Vice-Chancellor's Office
Grade 8: - 41526 - 49553
Open-Ended/Permanent - Full Time
Contract Duration: Permanent
Contracted Hours per Week: 35
Closing Date: 13-Mar-2020, 7:59:00 AM 

Job Family: Business Process and People Services

OUR CHARACTERISTICS: We are welcoming, collegiate and inclusive.     

OUR VALUES: We are motivated, inquisitive, challenging, rigorous and innovative.  

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   

Durham University has an ambitious strategy that will build on our world-leading research, education, and wider student experience. Over the next ten years we will be investing in our people, estate, and IT infrastructure to ensure that we remain one of the World’s great Universities. Across the University, we are focusing on business improvement activity to ensure that our systems and processes enable our staff to deliver excellent services.

We are looking for a highly motivated individual, with outstanding interpersonal skills and a focus on successful implementation. The post holder will be expected to take responsibility for the successful delivery of change on a range of initiatives that will be defined on a continuing basis. This will include initiatives aimed at delivering business improvement in Professional Services. In the initial phase, the post holder’s main focus will be to provide change management support for the University’s implementation of Oracle.  

Core responsibilities:

• Provide expert professional subject expertise and problem-solving skills.
• Act as recognised practitioner within own specialist area or discipline, shaping activities, processes and systems.
• Responsible for operational activity across different areas.
• Oversight of short term or temporary project teams/strands, taking responsibility for decision making as appropriate.
• Liaise and engage with key stakeholders and internal and external contractors to influence opinion, delivery and reputation of services.
• Act as specialist point of contact dealing with complexity of data and information sources, interpretation and analysis.
• Significant input into the scoping and resource planning across a range of activities at operational and possibly strategic level.
• Carry out scoping, initiation, planning, implementation and evaluation for large scale/University wide change management projects and initiatives, ensuring the delivery of measurable benefits and improvements.
• Responsible for shaping the development and learning of others outside of team, through the design and delivery of training sessions  and other forms of support to staff leading change within the University.
• Lead on the design, implementation and monitoring of change management policy and quality standards, procedures, methodologies and systems, including key tools such as diagnostic exercises, process mapping and rapid improvement events, ensuring effective working and continuous improvement.
• Promote and develop a deep understanding of organisational policy and external developments, including identifying and, where appropriate, adopting best practice within and outside HE in change management. 
• Promote the improvement and efficiency of departmental services by implementing and managing review and improvement procedures.
• Ensure all activities, processes and transactions are accounted for accurately and promptly to meet regulatory and professional service and policy standards.
• Implement processes to manage the integrity and security of all commercially and professionally sensitive and personal data.
• Lead internal business meetings, working groups and sub-committees at operational service level to influence governance, organisational policy and standards for the service. 
• Responsible for allocating and monitoring financial budgets and resources.

Role responsibilities​

• Work with team members and stakeholders to build and maintain excellent working relationships.
• Contribute to operational leadership teams and decision making to shape the nature and level of support services.
• Provide professional guidance to stakeholders regarding project and change management initiatives.
• Lead and deliver professional development and support initiatives that would apply across the University.
• Produce communications for promotion and reporting purposes, designing and structuring information and fact, applying creative and innovative principles to influence and engage.
• Deliver professional expertise with investigative and service methodologies, make recommendations and identify priorities to develop business plans and achieve business outcomes and objectives.
• Maintain an oversight of the service and performance metrics to provide reports for higher level managers and committees.
• Represent the service and University at promotional events and contribute to the delivery of presentations at conferences.
• Develop external relations, identify and develop opportunities for communities of practice.
• Ensure provision of an accessible, friendly and professional service
• Any other reasonable duties.  

Recruiting to this Post

In order to progress to the assessment stage of the recruitment process, candidates must evidence each of the essential and desirable Person Specification criteria, including the Realising Your Potential Approach criteria.

It will be at the discretion of the recruiting panel as to whether they will also consider the desirable criteria but we would urge candidates to provide evidence for all criteria. 

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. Answers to the Essential Criteria Questions evidencing how you satisfy both the criteria and Realising Your Potential Approach criteria in your cover letter.

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:  

Kitty Brown
katherine.a.brown@durham.ac.uk
0191 3340435  

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.
• Educated to degree level (or equivalent experience).
• Professional practitioner with demonstrable specialist knowledge and expertise used to influence and deliver large and complex change within the organisation.
• Experience of providing specialist advice and guidance to a range of customers and colleagues, including more senior colleagues.
• Ability to contribute to planning at operational and strategic levels.
• Experience of being able to network effectively and develop strong and productive working relationships.

Desirable Criteria

• Continuing professional development required to maintain professional recognition. 
• Change Management Qualification.

Realising Your Potential Approach

WORKING TOGETHER - Working co-operatively with others in order to achieve objectives. Applying a wide range of interpersonal skills.

1. Working across boundaries to develop relationships with other teams
2. Reflecting the principles of the University values in dealing with people and conducting business

PROVIDING LEADERSHIP AND DIRECTION - Seeing the work that you do in the context of the bigger picture and taking a long-term view. Communicating vision clearly and enthusiastically to inspire and motivate others.

1. Ensuring plans are consistent with the objectives of the University
2. Not losing sight of the vision in dealing with day-to-day pressures
3. Breaking down ‘silo’ thinking and encouraging a University wide perspective

USING RESOURCES EFFECTIVELY - Making effective use of available resources including people, information, networks and budgets. Being aware of the financial and commercial aspects of the University.

1. Sharing good practice with other parts of the University
2. Being mindful of responsibility to the University and funders in using resources
3. Developing cross-service collaboration and being willing to share resources
4. Identifying ways in which resources can be used flexibly and imaginatively for the benefit of the whole University within agreed limits

ACHIEVING RESULTS - Planning and organising workloads to ensure that deadlines are met within resource constraints. Consistently meeting objectives and success criteria.

1. Confidently say ‘no’ to activities that are less important or do not fit with University priorities
2. Critically evaluate the success of projects to disseminate lessons that can be learned
3. Being effective in gaining buy-in without direct authority
4. Being knowledgeable about key stakeholders and how they may influence the work of your department

DBS Requirement: Not Applicable.