Administrator

Job Title: Grant Administrator
Department: Anthropology
Grade: Grade 4  
Salary range: £21,630 -£23,144 Per Annum    
Potential interview date:  24th October 2022
 
The University

At Durham University we are proud of our people.  A globally outstanding centre of educational excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, a unique and historic setting – Durham is a university like no other. 
Across the University we have a huge variety of roles and career opportunities, which together make us a large and successful community, which is a key hub of activity within our region and nationally.  Whether you are at the very start, middle or end of your career, there is a role for you. We believe everyone has their own unique skills to offer. 
We would be thrilled if you would consider joining our thriving University.  Further information about the University can be found here  

The Role and the Department

The Anthropology Department at Durham University has an outstanding international reputation for teaching, research and student employability.

We are one of the largest Anthropology Departments in the UK, with nearly 40 permanent academic staff working across social, evolutionary and health anthropology. The Department of Anthropology has a vibrant research culture with many visitors, seminars, global conferences and workshops. We provide an intellectually inclusive environment, fostering the academic freedom and confidence to work at both the core and boundaries of anthropology in exciting and innovative ways. In the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021) 45% of our research was rated as world-leading, and we are top 10 in the Complete University Guide (2023), as well as 29th in the QS World University Rankings by subject (2022).

We seek to employ an Administrator to assist the Project Manager, Research Communications Lead (RCL) and Professor Rachel Kendal implement and run a major funding scheme, known as the CES Transformation Fund on behalf of the Cultural Evolution Society (funded by the John Templeton Foundation). It addresses questions that will transform the important, yet underfunded, field of cultural evolution. How our cultures evolve (including how information is transmitted, how people make decisions, and the interaction with our biology) is a pressing issue in a world in which our cultural activities are causing rapid, and drastic, social, and physical changes. Through 16 research projects, 4 applied working groups, 4 workshops, 1 capstone conference, 3 capacity building training courses, and public engagement activities, the grant aims to tackle early career obstacles, western-centrism, traditional disciplinary divides, and division of scientists and public policy makers. Find out more on our website https://ces-transformationfund.org

The Administrator will primarily assist the Project Manager in ensuring all pre- and post-award contract activities and expenditure responsibility activities are completed efficiently and effectively. Duties would include collating documents for due diligence and ethical compliance checks of awardees, chasing signatures, annexes, support letters etc. for funding contracts, collating documents for interim/final reports from awardees for financial auditing, and for creating reports for the Advisory Board and John Templeton Foundation. They will also be responsible for booking travel, venues and catering for Project related activities such as management meetings, applied workshops, capacity building courses, the capstone conference and public outreach events. The Administrator may also provide support to the Research Communications Lead as required. For example, in collating dissemination networks for policy and/or public engagement.

0.1 FTE of the role will be for administrative support of the FACE-UP project (Factors Affecting Childhood Exposures to Urban Particulates) for which Prof Rachel Kendal is a Co-Investigator. The project seeks to develop and assess mechanisms to decrease children’s exposure to particulate air pollution in urban locations in Indonesia and Nepal. The Administrator will primarily assist the Principal Investigator, Prof Claire Horwell, with organising events, travel, and processing expense claims.

Working at Durham  

A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University: you will also receive access to the following fantastic benefits: 

•    27 Days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year – a total of 39 days per year. 
•    No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered.  We have parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies.
•    Lots of support for health and wellbeing including discounted membership for our state of the art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme.
•    On site nursery is available and children’s clubs in the summer holidays.
•    Family friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, which are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers).
•    There is a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally.  There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University.  All staff have dedicated annual time to concentrate on their personal development opportunities. 
•    The opportunity to take part in staff volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community
•    Discounts are available via our benefits portal including; money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, the cinema and days out at various attractions. 
•    We offer generous pension schemes. 

Durham University is committed to equality diversity, inclusion and values

Our collective aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and we believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work.  
As a University equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key part of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do.  We also live by our values and our Staff Code of Conduct.  At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive. It’s important to us that all of our colleagues are aligned to both our values and commitment to EDI.

We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.  If you have taken time out of your career, and you feel it relevant, let us know about it in your application.  If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role. 
 

What you need to demonstrate when you apply/Person Specification

When you apply it is important that you let us know what skills/experience you have from a similar role and/or what skills/experience you have which would make you right for this role.  Further information about the role and responsibilities is at the end of this job description.  Where a criteria has an asterix* next to it, it may be given additional weighting when your application is considered.  

Your application should cover the following criteria:

Essential Criteria  
   

Desirable Criteria

How to apply

To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification above.  Where there are desirable criteria we would also urge you to provide any relevant evidence.  Please don’t forget to check if there is any weighted criteria (see above).

While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview.  

Submitting your application 

We prefer to receive applications online.  We will update you about your application at various points during the process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to ensure you receive all emails 
 
What you are required to submit:

Contact details 
For further information please contact; Prof Rachel Kendal using [email protected]

Typical Role Requirements

The Administrator is a 0.6 FTE post (0.5 allocated to the CES Transformation Fund and 0.1 to the FACE-UP project). However, for prescribed instances (specifically in supporting Project related activities such as the CES Transformation Fund capstone conference in 2024) more than 0.6 FTE may be required within a week and will be compensated for in other weeks.

Service Delivery

•    Focus on checking  Project requirements to ensure the delivery of excellence. 
•    Respond to funded applicants  answering and recording standard queries and making bookings for Project related activities and/or events such as management meetings, workshops, conferences, and public outreach events.
•    Solve day-to-day routine problems and source background information within the role. 
•    Operate an enquiry service and process requests finding solutions or escalating queries where necessary, specifically assist the Project Manager in running a funding applicant ‘help line’.
•    Apply professional and regulatory procedures and processes and use of systems. 
•    Apply standard professional and recognised regulatory procedures to process, check and reconcile anomalies within data and information sets. 
•    Compile, record, store and archive data and information to ensure the accuracy and safety of information. 
•    Use standard office-based  IT systems, (including Banner and Oracle Financials) tools and equipment to carry out data recording, communications and networking. 
•    Process and update key business documentation, ensuring payments are made using the appropriate payment method(s) on behalf of the office
•    Make venue, catering, travel and/or equipment arrangements for events, meetings and activities, including supporting international individuals to book flights and make travel arrangements, in line with their award.
•    A commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and the University’s values.

Teamwork

•    Contribute to the planning of team activities, work and deadlines to ensure the smooth running and timeliness of service. 
•    Record data and information accurately and provide reports as required to team members and more experienced staff, such as the Project Manager and Research Communications Lead
•    Assist team members to organise, plan and prepare for events, meetings and activities, including the collation of documents for the creation of contracts, monitoring ethical research, safety and expenditure of funded awardees and creation of timely reports to the John Templeton Foundation
•    Work with team members to ensure the smooth running of administrative processes to support people and Project activities

• Assist the PI of the FACE-UP project to organise, plan and prepare for events, travel and processing expense claims.

Communication/Networking

•    Provide a responsive and proactive support service for the Project Team
•    Flexible in approach to accommodate the needs of team members and/or service users. 
•    Liaise with internal and external suppliers, contractors and professional specialists to pass on information. 
•    Liaise and collaborate with staff in other areas of the organisation  such as Research and Innovation Services, Durham Research Methods Centre and Event Durham, to ensure a seamless, smooth and efficient service.
•    Resolve queries and requests for information and advice and escalate more specialist and complex queries or issues to more experienced team members.
•    Liaise with representatives from other service areas, within the University, professional organisations (e.g. The Cultural Evolution Society) and agencies (e.g. the Project website developer) where necessary.
•    Provide service and support for networks, scholarship committees and meetings, to draft and distribute documents and communications in standard professional formats.
•    Liaise with internal and external suppliers and specialists with the organisation, planning and delivery of services, activities and events. 

•    Any other reasonable duties. 

  
Useful links
If you would like further information you may find the following will help
 
Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement https://www.durham.ac.uk/about-us/governance/information-governance/privacy-notices/privacy-notices/job-applicants/ which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data. 

When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas.