HR & OD

Grade 4: - £19,612 £21,814 per annum
Open-Ended/Permanent - Full Time
Contracted Hours per Week: 35
Closing Date: 04-Mar-2021, 7:59:00 AM 

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 VALUES: 

We 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, 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 a comprehensive service and deliver the efficient administration and governance of the University.

Overall family purpose

• Deliver direct and indirect services to stakeholders.
• Provide advice and answer queries as part of an enquiry-desk/help-desk function.
• Respond to and manage requests for information and resources.
• Deliver services to meet regulatory requirements and procedures.
• Plan and deliver a joined-up approach to University business and people services.
• Align business processes and services to meet operational and strategic policy objectives. 
• Deliver business processes to ensure effective management, governance and the economic viability of the University.
• Encourage, collaborate and participate in the development of productive cross-institution relationships and working.
• Provide excellent professional services that meet strategic and operational goals and business needs.
• Carry out monitoring, analysis, development and planning to design new services and service updates for continuous improvement whilst meeting changes in regulations.
• Engage with specialist professionals, consultants, and suppliers to exchange knowledge and facilitate partnership working.
• Work collaboratively and network across the University with staff in other families to ensure a smooth, timely and high-quality delivery of service.
• Align and deliver programmes and activities to meet operational and strategic objectives to enhance the stakeholder experience.
• Engage and encourage participation with external professionals, schools, alumni and donors.

Link to key strategic plan

• An economically sustainable approach to delivering Professional Services across the University;
• A joined-up approach to University professional services, regardless of location or line management;
• A culture and practice of continuous improvement;
• Design services that meet business need;
• A stakeholder-focused orientation, offering satisfying careers to all staff;
• Support and facilitate programmes that offer intellectual challenge, cohesiveness and a strong sense of progression;
• Ensure that an increasingly diverse workforce is treated equally, fairly and with respect, and that all staff are demonstrably valued and actively engaged.

The Department and role purpose

People are the most important asset of Durham University and our HR Department is pivotal in ensuring that we attract, recruit, develop, reward and retain the very best talent from across the world into our University community.  Building on our bold and ambitious University Strategy, a key role of HR is to secure the University’s strategic aim, ‘to be a world leading employer’ by ensuring that our staff can reach their full potential. The HR Department plays a lead role in creating a working environment for our staff (and potential staff) which is supportive, stimulating and informative which provides for creative and innovative employment practices and opportunities. Our aim is to make sure that Durham University is a great place to work.

OUR GOALS

We will:

• Oversee a workforce which can effectively and efficiently deliver the University Strategy;
• Attract, retain and reward the very best talent for every role in the University;
• Develop colleagues at every level to ensure that staff are supported to realise their potential and understand their contribution to the University’s goals;
• Make sure that the University has an increasingly diverse workforce and that all staff are demonstrably valued, engaged and treated equally and fairly; and
• Promote the well-being of all of our workforce.

The purpose of this role is to provide administrative support for the full range of HR activities for a designated area. The post holder will be responsible for accurately processing any changes on the HR system, ensuring that all HR related activities are completed accurately, in accordance with policy and that complete up to date records are maintained in accordance with legislation. The post holder will provide a first class, customer focused HR service to managers and members of staff.

Core responsibilities

• Provide a responsive and proactive support service for stakeholders. 
• Focus on checking stakeholder requirements to ensure the delivery of excellence with the frontline stakeholder experience, maintaining our high professional standard of reporting and processes.
• Respond to service users answering and recording standard queries and bookings for activities and/or events.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of systems support services policy and procedures within own area of working.
• Contribute to the planning of team activities, work and deadlines to ensure the smooth running and timeliness of service, providing cover for other members of the team as required.
• Solve day-to-day routine problems and source background information within the role.
• Record data and information accurately and provide reports as required to team members and more experienced staff.
• Flexible in approach to accommodate the needs of team members and/or service users.
• Assist team members to organise, plan and prepare for training events.
• Liaise with internal specialists to pass on information and improve data quality.
• Apply professional and regulatory procedures and processes and use of systems, ensuring high attention to detail and accuracy at all times. 
• Establish and develop close working relationships, liaising and collaborating with staff in other areas of the organisation to ensure a seamless, smooth and efficient service.
• Resolve queries and requests for information and advice and escalate more specialist and complex queries or issues to more experienced team members.

Role responsibilities

• Work with team members to ensure the smooth running of administrative processes to support people and business activities, providing assistance to others as necessary. 
• Apply standard professional and recognised regulatory procedures to process, check and reconcile anomalies within data and information sets.
• Compile, record, store and archive data within Oracle. Liaise with representatives from other service areas, professional organisations and agencies, acting as a point of contact for colleagues requiring advice and administrative support on HR or payroll processes and systems.
• Support the completion of all annual legislative returns to external partners
• Use standard office-based digital systems, tools and equipment to carry out data recording, communications and networking.
• Provide service and support for networks and distribute documents and communications in standard professional formats.
• Process and update key business documentation.
• Liaise with internal specialists with the organisation, planning and delivery of services, activities and events.
• Provide advice and guidance on basic HR and/or payroll legislation and requirements.
• Manage own workload, mindful of the set objectives and priorities, ensuring that deadlines and queries are dealt within appropriate timescales.
• Ensure the accuracy and safety of all information in line with data protection and confidentiality requirements.
• Contribute to general HR and payroll process development.
• Any other reasonable duties.

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 above 

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.

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

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; When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas.
2. A covering letter which details your experience, strengths and potential in the requirements set out above;
3. Examples of how you satisfy the essential criteria in the person specification, please evidence the 12 criteria in a word document and upload it with your cv and cover letter.  Please do not use table formats.

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; Janet Robertson, Email: j.s.robertson@durham.ac.uk

Person specification - skills, knowledge, qualifications and experience required

The essential criteria for this role are:

1. Excellent oral and written communication skills.
2. Proven IT skills, including use of Microsoft Office.
3. Five GCSE’s at least Grade C or level four (or equivalent) including English Language and Mathematics (or equivalent experience).
4. Evidence of personal development to maintain skills.
5. Post-16 qualification or equivalent experience.
6. Relevant administrative experience in a busy office environment.
7. Demonstrable ability to provide advice and guidance to a range of customers and colleagues.
8. Experience of working on the front line with service delivery, and the ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines without compromising on quality.
9. Experience of working in a team.
10. Ability to solve problems as part of a team and resolve straightforward issues. 
11. Significant experience gained in an administrative HR role within a complex organisation.
12. Demonstrable effective time management, workload organisation and prioritisation skills with the ability to manage conflicting priorities.

The desirable criteria for this role are:

• IT related Qualification in use of Microsoft office or equivalent.
• HR related professional qualification
• Experience of recruitment processes, ideally gained within Higher Education.
• A comprehensive knowledge and understanding of an e-recruitment system

Realising Your Potential Approach

The Realising Your Potential Approach clarifies the behaviours expected to be demonstrated by all staff across Professional Services in the University regardless of their role. Along with the core responsibilities, role responsibilities and the person specification, the Realising Your Potential Approach behavioural indicators are used to inform the recruitment and selection process. Further information on the Realising Your Potential Approach is available here.

DBS Requirement: Not Applicable.