support for students
- Lead on the effective planning and allocation of resources for PGR students, including workspace allocation
- Maintain good working knowledge of activities relevant to the school so as to provide administrative cover as required, in particular for postgraduate taught student matters, and any other duties as required, commensurate with the grade of this role
The Person (Essential)
Knowledge, Skills and Experience
- Excellent IT skills including MS Office
- Knowledge and/or understanding of the Higher Education sector, including research and finance activities and the student lifecycle management
- Ability to follow and implement policies and procedures
- Experience of administrative work in a busy office environment
- Excellent communication skills and ability to work well within a team
- Ability to use initiative and judgement to resolve problems independently
- Excellent interpersonal skills, including managing confidential and sensitive information
Attributes and Behaviours
- A positive, proactive and professional student and customer focussed attitude
- Excellent standard of integrity, honesty and discretion
- Proven attention to detail, working quickly and accurately to deadlines
- Ability to work in a planned and structured way organising own workload
- Excellent interpersonal skills, working flexibly and co-operatively with others
- Takes responsibility for achieving goals
- Excellent problem-solving skills
Qualifications
- Maths and English at GCSE Level 4 or equivalent or significant relevant work experience in an administrative or customer service setting
Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.
We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.
At Newcastle University we hold a silver Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC.
In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.
Requisition ID: 26115