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Operations Coordinator

Employer
DURHAM UNIVERSITY
Location
Durham, United Kingdom
Salary
£22,417 - £25,941 per annum
Closing date
1 Jul 2021

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Department of Physics

Grade 5: - £22,417 - £25,941 per annum
Fixed Term - Full Time
Contract Duration: 12 Months
Contracted Hours per Week: 35
Closing Date: 01-Jul-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 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 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 

The Department of Physics at Durham University is one of the very best UK Physics departments with an outstanding reputation for excellence in teaching, research and the employability of our students.  The Department has particular strengths in Astronomy, Atomic and Molecular Physics, a variety of areas in Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, Instrumentation and Elementary Particle Theory, and hosts the Institutes for Computational Cosmology and Particle Physics Phenomonology.

The Department is committed to research-led and small group teaching alongside larger lecture formats.  The Complete University Guide ranks Durham’s Physics Department in fourth place nationally based on entry requirements, student satisfaction, research and graduate prospects.  Courses currently taught in the Department include a Bachelor’s degree in Physics and integrated Master’s degrees in Physics, Physics and Astronomy and Theoretical Physics.

Reporting to the Department Manager, the Operations Coordinator is responsible for the provision of high-quality support to the Head of Department as well as members of the Physics Senior Management Team.  Working within a team under the line management of the Department Manager, the Operations Coordinator will be expected to undertake administrative tasks and support processes that underpin the delivery of the Physics Department strategy with respect to education, research and related operations, demonstrating a commitment to customer service excellence for staff, students and stakeholders. 

Core responsibilities:

  • Act as more knowledgeable team member without responsibility for team members.
  • Plan and organise workload independently with or without involvement with project work streams.
  • Resolve queries and requests for information and advice and escalate more specialist and complex queries or issues to more experienced team members; act as a 'first point of contact' for staff, students, visitors and Business Partners on operational matters, signposting to other staff and departments where appropriate.
  • Respond to stakeholder needs to deliver and shape an excellent stakeholder experience.
  • Apply theory and practice, from academic and professional development and previous knowledge and experience within a service team.
  • Contribute to collaborative decision making within the team with service provision to deliver an excellent stakeholder experience in accordance with policy and procedures. 
  • 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.
  • Collaborate with team members to implement service alterations.
  • Organise and schedule resources, activities and events e.g. staff recruitment, visitor induction, external stakeholder meetings, seminar series etc.
  • Identify priorities and monitor processes and activities to ensure success.
  • Provide more in-depth independent research and analysis activities within the role.
  • Analyse work activities to ensure the effective and efficient use of capital and consumable equipment and resources.
  • Provide demonstrations and instruction to others outside the team.
  • Support the capture of business requirements from users and work with colleagues to translate these into recommendations for future service provision.
  • Liaise with contacts and participate in networks and communities internally and possibly externally, contributing to effective collaborative working.
  • Advise and guide others and make recommendations into work processes and procedures for consideration by senior management to improve services.

Role responsibilities:

  • Deliver support services with a 'customer focussed' approach to ensure the effective and efficient running of business processes and systems, ensuring staff, students and visitors receive appropriate guidance and support.
  • Monitor and evaluate service delivery to ensure compliance with regulatory and professional procedures and standards, including GDPR, Health & Safety and EDI.
  • Use initiative to deal with queries, escalating more complex issues to senior colleagues where appropriate.
  • Collaborate with colleagues across professional and administrative areas to ensure seamless service provision.
  • Provide training to team members on data handling and recording.
  • Monitor data accuracy checks to identify anomalies and ensure the integrity of data and information.
  • Update data and information on systems and media for recording, storing, communicating and informing service users and team members.
  • Work with internal and external partners to deliver cross-functional administrative, business and operational work streams; analyse data and statistics and provide reports for higher-level decision  makers within agreed timeframes, ensuring that appropriate levels of confidentiality are maintained at all times.
  • Work with internal and external partners to deliver cross-functional services and activities.
  • Accurately record information and data, including minutes of meetings, and disseminate within internal networks including Board of Studies meetings, Health & Safety Committee and EDI Committee, initiating and following up on actions as appropriate.
  • Contribute to the development and implementation of policy and procedures within own area of working. 
  • Prepare written reports for consideration by management where required and contribute to the preparation of documentation associated with internal and external accreditation, quality management and enhancement activities.
  • Any other reasonable duties.

Specific role requirements:

  • May, on occasions, be required to work outside of normal working hours during peak periods and/or to support specific events and activities. 

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 below.

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. Examples of how you satisfy the person specification

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

Realising Your Potential Approach

 The Realising Your Potential Approach will clarify the behavioural indicators we expect for all staff across support services in the University. They help to develop a high quality, service led culture by providing a consistent approach to standards of performance. Along with the key responsibilities and duties of the post and the person specification, behavioural indicators are used to inform the recruitment and selection process, to clarify the requirements of Induction, form the basis of Probation Personal Development Plans and Annual Staff Reviews. Further information in regard to the Realising Your Potential Approach are available here.  

Contact details 

For further information please contact; Mrs Claire Davies (physics.manager@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

  • Excellent oral and written communication skills and the ability to develop effective working relationships, both internally and externally.
  • Five GCSE’s at least Grade C or level four (or equivalent) including English Language and Mathematics (or equivalent experience). 
  • Evidence of personal development to maintain skills.
  • Post-16 qualification or equivalent experience.
  • Proven IT skills, including the use of Microsoft Office.
  • Relevant administrative experience in a busy office environment. 
  • Demonstrable ability to proactively work with team members to ensure the delivery of high-quality services.
  • 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.
  • Experience of working in a team.
  • Demonstrable ability to provide advice and guidance to a range of customers and colleagues.
  • 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.  

Desirable Criteria

  • Experience of working in a University or the HE sector.
  • Experience of working in a multicultural environment.
  • Experience of providing senior secretarial support to committees.

DBS Requirement: Not Applicable.

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