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College Operations Team Leader

Employer
DURHAM UNIVERSITY
Location
Durham, United Kingdom
Salary
£22,417 - £25,941
Closing date
30 Nov 2020

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Operations Directorate

Grade 5: - £22,417 - £25,941
Open-Ended/Permanent - Full Time Term Time Only (9 Months)
Contracted Hours per Week: 35
Closing Date: 30-Nov-2020, 7:59:00 AM

The Department and role purpose

A key part of the Durham wider student experience strategy is ensuring all students have the opportunity to spend at least part of their time at university in residence in one of our colleges. We consider it of particular importance for new undergraduate first years to live, work, eat and socialise together as part of a community of learning. Most of our college residences have undergraduates from all years living alongside postgraduates and visiting university fellows. We also offer those postgraduate students who would prefer it, the opportunity to reside in a postgraduate only community at Ustinov College.

The University is embarking on an ambitious programme of residential development over the next ten years. This will comprise an accelerated and comprehensive maintenance schedule alongside the building of four to six new colleges to ensure Durham can meet the aim of having at least 50% of its student population in University managed accommodation by 2027.

College Operations Team Leader (University College)

Permanent, full time, 35 hours per week, term time, 32 weeks per year.

The College Operations Team Leader is a proactive, front-facing, service focused role, which plays a vital part in ensuring the Colleges are well maintained, welcoming and a pleasant environment for students, staff and visitors; ensuring, on a day-to-day basis, the delivery of exceptional service standards that are effective, efficient and consistently meet the operational needs of the College.

The core focus of the role is to act as the promoter of standards delivered within their area on a day-to-day basis. The post-holder will be the first point of contact for operational issues that arise, and liaise with their line manager, to identify solutions, whilst ensuring that any university-wide common themes may be identified. They will have an awareness of risks to service and mitigate them through effective solutions to support the delivery of all planned activities.

The post-holder will be expected to have an awareness of the operational activities being supported by the other College Operations Team Leader(s) and Operations Co-ordinator(s), in order to ensure a consistent service is delivered. The post-holder will also have an awareness of the needs of the key stakeholders across the University, but more specifically within their own area.

Core responsibilities:

  • Act as more knowledgeable team member with some oversight and responsibility for team members.
  • Resolve queries and requests for information and advice and escalate more specialist and complex queries or issues to more experienced team members.
  • Provide advice, guidance and training where necessary to less experienced team members to disseminate and share practice.
  • Contribute to the ADR process, assisting with the identification of development needs where appropriate.
  • Supervise the implementation of changes to service procedures and practice.
  • Contribute to collaborative decision making within the team with joint planning and team objectives to meet excellence in the stakeholder experience.
  • Provide feedback to team members about the monitoring and achievement of team objectives and performance expectations.
  • Work collaboratively across the organisation and/or externally with colleagues and stakeholders to deliver a service.
  • Provide guidance and advice to resolve problems and queries for a broad range of service users.
  • Plan and organise own workload and activities for others with or without involvement with other project work streams.
  • Organise and schedule resources, activities and events.
  • Analyse work activities to ensure the effective and efficient use of capital and consumable equipment and resources.
  • Liaise with contacts internally and possibly externally to build links to pass on information for effective working.
  • Advise others and make recommendations into work processes and procedures for consideration by senior management to improve services.

Role responsibilities:

  • Deliver support services to ensure the effective and efficient running of outreach, internal and external activities that enhance the Durham reputation.
  • Monitor feedback and identify service changes to meet service level agreements.
  • Collaborate within the service team and across other services to ensure the seamless provision of products and services.
  • Contribute to service user engagement, promotion and communication activities, events and presentation with or without team members.
  • Welcome and induct external service providers, contractors and specialists to deliver a range of opportunities, activities and events to enhance the reputation of Durham.
  • Identify and expand the service user knowledge base for service desk working and update team members on changes.
  • Liaise across the organisation to update and exchange key service information to ensure advice given to users is the most up to date and accurate.
  • Implement and update processes and procedures, including related documentation where appropriate.
  • Work with internal and external partners and suppliers to deliver cross-functional products and services.
  • Accurately record information and data and disseminate within internal networks.
  • Any other reasonable duties.

Specific role requirements

The working week will be five days out of seven, primarily Monday to Friday, but will include occasional evening and weekends, during busy periods as business demands.

Recruiting to this post

In order to be considered for interview, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification.

In some cases, the recruiting panel may also consider the desirable criteria, so we recommend you evidence all criteria in your application.

Please note that some criteria will only be considered at interview stage.

How to apply

We prefer to receive applications online.

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 https://www.dur.ac.uk/ig/dp/privacy/pnjobapplicants/ which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.

What you are required to submit

  1. A CV; 
  2. A covering letter which details your experience, strengths and potential in the requirements set out above;
  3. A document providing evidence and examples of how you meet the person specification criteria 

Please ensure that you submit all documentation listed above or your application cannot proceed to the next stage.

Contact details

For further information please contact Chris Finnemore (c.a.finnemore@durham.ac.uk).

At Durham University, our aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work.  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.

We will notify you on the status of your application at various points throughout the selection process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to ensure you receive all emails.

Please note: we anticipate a high number of application for this opportunity, so the vacancy may close earlier than the stated date if sufficient applications are received. Early application is therefore advised.

Person specification - skills, knowledge, qualifications and experience required

Essential Criteria:

  • Excellent oral and written communication skills and the ability to develop effective working relationships, both internally and externally.
  • Proven IT skills, including use of Microsoft Office.
  • Five GCSE’s at least Grade C or level four (or equivalent) including English Language and Mathematics (or equivalent experience).
  • Relevant industry and professional recognition and certification of achievement of skills and knowledge.
  • Evidence of personal development to maintain skills.
  • Relevant experience in a similar role / environment.
  • Demonstrable ability to proactively work with team members to ensure the delivery of high quality services.
  • Ability to solve problems as part of a team and resolve issues, plan solutions and make pragmatic decisions.
  • Ability to effectively network and exchange advice and information for development purposes.
  • Demonstrable supervisory experience.
  • Ability to contribute to planning at operational level.

Desirable Criteria:

  • Post-16 qualification or equivalent experience.

Job Family: Community, Participation and Engagement Services

OUR CHARACTERISTICS: We are a globally outstanding centre of teaching and research excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, in a unique and historic setting.

OUR VALUESWe are inspiring, challenging, innovative, responsible and enabling.

Durham University

Durham University is one of the world's top universities with strengths across the Arts and Humanities, Business, Sciences and Social Sciences. We are home to some of the most talented scholars and researchers from around the world who are tackling global issues and making a difference to people's lives.

The University sits in a beautiful historic city where it shares ownership of a UNESCO World Heritage Site with Durham Cathedral, the greatest Romanesque building in Western Europe. A collegiate University, Durham recruits outstanding students from across the world and offers an unmatched wider student experience.

Durham University seeks to promote and maintain an inclusive and supportive environment for work and study that assists all members of our University community to reach their full potential. Diversity brings strength and we welcome applications from across the international, national and regional communities that we work with and serve.

It is expected that all staff within the University:

  • Contribute to our learning culture by engaging in mentoring, training and coaching.
  • Positively contribute to fostering a collegial environment; as well as demonstrating commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.
  • Have due regard to Health and Safety requirements appropriate to grade and role.

Family key attributes

Roles in this family provide an excellent stakeholder experience for our diverse and supportive community.

Overall family purpose

  • Provide excellent student support services, development and extra-curricular activities.
  • Align and deliver programmes and activities to meet operational and strategic objectives to enhance the stakeholder experience.
  • Respond to stakeholders at the point of service delivery, either in situ or remotely.
  • Facilitate the development of excellent colleague and academic engagement.
  • Provide a stakeholder focussed service designed to increase widening participation and diversity.
  • Promote the Durham reputation by establishing and broadening national and international community links to enhance the cultural and economic viability of the City and region.
  • Enhance the Durham wider student experience by developing extra-curricular activities.
  • Contribute to and enhance active, inclusive and supportive communities of stakeholders.
  • Work collaboratively and network across the University with staff in other families to ensure a smooth, timely and high-quality delivery of service.
  • Engage with suppliers, consultants and specialist professionals to deliver programmes and activities to enhance the stakeholder experience.
  • Engage and encourage outreach and participation with external professionals, schools, alumni and donors.
  • Engage and network with both internal and external stakeholders to facilitate knowledge exchange and impact through local, national and international communities.

Link to key strategic plan

  • An economically and environmentally sustainable approach to delivering stakeholder focussed services across the University;
  • A world-class student, alumni and donor experience;
  • Focussed on the needs of all users working together to deliver front-line services as part of the Wider Student Experience;
  • Learn from and match best practice in the Wider Student Experience around the world;
  • Opening up our world-class sporting facilities to local clubs and athletes;
  • Support and facilitate activities as part of the Widening Student Experience at Durham;
  • A stakeholder-focused orientation, offering satisfying careers to all staff;
  • Ensure that an increasingly diverse workforce is treated equally, fairly and with respect, and that all staff are demonstrably valued and actively engaged.

DBS Requirement: Not Applicable.

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