Programme Administrator, Graduate Studies Team

17697BR

Cardiff School of Social Sciences

Administrative Support

Advert

Programme Administrator, Graduate Studies Team

An opportunity has arisen in the School of Social Sciences Graduate Studies team for a fixed-term Programme Administrator to provide maternity leave cover. As a member of the Graduate Studies team, you will be responsible for providing a comprehensive professional administrative support to the School, offering support and guidance to applicants, students and staff in respect to the PGR programmes we offer. You will primarily support the PhD Programme, delivering all administrative aspects. As part of the team, you will assist the Team Leader and your fellow team members in the effective and efficient running of the Graduate Studies Office.

This post is full-time (35 hours per week), fixed term from 1st January 2024 until 31st December 2024, covering a period of maternity leave

Salary: £26,444 per annum (Grade 4), with 4 annual increments up to £29,605 per annum (final salary at top of grade)

Responsible to Team Leader, Graduate Studies Team

For an informal discussion about the role please contact Mr Adriano Neri da Silva, [email protected]  Telephone 029 29208 70855

We expect to hold interviews during the week beginning 12th February 2024
.
Cardiff University offers many excellent benefits, including 40 days annual leave (including bank holidays), blended working (meaning you will be able to work from home for some of your time), a cycle to work scheme and other travel initiatives, annual increments up 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.

As the biggest university in Wales – and a major employer, with more than 7,000 staff – we are an ambitious and innovative university located in a beautiful and thriving capital city. We can offer you the chance to work in a vibrant organisation, with great benefits and opportunities for progression.

Date advert posted: Friday, 12 January 2024

Closing date: Friday, 26 January 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 who have the ambition to create a University which seeks to fulfil our social, cultural and economic obligation to Cardiff, Wales, and the world.  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.

Job Description

Provide a comprehensive professional administrative support to the School, providing support and guidance on the programmes of study to staff and students. Take overarching responsibility for a specific programme, leading and guiding others in delivering it. As part of a team, assist in the running of all programmes and support for students and staff across the School.

Key Duties

• Provide detailed advice and guidance on programme administration processes and procedures to students and staff, using judgement and creativity to suggest the most appropriate course of action where appropriate, contributing to the resolution of more complex issues. 
• Take responsibility for a specific programme in the School, leading others in the team to ensure that the programme, students and teaching staff are fully supported.
• Develop detailed knowledge of University procedures in relation to programmes of study, admissions, assessment, studentships, student support, extenuating circumstances and discipline.
• Manage intake and selection procedures for the programme, develop and update documentation, timetable lectures and classes, process standard forms and manage assessment procedures for the programme.
• Use and advise others on the use of systems and software (SIMS, Grademark, Turnitin, MS Forms, Blackboard, and Business Objects programme software).
• Act as secretary to School Committees, drafting, preparing and circulating papers, taking and producing minutes, keeping accurate records and advising the Chair on procedures.
• Manage the programme data on both central (SIMS) and local systems, ensuring accuracy of reporting, confidentiality and data protection.
• Produce a range of documents from scratch or templates, ensuring all correspondence is responded to effectively and in good time. Take responsibility for accurate record keeping.
• Collaborate with others in order to make recommendations for developments of established processes and procedures.
• Take a proactive approach to supporting our programmes, students and staff, tackling difficult tasks using initiative and creativity to achieve the best outcomes.
• 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.
• Undertake a variety of administrative duties to support the team and School.
• Gather and analyse data to inform decisions, establishing basic trends and patterns in data and creating reports as appropriate. Take a leading role in the statutory reporting of data from the programme. Use Business Objects to produce standard reports and Excel to maintain studentship financial summary data.
• Instruct and guide other employees across the University on the details of the administration of our programmes, our student cohorts and School-based policies.

General Duties

• As part of a team, deliver frontline services to students and staff, answering a wide range of queries, resolving issues and making referrals where needed.
• Ensure that an understanding of the importance of confidentiality is applied when undertaking all duties.
• Undergo personal and professional development that is appropriate to the role and which will enhance performance.
• Abide by University policies on Health and Safety, Equality and Diversity and data protection.
• Perform other duties occasionally which are not included above, but which will be consistent with the role. 

Person Specification

Essential Criteria

NVQ 3/A-Levels or equivalent.

Substantial experience of working in an administrative role with specialist knowledge of programme or student administration.

Ability to take responsibility for a distinct work area and to set up standard office systems and procedures and make improvements as appropriate.

IT literate to include MS Office (Word, Excel, Access and Powerpoint) and Microsoft Outlook, with the ability to set up standard office systems and procedures including their continuous review and improvement.

Ability to communicate specialist and complex information effectively and professionally to a range of customers with varying levels of understanding and the proven ability to advise and influence key stakeholders.

Ability to deal sensitively and proactively with customers or stakeholders who may have a wide range of questions and issues.

Evidence of ability to explore customers’ needs and adapt the service accordingly to ensure a quality service is delivered.

Evidence of ability to solve problems using initiative and creativity; identify and propose practical solutions and to resolve problems where there are a range of potential options available.

Evidence of ability to analyse processes and procedures, and advise on improvements and take action within own area of responsibility.

Evidence of ability to work unsupervised to deadlines, planning and setting priorities for own work.

Desirable Criteria

• Degree or an equivalent qualification or equivalent work related experience.
• Experience of working in a Higher Education environment.
• Fluency in Welsh, written and oral.

IMPORTANT: Evidencing Criteria

 It is Cardiff University's policy to use the person specification as a key tool for shortlisting. Therefore, candidates must evidence they meet ALL the essential criteria and, where relevant, the desirable.

As part of the application process, you are asked to provide this evidence via a supporting statement. Please ensure that the evidence you are providing corresponds with the numbered criteria outlined in the person specification. Your application will be considered based on the information you provide for each criterion.

 When attaching the supporting statement to your application profile, please ensure you name it with the vacancy reference number: XXXXBR.

Your application will be at risk of not being progressed if you do not evidence you have met all essential criteria. The school welcomes the submission of CVs to accompany evidence of the job-based criteria.

Please note that these are also the criteria shortlisted applicants will be assessed against at interview and/or by other means (e.g. a skills test).

Additional Information

Cardiff University School of Social Sciences

The School of Social Sciences is an internationally recognised centre of excellence in research and teaching across a range of subject areas, including Social Policy, Sociology, Criminology, Education, Social Psychology, and Social Work.

We deliver a substantial programme of research, both fundamental and strategic, funded by ESRC, AHRC, MRC, charitable foundations, the European Union, Central Government departments and agencies and voluntary associations.  In the 2021 UK Research Excellence Framework the School was returned to two sub panels, Sociology and Education. We were placed in the top ten in each sub panel by grade point average, joint first for impact in Education and fourth overall for research power in Sociology.

The School has a large student population, with almost 1000 undergraduates, and 300 postgraduates.  We have ESRC recognition for doctoral training in the fields of Criminology, Social Policy, Sociology, Education, and Science, Technology and Innovation and have secured a large number of ESRC collaborative doctoral awards. Our taught and postgraduate research programmes welcome students from around the world.

The School hosts a number of research centres and institutes, including the University’s  Police Studies Institute (UPSI), now part of the University’s Crime & Security Research Institute; the Wales Institute for Economic Research & Data (WISERD); the Children's Social Care Research and Development Centre (CASCADE); the Centre for Development, Evaluation, Complexity and Implementation in Public Health Improvement (DECIPHer); the Cardiff Unit for Research and Evaluation in Medical and Dental Education (CUREMeDE); and the Seafarers’ International Research Centre (SIRC). Many of the School’s research centres are housed in the University’s Social Science Research Park (SPARK) – a world first, and part of the University’s wider Innovation Campus.

The School of Social Sciences holds an Athena SWAN Bronze Award that recognises good employment practice and a commitment to develop the careers of women working in academia. Cardiff University is an equal opportunities employer and positively encourages applications from suitably qualified and eligible candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, religion or belief, marital status, or pregnancy and maternity. We actively encourage women to apply. We will also always consider proposals for flexible working or job share opportunities.

Job Category

Admin / Clerical