Recruitment

Recruitment Role Profile Form (Template)Version 1.0Last amended: February 2011

THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAMRecruitment Role Profile Form

Job Title: School Postgraduate and Research Administrator

School/Department: Cultures, Languages and Area Studies

Job Family and Level: Administrative, Professional and Managerial Level 3

Hours of Work: Full time (36.25 hours per week)

Location: Trent Building, University Park Campus

Reporting to: School Management, Postgraduate and Research Officer

Purpose of the New Role:

The Research Administrator will work with the Director of Research, Director of Research Students and the School Management, PG and Research Officer to provide administrative support for the School’s Postgraduate Research (PGR) students and research activity.

Main ResponsibilitiesI.e. What is done.… To what / for whom…. With what outcome, or result.

% time per year

1. Student Administration

The post holder is required to work independently with academic members of staff to develop and manage all aspects of the student administration for PGR students in the School. The role-holder will have responsibility for the administrative process from pre-arrival to registration, induction and examination.

The role holder will attend meetings with regard to PGR students and research with members of the Academic Services, and Professional Services teams and disseminate information to colleagues in developments, key issues and requirements as appropriate. This will include devising and proposing ideas, strategies and process improvements to enhance the student experience and administrative processes for the School.

20%

2. PGR Students

Advising staff and students about the procedures in the Quality Manual to ensure that the School follows the correct procedures with regard to the progression and, supervision, upgrade and annual review of research students in the School.

Ensuring that the School’s record of research students with details of supervisory arrangements, annual review reports from the students etc., extensions, withdrawals, submissions, nomination of external

20%

examiner forms etc. are up to date and all appropriate University documents completed as appropriate.

Advising staff and students about the procedures for vivas and responding to all queries independently to ensure the viva procedures run smoothly in the School. Keeping an up to date record of vivas being arranged in the School and supporting supervisors in the organisation of vivas as appropriate (contacting the Registry, External Examiners etc.) and ensuring that the appropriate paperwork is completed in the School.

PGR attendance monitoring and returning information to the Registry about the attendance of all PhD students in the School; liaising with international office with relation to international student attendance.

Coordinating completion and return of sponsored student reports to International Office.

Annual Review – advising staff and students about annual review and clarifying which stage of review students are at in order to ensure the correct documentation is completed at each stage. The role holder is the gate-keeper of this process and works independently to ensure that the School complies with the Quality Manual. Preparing annual review documentation as required in order that the annual performance of the School’s research students is monitored appropriately and the required documentation is completed by the supervisory teams.

Assist colleagues in the School Management and Research Office as necessary with administration relating to PGR funding and competitions/awards.

3. PGR Student Records

Maintaining the School’s PGR student record system as appropriate and running reports as required.

Maintaining the PGR students’ personal files in accordance with the School’s Records Retention Policy

Dealing with PGR students who are withdrawing/transferring from their course/interrupting study and updating the appropriate records.

Establishing a good working relationship with the central Registry in Academic Services and liaising with the Registry as required.

15%

4. PGR information

Preparation for week 1 including responsibility for the content of the welcome pack, writing information sheets, setting up display material and assisting with/attending PGR induction to give talks to the new students

Assisting in pre-arrival mailings as appropriate.

Organising the School registration of research students each September and as students join during the year.

Reviewing and updating the PGR section of the School intranet eachyear and writing new material for the intranet as required

15%

Page 2 of 5

Liaising with the School Administrative Assistant over the arrangement of all events organised for PGR students (PGR symposium, welcome event, PG seminars etc. for catering, marketing material, room bookings etc.)

Running reports from University systems as required and developing bespoke reports for the School and interpreting data in report form as required.

5. PGR Recruitment and Admissions

Reviewing and updating the School web pages that refer to the PGR Students (including PGR symposium site) as well as the relevant pages on the PG prospectus.

Working with the Director of PGR/marketing and web development administrator to update marketing material.

Liaising with the Admissions Office over PGR student admissions and working with the Director of PGR Studies to ensure that PGR applications are considered in the School and decisions communicated to the Admissions Office as soon as possible.

Tracking PGR applications to ensure that applicants who have not accepted their offer of a place are contacted and followed up, to ensure that admissions data is as up to date as possible.

Responding to all PGR admissions enquiries made to the School and establishing an on-going relationship with PGR applicants with regular contact and emails etc.

20%

7. Committee Work

Acting as Secretary to the PG working party and providing admin support as necessary.

Provide support to School Research Committee and PG scholarship sifting committee as and when required.

5%

9. Other

To undertake other duties commensurate with the grade of the post as part of the team of support staff in the School

5%

Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications & Experience

Essential DesirableQualifications/Education

HNC/HND in a relevant subject (or equivalent).

Good general standard of education including Maths and English GCSE or equivalent.

Page 3 of 5

Knowledge/Skills/Training

Excellent IT skills including word processing, spreadsheet, email and web skills

Good communication and organisational skills

Good eye for detail and accuracy in all aspects of work

Good written skills Excellent time management Ability to manage a large

amount of data accurately. Ability to build relationships

with individuals and organisations.

High degree of initiative, responsibility and self-motivation, and a professional attitude, with a proactive approach to problem solving

Experience of managing a project with a large group of people and co-ordinating long-term projects.

Knowledge of University procedures

Knowledge of the University’s student records system and the PG Admissions systems Design and presentation skills

Knowledge of marketing processes and their application to a University environment

Training in customer care or related area

Experience Experience of working in a University environment

Experience of working in University student administration

Other Committed to working as part of a team in a shared office environment

Able to remain calm under pressure and be able to work with the minimum of supervision

Good time management and able to work to tight deadlines

Friendly and approachable Able to learn new skills

particularly in the area of IT

Decision Making

i) Taken independently by the role holder

The role holder will be required to work on their own initiative, write emails and letters to applicants to Week One arrangements and guide applicants and new students through a complex set of University procedures.

The role holder is the main point of contact and co-ordinator for all Research Student (PGR) records and as such is privy to arrangements to suspend, progress, viva and review Research

Page 4 of 5

Students in the School. As a result of this, the post holder must become familiar with the Quality Manual and ensure that the School follows the correct procedures and attempt to resolve any breaches in procedure with the supervisor in the first instance.

The role holder will be in direct contact with scholarship applicants and will be required to use their initiative to deal with them. This goes beyond dealing with general enquiries. These areas of funding are particularly complex and it is important that the correct level of detail is accurately communicated to the applicants.

The role holder will be required to time manage their own working day and prioritise their own workloads on a daily and weekly basis.

ii) Taken in collaboration with others

The role holder will work with the Director of Research Students to develop packs of information for applicants to ensure that information about the School, academic staff and the PG environment in the School is adequately portrayed.

iii) Referred to the appropriate line manager (please name) by the role holder

More complex queries will be referred as follows:

To the Research Committee- new procedures for the annual review of PGR students

to the Director of Research Students- decisions on student applications- academic regulations concerning research students’ progression or awards

Additional InformationThis post is a key role to support the postgraduate and research work of the School. The post holder will be required to liaise with staff across the School and campuses at all levels.

The School has a growing number of PGR students and the post holder will be a key appointment for the School.

The post holder will be required to work as part of the team of administrative staff in the shared School Management, PG and Research office of the School on B-floor of the Trent Building.

Page 5 of 5