Ceremonies Manager

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. We believe that inspiring our people to do outstanding things at Durham enables Durham people to do outstanding things professionally and personally.  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.  We would be thrilled if you would consider joining our thriving University. Further information about the University can be found here

The Role and Department

We are looking for a dynamic and organised individual to take on the role of Ceremonies Manager, who will oversee arrangements of formal University ceremonial events (normally held in Durham Cathedral) including student matriculation, and winter and summer congregation (graduation) ceremonies, ensuring that students, staff and guests are able to participate successfully.

The Ceremonies Manager reports to the Academic Registrar's Office Senior Manager and sits within the Student & Academic Services Directorate (SASD).  The Student & Academic Services Directorate provides a professional administrative support service to staff, potential students, current students and graduates of the University.  The Academic Registrar is the Director of SASD and is responsible to the Pro-Vice Chancellor (Education) for its management.  The following services also fall under the remit of the SASD: Student Recruitment & Admissions, Student Immigration & Funding, Student Registry, and the Academic Quality Service. 

The post holder will be responsible for co-ordinating the arrangements of the formal University ceremonies and main duties will include:

Ceremonies Management:

• overarching responsibility for all aspects of the operation of the ceremonies;
• producing the timetable for congregation and matriculation ceremonies, based on predicted student numbers;
• co-ordinating the production and distribution of printed and electronic material, which provide information about registration processes and the ceremonies themselves;
• managing the efficient and accurate processing of student/staff registrations for congregation and other events, including the interrogation of database to monitor statistics and identify emerging issues;
• first responsibility for addressing any issues which may arise during an event;
• creating and evaluating proposals for change, making recommendations for improvements based on informed consideration of relevant information, thus ensuring a commitment to continuous service enhancement;

Relationship Management and Customer Services

• working with internal and external partners to prepare for ceremonial events, and attendees in advance of and during ceremonial events;
• developing and managing relationships internally (for example Estates & Facilities, Development & Alumni Relations Office, Event Durham etc) and externally (for example Durham Cathedral, film, photography and gown suppliers);
• providing accurate and timely information to stakeholders, and facilitating the discussion of issues and identification of opportunities for improvement;
• establishing and monitoring the delivery of external supplier contracts for the provision of event services;
• managing the provision of an efficient and effective service in response to enquiries received in the office from a wide audience;
• responding to non-standard and urgent problems in the office and during events in a calm and professional manner.

Training and Support:

• organising and delivering training and support for the operation of the University's formal ceremonies; 
• allocating roles, providing guidance and delivering training to staff with responsibilities at events.  This will include staff at all levels in the organisation, up to and including Senior University Officers and the Chancellor;
• recruiting and training staff to work as Bedels at ceremonies and services;
• line managing the Ceremonies Co-ordinator, and providing training and supervision to all staff supporting ceremony preparations;
• oversee and co-ordinate the activity of all staff supporting the events, such as volunteer marshals, student ambassadors, stage party members etc;
• producing and updating written guidance on office roles and processes for managing events, including plans to handle emergency situations;
• co-ordinating arrangements for the attendance of senior officers at Cathedral Services invitations;

Financial and Governance Oversight

• acting as Secretary to the Senate Advisory Panel on Ceremonies and Honorary Degrees (SAPonCHD) including issuing calls for honorary degree nominations, producing papers, monitoring Panel decisions, maintaining strict confidentiality of nominations and making first contact with invited award recipients;
• managing the process for the design and approval of new academic dress (gowns);
• providing advice on ceremonial procedure and honorary awards;
• gaining knowledge of ceremonial issues and practice at other higher education institutions (HEIs);
• overseeing the annual ceremonies budget and ensuring that financial procedures are adhered to when procuring goods and services for the events.

Other

• Work outside of normal working hours, including a small number of evenings and weekends during peak activity.

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: 

•    30 Days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year – a total of 42 days per year.  
•    The University closes between Christmas and New Year – please include or delete if not applicable 
•    We offer a generous pension scheme, As a new member of staff you will be automatically enrolled into the University Superannuation Scheme (USS).
•    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.
•    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. 
•    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 access to holiday camps for children aged 5-16 throughout the year.
•    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).
•    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. 
•    A salary sacrifice scheme is also available to help you take advantage of tax savings on benefits. 
•    If you are moving to Durham, we can help with removal costs and we have a dedicated team who can help you with the practicalities such as house hunting and schools.  If you need a visa, we cover most visa costs and offer an interest free loan scheme to pay for dependant visas.

Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion

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 asterisk* next to it, it may be given additional weighting when your application is considered.    
  
Your application should cover the following criteria:
 
Essential Criteria

Qualifications/Experience
1.   Educated to degree level (or equivalent experience).
2.   Experience of successful management, delivery and enhancement of high profile events.*
3.   Experience of implementing policies and procedures and supporting change and service improvements. 
4.   Experience of providing specialist advice and guidance to a range of customers and colleagues, including more senior colleagues and external partners.*
5.   Experience of participating in internal or external networks to share and discuss good practice, develop strong and productive working relationships and positively influence the University’s reputation.
6.   Experience of managing and developing a team or teams and/or line management qualification. 

Skills/Abilities/Knowledge
7.   Excellent spoken and written communication skills including the ability to develop effective working relationships, both internally and externally.

8.   Strong proven digital competence across a range of digital devices and apps including digital communication tools, Microsoft 365 applications (including excel, access or other management information systems)*
9.   Committed to continuing personal development.

10. Strong analytical skills and the ability to decide on and plan appropriate solutions to resolve problems.

11.  Excellent organisational and time management skills with the ability to balance conflicting demands, work to deadlines to deliver under pressure, and maintain attention to detail.*

12.  Knowledge and experience of ensuring compliance with regulatory and organisational policy and guidelines.
 
Desirable Criteria

13.  Experience of working in higher education.

14.  Project Management Skills or experience.

15.  Skills in extracting and manipulating data from databases/information management systems to produce reports.

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. It will be at the discretion of the recruiting panel as to whether they will also consider any desirable criteria, but we would urge candidates to provide evidence for all criteria.  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 throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to make sure you have not missed any of our updates.
  
What you need to submit   

•    A CV: and   
•    A covering letter.      
•    A mapping document with examples/case studies which demonstrate how you meet each of the essential and desirable criteria.  Please use a table format. 

Interviews are to be held in person at the main University campus, scheduled for Thursday 9th May 2024.

Contact details   
  
For a chat about the role or any further information please contact Sue Woodcock , Academic Registrar's Office Senior Manager, [email protected].

Typical Role Requirements

 
Service Delivery/Development
•    Show a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and the University’s values.
•    Review and look for ways to improve systems and procedures that are relevant to your area of work in line with the University’s frameworks and Regulations.
•    Manage the delivery of formal University ceremonies to a high standard.
•    Provide the best possible service by continually reviewing what is required from staff, students and others who you work with and contribute to ideas and service improvements.
•    Work with your team to look for ways to improve processes, techniques and outputs/results across all areas of your work.

Planning and Organisation
•    Manage the delivery of operational activities carried out by the Ceremonies Team and staff providing support for the ceremonial events.
•    Contribute to progressing the strategic and operational priorities of the Student & Academic Services Directorate.
•    Review data on the level of service provided by your area to recommend areas for future improvement.
•    Manage budgets and expenditure including buying (and returning) goods and services.

Team Development
•    Manage and monitor the performance, workload and expected outcomes and take action to respond to anything that impacts on the service level provided.
•    Ensure that your team can deliver the required services by devolving and delegating responsibilities to appropriate team members.
•    Carry out regular performance reviews to provide feedback on objectives and expectations and identify any development needs.
•    Ensure that your team continues to develop by coaching and mentoring team members and delivering any training needs.
•    Support the welfare and wellbeing of your team referring more complex issues to specialist services.

Communication/Liaison
•    Provide advice and share guidance with your stakeholders to ensure that the University’s policies, procedures and regulations are complied with.
•    Use your operational expertise to participate in business meetings, working groups and sub-committees.
•    Coordinate and oversee the Congregation Enhancement Team meetings and Senate Advisory Panel on Ceremonies and Honorary Degrees.
•    Update policies and procedures in response to any internal or external changes.
•    Create positive working relationships, including internal and external networks, using your networks to increase your knowledge and skills and swap information with peers.

•    Any other reasonable duties.   

Useful links

If you would like further information you may find the following will help

https://www.durham.ac.uk/about-us/professional-services/ceremonies/
  

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 Privacy Notices - Durham University  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.