Personal Assistant

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 School, comprising Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, French, German, Hispanic Studies, Italian, and Russian Studies, and the Centre for Foreign Language Study, is one of the most successful Schools of Modern Languages and Cultures in the UK. It has a strong research culture, bringing staff and postgraduates from its constituent language areas together in interdisciplinary discussions and collaborations through an evolving structure of research groups currently focusing on Digital Studies, Ecologies and the Arts, Justice and the Arts, Translation and Linguistics, and Transnationalism. These activities are backed by a university-wide research infrastructure which is strategically supportive of interdisciplinary enquiry. 

The School is a leading partner in the Institute of Medieval and Early Modern Studies, the Institute of Hazard, Risk and Resilience, the Centre for Humanities Innovation, the Centre for Visual Arts and Culture, the Centre for Intercultural Mediation, and the Centre for Medical Humanities. It plays an important role in the University's prestigious Institute of Advanced Study, set up in 2006 to promote worldclass research across the Faculties. 

Expertise in the School covers periods from the Middle Ages to the present and a wide range of cultural and linguistic fields, with visual culture and translation enjoying strong growth in recent years. These interests feed into specialist MA programmes in Medieval and Early Modern Studies, Translation Studies, Culture and Difference, and Visual Arts and Culture. This is an exciting time in the development of research programmes in the School: further details can be found at http://www.dur.ac.uk/mlac/research and in individual staff profiles for each language area. 

The School seeks to foster a culture of outstanding teaching and personal development in both the graduate and undergraduate communities, prescribing in accordance with University strategy that all undergraduate teaching be research based, research-orientated, or research-led, and striving to reinforce and enhance the characteristically strong Durham bond between staff and students. 

The Personal Assistant is required to provide specialist assistance to a member of staff in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures (Hispanic Studies). 

Responsibilities

The Personal Assistant will carry out the following duties:

1.    Triage emails, mail and diary management

2.    Assistance with basic teaching/research administration

3.    Updating Blackboard Ultra module pages

4.    Proofreading teaching materials and assessments

5.    Proofreading some work correspondence in Spanish and English

6.    Assistance with IT and teaching equipment

7.    Maintaining process guides and instructions to enable colleagues to cover the role, ensuring that documentation and an action log are kept electronically via the Department intranet

8.    Support with administration of marking

9.    Other general office tasks as needed 

Further typical role requirements can be found at the bottom of this job description.

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.  The University closes between Christmas and New 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 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).
•    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 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

2. Relevant administrative experience

Skills/Abilities/Knowledge

3. A commitment to teamwork and collegial working practices:

4. Outstanding communication and interpersonal skills: Native or near-native fluency in spoken and written Spanish and English

5. Ability to communicate clearly, precisely and effectively in written and oral forms

Desirable Criteria

6. Experience of Spanish-English translation

7. Familiarity with the British university system

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:

•    A CV 
•    A covering letter which shows examples of how you meet all of the criteria within the Person Specification  

Contact details 
If you would like to have a chat or ask any questions about the role, Dr Philip Bolton would be happy to speak to you. [email protected]

Typical Role Requirements  

Service Delivery

·        Show a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and the University’s values.

·        Respond to queries and provide information/advice, while raising more specialist or complex queries with more experienced team members.

·        Use your experience and problem-solving skills to investigate and resolve issues relevant to your role and make recommendations based on your findings.

·        Continually review what is required from staff, students and others who you work with to make sure the best possible service is provided.

·        Use digital media e.g. SharePoint to update team members and colleagues.

Planning and Organising

·         Plan and organise own workload to deliver the role.

·         Organise and schedule assigned resources, activities and events, including diary management.

·         Monitor processes and activities to ensure priorities are met.

Teamwork

·         Provide specialist support and advice to team members on your areas of expertise.

·         Explain and provide instruction to other team members to ensure that the role can be covered appropriately.

·         Make changes to the services provided by your team in discussion with other colleagues.

·         Identify opportunities and contribute to decisions on how to improve services being delivered by the team.

  Communications/Liaison

·          Use your knowledge and expertise to provide advice and guidance to resolve problems and respond to a wide range of queries.

·         Create good working relationships with other team members and anyone else that you come across as part of your role to work together on joint activities.

·          Liaise with staff in other areas, professional organisations and agencies to ensure that services are being delivered in an efficient and collaborative way.

·          Create good working relationships with internal and external partners and suppliers to work together on joint activities.

·          Build relationships with contacts and contribute to internal and external networks to share good practice and exchange information.

·         Any other reasonable duties

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