Postgraduate Programme and Admissions Coordinator

18434BR

School of Dentistry

Managerial, Professional and Specialist Staff – MPSS

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Postgraduate Programme & Admissions Co-ordinator (Maternity Cover)
Professional Services
School of Dentistry, College of Biomedical & Life Sciences
Cardiff University

We are looking for a full-time Postgraduate Programme & Admissions Co-ordinator to join the Dental team in School of Dentistry, based at the Heath Park. 

A 12-month maternity cover opportunity has arisen in our education team, which is the ‘hub’ for student and academic support and advice on education and curricula matters.  You will manage the operation of the Postgraduate Education Service, taking lead responsibility for the efficient and effective administration support for all postgraduate programmes. 

You should have substantial experience of supervising a team responsible for delivering a front-facing customer experience. There are some things that you must have before you can start this role (see 'essential criteria'), but other things can be developed through training and general on-the-job experience.  We want to support and develop you once you have started in the role, using a combination of the following:  Regular one-to-ones with your line manager and team meetings; an experienced and supportive team around you; support from other colleagues working in similar areas in the School; supporting you through job-relevant training and development that you may require; access to mentoring schemes and more. 

We can offer you the chance to work in a vibrant organisation, with great benefits and opportunities for progression. We are a proud Living Wage supporter.

Cardiff University offers many excellent benefits, including 45 days annual leave (including bank holidays), local pension scheme, a cycle to work scheme and other travel initiatives, annual increments within the pay scale, and more. It is an exciting and vibrant place to work, with many different challenges and is a proud Living Wage supporter.

The majority of roles at Cardiff University are currently operating under “blended working” arrangements, with staff having the flexibility to work partly from home and partly from the University campus depending on specific business requirements. Discussions around these arrangements can take place after the successful candidate has been appointed.
Please contact Fiona Kiely, [email protected] for an informal, confidential discussion about the role.

This post is full time (35 hours per week), fixed term for 12 months and available from May 2024.
Secondment opportunity welcome - please note for Cardiff University members of staff interested in this post on a secondment basis, permission will need to be sought from your current Line Manager before applying. 

Salary: £32,332 - £34,980 per annum (Grade 5)
Appointments to roles at Cardiff University are usually made at bottom of scale unless in exceptional circumstances.

Date Advertised: 28 March 2024

Closing Date: 15 April 2024

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

Cardiff University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds.  We therefore welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of sex, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, trans identity, relationship status, religion or belief, caring responsibilities, or age.  In supporting our employees to achieve a balance between their work and their personal lives, we will also consider proposals for flexible working or job share arrangements.

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

Duties and Responsibilities

Key Duties
⦁    Manage the operation of the Postgraduate Programme team, supporting them in the effective execution of their roles, as well as taking responsibility for induction and workload allocation, performance development review and the identification of training and development needs.
⦁    Take lead responsibility for the efficient and effective administrative support of all postgraduate programmes offered by the School, to include summative and formative assessment and timetabling, identifying best practice and implementing quality enhancement.
⦁    Provide an excellent advisory and administrative service to the School’s Director of Postgraduate Studies, Director of Postgraduate Research and Postgraduate Programme Directors, ensuring that knowledge of all relevant postgraduate policies and procedures pertinent to providing excellent customer service is up-to-date and that this information is effectively communicated to the student body (as appropriate) and academic team.
⦁    Act as postgraduate student management information expert within the School, working with colleagues across the University to ensure individual student records and data is processed and stored accurately.
⦁    Take lead responsibility for the admissions and recruitment process for all postgraduate taught and research programmes within the School, facilitating an excellent and efficient applicant experience, to include the implementation of a postgraduate applicant communication strategy, management of open days, enrolment days and overall PG recruitment activity.
⦁    Work with Programme Directors to ensure that all admissions and enrolment processes are completed according to the requirements of the programme and remain in line with University Regulations.
⦁    Undertake the management of relevant pre-admissions checks i.e. Declaration of Criminal Records (delegating as appropriate), raising concerns with the Academic Administration Manager and providing a thorough and clear handover to the Quality and Standards Manager for matters requiring further attention.
⦁    Assist students as necessary on matters relating to their individual student records, to include failure to engage; interruption of study; withdrawal; transfer processes, student welfare issues and extenuating circumstances, liaising and escalating cases to colleagues within the School and central Registry as necessary, to provide an exceptional customer-service level.
⦁    Provide support to committees and academic meetings as relevant to the role and identified by the Academic Administration Manager.
⦁    Assist the Quality and Standards Manager in coordinating and making appropriate arrangements for postgraduate quality visits to the School (e.g. GDC inspection).
⦁    Ensure that all postgraduate programme handbooks, Learning Central repository and webpages are produced and updated regularly to a high-quality standard.
⦁    Gather and analyse postgraduate data to inform management decisions, establishing basic trends and patterns in data and creating reports as appropriate.
⦁    Assist with School level project work, representing the School at external meetings at College and University level as appropriate.
⦁    Contribute to School wide events and activities, including assisting with undergraduate activity as and when required.
⦁    Undertake the training of others in areas relating to the team’s work while also engaging with personal and professional development that is appropriate to and which will enhance performance. 

Person Specification

Essential Criteria 

Qualifications and Education
1.    Degree/NVQ 4 or equivalent Professional membership/experience.

Knowledge, Skills and Experience
2.    Substantial experience of supervising a team and managing the work of others, reacting to changes in workload and priority.
3.    Specialist knowledge of appropriate administrative systems and processes.
4.    Ability to set up standard office systems and procedures and make improvements as appropriate.

Customer Service, Communication and Team Working
5.    Ability to communicate detailed and complex information effectively and professionally with a wide range of people.
6.    Experience of dealing with performance and welfare issues.
7.    Evidence of ability to explore customers’ needs and adapt the service accordingly to ensure a quality service is delivered.

Planning, Analysis and Problem solving
8.    Evidence of ability to solve expansive problems using initiative and creativity, identifying and proposing practical solutions and resolving problems with a range of potential outcomes.
9.    Evidence of ability to work unsupervised to deadlines, planning and setting priorities for own work.

Desirable Criteria
1.    Experience of working in a Higher Education environment or NHS.
2.    Experience of working in the area of assessment and scheduling.
3.    Experience of working in the area of admissions.
4.    Fluency in Welsh, written and oral.

Additional Information

Job Description Continued: 

⦁    Establish working relationships with key contacts to help improve service levels, developing appropriate communication links with the University’s Schools/Directorates and outside bodies as required.
⦁    Collaborate with other professional service staff within the School in order to make recommendations for the development of established practices and procedures.

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.

Important note: 
It is the University’s policy to use the person specification as a key tool for short-listing. Candidates should evidence that they meet ALL of the essential criteria as well as, where relevant, the desirable. As part of the application process, you will be asked to provide this evidence via a supporting statement.  Please copy and paste the criteria into your Personal statement and ensure that the evidence you are providing corresponds with the numbered criteria. Your application will be considered based on the information you provide under each element.
Ensure you attach a supporting statement (separate to your CV) to your application profile, please ensure that you name it with the vacancy reference number (18434BR), e.g., Supporting Statement for Postgraduate Programme & Admissions Co-ordinator (Maternity Cover), Dental.

Job Category

Admin / Clerical