POSITION DETAILS

College of Arts and Law
Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK
Full time starting salary is normally in the range £28,397 to £30,210, with potential progression once in post to £33,938
Grade: 5
Full Time, Permanent
Closing date: 2nd March 2025

BACKGROUND

We recognise that sometimes people can be put off applying for a job unless they think that they match every requirement. Don’t let that hold you back. If you are excited about the role and think you can do what we have described but aren’t sure if you are quite who we’re looking for, give it a try or contact us with any questions. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!
We offer variety, collaboration, networking, development and an opportunity to be part of a committed group of colleagues. We value our people, and we encourage learning and seeking opportunities for enhancement. We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion; we are committed to improving equality of opportunity, valuing diversity and striving for an inclusive culture.
The College of Arts and Law is one of the five Colleges at the University of Birmingham. Comprising five schools, its’ estate is spread across 11 buildings on three sites with over 5000 students and 750 staff, delivering a range of undergraduate, postgraduate teaching and research programmes.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE

• Educated to A Level standard, or equivalent level 3 qualification such as a Level 3 NVQ, or level 3 national diploma or relevant experience evidencing the skills and ability to undertake the role.
• Minimum of grade C/4 in Mathematics and English at GCSE or equivalent level 2 qualification.
• Familiarity with managing hybrid facilities and meetings.
• Proven ability to plan ahead and anticipate requirements, proactively planning own (and sometimes others’ workloads) to manage time effectively, progress tasks concurrently and work to deadlines.
• Understands the importance of equality and diversity in the workplace.
• Ability to identify and respond to equality and diversity issues in line with relevant policies and procedures.
• A creative flare working on Teams and web pages would be an advantage.
• Highly proficient IT skills, in particular the ability to handle complex electronic diaries and emails, the wider MS Office suite of programmes including Excel, Teams and PowerPoint, and some experience of using an enterprise resource planning package. The post holder should also be confident and able to quickly learn new IT skills and software packages as required.
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to write for different audiences, and to required deadlines.
• Excellent interpersonal skills. The post holder must inspire confidence and command authority with a range of colleagues and provide excellent customer service at all times.
• A high degree of professionalism, tact, and diplomacy, and the ability to exercise discretion regarding the handling and management of sensitive information/issues.
• A high degree of initiative, personal judgement, resourcefulness, flexibility, and a self-motivating approach.
• Ability to work effectively in a large, complex organisation, and to develop a good understanding of how the University and Higher Education institutions work.
• Ability to understand policy and procedures and how to apply these.

ROLE SUMMARY

As a Senior Administrator and Personal Assistant within the College Hub you will provide support for a broad range of administrative duties, some of which may be complex and require a high degree of initiative. You will be responsible for supporting colleagues and sharing knowledge and may be asked to manage other staff in the team. You will use your excellent organisational skills and attention to detail to ensure the people you support are well prepared, and that the tasks you carry out are completed to a high quality in a timely manner.
The post holder will be managed by the College Hub Manager. They will provide PA support to members of the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and will also be expected to provide high-level administrative support for College-wide activities.

MAIN DUTIES

• Undertake complex diary management and meeting planning, usually 6-12 months ahead, making decisions on the best use of time. This will require you to understand the priorities and deadlines you and the members of SLT you are supporting are working to and will involve developing strong working relationships across the University and beyond.
• Proactive inbox management, with confidence to make decisions on behalf of others where appropriate.
• Dealing with a wide range of more complex enquiries and correspondence independently or exercising judgement to redirect them to senior colleagues or other departments within the University as required.
• To take responsibility for co-ordinating and prioritising the work of others. You will be expected to act as a role model and coach members of the team.
• Maintain high-profile working relationships with key stakeholders, fielding enquiries and ensuring that appropriate information is disseminated to stakeholders as required.
• Proactive preparation and collation of meeting-related papers, working collaboratively to determine what information might be required in advance of a meeting, articulating clear deadlines for submission and proactively chasing where necessary. This may include attending meetings to provide high-quality committee support, taking minutes and following up as appropriate.
• Arranging complex UK and overseas travel, including booking flights, hotels, transfers, and organisation and planning of itineraries, ensuring best use of time and taking into account budgetary constraints.
• Organisation of meetings and events, including liaising with colleagues to determine dates, booking a venue, sending invitations and managing bookings, arranging refreshments, liaising with speakers, co-ordination of colleagues, advertising, collating feedback and reporting on outcomes.
• Working with and managing hybrid facilities, virtual meetings and events, and Teams sites.
• Working closely with the College Hub Manager supporting with College interview panels, including room bookings, setting up the panels, collating and circulating papers and schedule, and booking catering.
• Collate, analyse and interpret data. This may include identifying and resolving issues with the data.
• Will manage some smaller projects on own initiative and contribute to wider projects, for example by carrying out desk-based research and collating data from internal and external sources.
• Support the management, development and implementation of operational processes and systems.
• Will be responsible for one or more of the following:
• monitoring budgets including processing payments, authorising expenditure, raising concerns where finances are not in line with the budget,
• procuring goods and services through the University system,
• updating and writing content for the department’s communications, e.g. intranet pages,
• dealing with health and safety and facilities issues,
• HR-related tasks such as managing staff absence, induction, or dealing with leavers,
• dealing with arrangements for international visitors,
• monitoring internal procedures/compliance and ensuring these are followed and disseminated as appropriate.
• Support equality and values diversity, moderates own behaviour to avoid unfair discriminatory impact or bias on others.
• Encourage and facilitate participation in events and activities that contribute to the University’s success and foster a strong sense of community and collaboration amongst students, faculty and staff.
• Perform other duties commensurate with the grade as requested.

The role of Senior College Administrator and PA is a great opportunity to develop your career in Higher Education administration. As a valued member of College Professional Services staff working in a supportive team, you will provide crucial support to the work of the College in a variety of ways, including:

• Diary management and support for our Senior Leadership Team with internal and external stakeholders
• Financial processing and ordering
• Facilities and IT management
• Committee administration and management
• Human resources administration
• Information maintenance and management of confidential information
• Supporting effective College-wide communications
• Providing first-rate customer service
• Event management and suppor