Administrative Assistant

18166BR

School of Physics & Astronomy

Administrative Support

Advert

Administrative Assistant

School of Physics & Astronomy - Cardiff University

A position is available for an Administrative assistant to join the team at the School of Physics and Astronomy.

Reporting to the Deputy School Manager, you will provide an administrative service to the School, engaging and completing a range of tasks to meet operational and customer service requirements.

You will provide support and guidance on a range of administrative duties, as detailed in the job description, to ensure the professional services team is supported and key duties undertaken.

You will have the ability to communicate effectively and professionally with a wide range of people and the ability to work as an effective team member, providing advice and guidance to other team members where necessary

The role is full time, 35 hours per week and is fixed term for 24 months.

Work is currently on a Hybrid basis with the balance towards on premises attendance and is determined by the needs of the organisation.

For further details of this position please contact: Paula Barrett, Deputy School Manager, [email protected] or PhysicsHR Team, [email protected]

IMPORTANT NOTE TO CANDIDATES: It is the University’s policy to use the person specification as a key tool for short-listing and we only invite candidates to interview who clearly evidence that they meet (or partially meet) each of the essential criteria. During the application process you will be asked to attach a supporting statement. This statement must outline how you meet the criteria below and we recommended formatting this by using each criteria as a sub-heading and providing your relevant experience/evidence below each sub-heading. It is crucial that you save your supporting statement with the vacancy number (eg. 18166BR) in the filename as failure to do so may result in it being omitted from your application.

Salary: £23,700 - £24,533 per annum (Grade 3)

Job Reference: 18166BR

Date advert posted: Tuesday, 30 April 2024

Closing Date: Tuesday, 21 May 2024

Please be aware that Cardiff University reserves the right to close this vacancy early should sufficient applications be received.

Cardiff University and the School of Physics and Astronomy are committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity. Our inclusive environment welcomes applications from talented people from diverse backgrounds. We strongly welcome female applicants and those from any ethnic minority group, as they are underrepresented in our School. The School of Physics & Astronomy has a Juno Champion accreditation and an Athena SWAN Silver award that recognises good employment practice and a commitment to develop the careers of women and other minorities working in science. The University is committed to ensuring that we sustain a positive working environment for all staff to flourish and achieve. As part of this commitment, the University has developed a flexible and responsive framework of procedures to support staff in managing their work and personal commitments wherever possible. Applications are welcome from individuals who wish to work part-time or full time.

Applications may be submitted in Welsh, and an application submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application submitted in English.

Job Description

Job Purpose

Provide an administrative service to the School of Physics and Astronomy, engaging and completing a range of routine tasks to meet operational and customer service requirements. Providing support and guidance on a range of administrative duties to ensure the professional services team is supported and key duties undertaken.

Duties and Responsibilities

Key Duties

• Deal with a range of enquires from internal and external customers in a professional manner, establishing their requirements and adapting the standard responses accordingly
• Collaborate with others in order to make recommendations for developments of established processes and procedures
• Establish working relationships with key contacts to help improve service levels
• Undertake a variety of administrative duties to support the team and department
• Gather and analyse data to update administrative systems with accurate information, establishing basic trends and patterns in any data submitted
• Contribute to the success of the team, leading others through example, and supporting the supervision and management of the team
  
  

Specific Duties

• Act as secretary to School and Research meetings, taking notes and making general arrangements
• Organising school events and setting up regular and ad-hoc meetings
• As part of a team, manage the Schools post room and parcel deliveries and be responsible for the equipment in the room.
• Manage the Schools stationery requirements
• Arrange car and van hires, couriers, travel and on-site parking for visitors
• Act as part of the school reception team, including dealing with internal and external enquiries
• Produce the Fortnightly School Newsletter including editing and design and collecting information and articles from staff and students
• Produce school data and analysis for internal and external returns
• Provide ad-hoc support to the research administration team which could include but not be limited to; research student support, human resources administration, procurement, small project work,
  
  

General Duties

• Ensure that an understanding of the importance of confidentiality is applied when undertaking all duties
• Abide by University policies on Health and Safety and Equality and Diversity
• Perform other duties occasionally which are not included above, but which will be consistent with the role
  
  

Person Specification

Essential Criteria

Qualifications and Education

• NVQ 2/GCSE level A-C or equivalent
  
  

Knowledge, Skills And Experience

• Significant experience of working in Higher Education administration
• Experience of organising meetings and events, including note taking
• Ability to communicate effectively and professionally with a wide range of people
• Proficient in using common office IT packages (e.g. MS Office), particularly Excel & Word with ability to set up standard administrative systems and procedures
  
  

Customer Service, Communication and Team Working

• Ability to work as an effective team member, providing advice and guidance to other team members where necessary
• Proven ability to deal with escalated requests for information or service, resolving customer issues where appropriate
  
  

Planning, Analysis and Problem Solving

• Ability to plan, prioritise and organise own workload within established time scales
• Ability to use initiative in solving problems and responding to queries ensuring compliance with standard procedures and practices
  
  

Other

• A willingness to undertake further training and development
  
  

Desirable Criteria

• A-Levels or equivalent
• Experience of using Outlook
• Experience of using financial software
• Experience of supervising others
• Fluency in Welsh, written and oral
  
  

Salary Range Min.

23,700

Salary Range Max.

24,533

Job Category

Admin / Clerical

Grade

Grade 3