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HR Administrative Assistant, Employee Relations

Employer
DURHAM UNIVERSITY
Location
Durham, United Kingdom
Salary
£17,361 - £17,682 per annum
Closing date
5 Aug 2021

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HR & OD

Grade 2: - £17,361 - £17,682 per annum
Apprentice - Full Time
Contracted Hours per Week: 35
Closing Date:
 05-Aug-2021, 6:59:00 AM 

Job Family: Business Process and People 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 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, 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 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 purposes of the role are to provide effective, efficient and timely administrative support to the Business Partner team; helping to ensure that the right people are in the right place and the right time; providing the first point of contact for enquiries and triaging the enquiry to the appropriate person. The over-riding purpose is to provide focussed administrative support to enable the team to function at its highest level.   

Core responsibilities:

  • Contribute input within a service team to provide a responsive support service to the Business Partner team that supports the management of employee relations cases, including disciplinary, grievance, performance management and absence cases and the delivery of change management projects.
  • Contribute input to deliver a stakeholder-focussed service.
  • Respond to straightforward requests for information from stakeholders.
  • To assist the Business Partner team prepare for meetings with Heads of Department, as appropriate.
  •  Follow documented service procedures and respond to straightforward queries and requests for information, escalating to more experienced colleagues for more specialist and complex issues/queries
  • Demonstrate some pre-employment familiarity with the techniques, and processes used in the service area.
  • Learn new skills and techniques on the job working alongside more experienced team members.
  • Learn about the hazards and risks within own area of work and report incidents in accordance with recognised procedures and protocols. 
  • Communicate with supervisor, team members, other staff, students and visitors in person or using electronic tools and applications

Role responsibilities:

  • Carry out tasks following strict procedures to log and record routine information and data for use by others.
  • Follow guidelines and protocols to determine what to pass on and to whom where necessary.
  • Use office-based and/or familiar software, applications and devices including Oracle, Excel spreadsheets and SharePoint to deliver services.
  • Assist team members to organise the workspace and office-based equipment, tools and resources where necessary.
  • Organise relevant meetings for the Business Partner Team, including monthly departmental meetings, internal HR meetings and assisting with the arrangement of employee relations meetings, providing appropriate administrative support to the Business Partner or Adviser.
  • Order relevant stationary supplies/office equipment on behalf of the Business Partner team when requested.
  • Make venue, catering, travel and/or equipment arrangements for events, training, meetings and activities.
  • To attend meetings with a Business Partner or Adviser and to accurately take notes of the meeting, including taking formal notes for low-level casework.
  • To undertake general clerical duties as my be required, including photocopying, filing and scanning.
  • Any other reasonable duties

Specific role requirements:

To be eligible to apply for an apprenticeship position, you must not have obtained a higher education qualification at Level 4 or above as defined on the NQF or QCF, including being awarded a first degree by a recognised university or other recognised higher education institution, with the exception of anyone who has participated in New Deal.

In order to fulfil the terms and conditions of the apprenticeship, the post-holder will be required to complete training on a weekly basis towards the Advanced Apprentice Framework in Business Administration at Level 3.

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 (including those listed in the section ‘Realising Your Potential Approach’).  

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. Examples of how you satisfy the essential criteria in the person specification, this will require completion of the 'Questionnaire' application section.   

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; Catherine Saxton, Business Partner, Human Resources and Organisation Development, Durham University. Email catherine.saxton@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

Person specification - skills, knowledge, qualifications and experience required

Essential Criteria

  • Good oral and written communication skills.
  • Good IT skills including Microsoft Office.
  • Five GCSE’s at least Grade C or level four (or equivalent) including English Language and Mathematics (or equivalent experience).
  • Post-16 qualification (or equivalent experience)
  • Evidence of personal development to maintain skills.
  • Experience of working in a team.
  • Experience of working in a customer focussed service.
  • Experience of managing time in order to meet deadlines.
  • Ability to follow instructions, written or oral, accurately.

Desirable Criteria

  • Relevant work experience (paid or voluntary)

Realising Your Potential Approach     

DEVELOPING MYSELF AND OTHERS - Effectively demonstrate new/improved knowledge and skills. Regularly demonstrate a positive attitude to work

EMBRACING CHANGE – Embracing new technologies, techniques and working methods.

RESPECTING OTHERS – 1. Acting fairly and respectfully towards others in both verbal and non-verbal communication 2. Practices being non-judgemental towards others – avoids making decisions or judgements about people based on their sex, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, race, religion or belief, colour, nationality, ethnic origin or age 3. Behaving responsibly by reporting any incidents of bullying, harassment and achieve their full potential. victimisation 4. Showing a commitment to improving the University with regard to respecting others by attending designated training sessions to keep abreast of equality legislation and learning more about the needs of minority groups 5. Recognising when someone is being discriminated against and taking appropriate action 6. Challenging questionable behaviour and practices which are not in keeping with respect for others

WORKING TOGETHER - Develop effective working relationships with colleagues

PROVIDING LEADERSHIP AND DIRECTION - Demonstrating a positive attitude about what needs to be done. Taking personal responsibility to achieve tasks and/or objective

PROVIDING EXCELLENT STUDENT SERVICES AND PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT - 1. Actively listens and understands routine tasks required, clarifying the details where necessary 2. Summarises basic information clearly and concisely 3. If a query cannot be resolved personally, listens carefully and records the detail of it accurately in order to identify who to escalate the query on to, when required. 4. Engage positively with students, customers and stakeholders

USING RESOURCES EFFECTIVELY - Works well with others taking into account their views and obtains support from manager and colleagues in teams

ACHIEVING RESULTS - Plans and prioritises own work to achieve agreed objectives.

DBS Requirement: Not Applicable.

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