Academic Office

Grade 7: - £33,797 - £40,322 per annum
Open-Ended/Permanent - Full Time
Contracted Hours per Week: 35
Closing Date: 26-Nov-2020, 7:59:00 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

Based in the Academic Office (Education Division), Recruitment and Admissions Services brings together a number of teams providing services in events, enquiry management, CRM, data analysis and forecasting, projects and compliance and admissions. It provides an essential service to the University in ensuring its financial sustainability and in delivering student number growth and increasing diversity. We are the public face of the University in UK schools and colleges, through our contact with prospects, enquirers and applicants across the world and through our events programme. The team includes a range of professionals from a number of specialisms including administrators, decision makers, data analysts and forecasters, IT specialists, designers and marketers, events managers and recruiters.

The Data and Analytics Manager will provide leadership for the Data and Analytics Team, ensuring a high-quality, strategically-aligned and timely data and analytics service. This varied role requires the exercise of independent judgement and initiative along with advanced IT and data analytical skills.

The post holder will be responsible for the delivery of:

• the coordination, planning and reviewing of recruitment and admissions data processes including activity targeting and impact analysis, offer making, projections modelling and student number forecasting,
• the provision of complex, robust and accurate data, analysis and insight to support student recruitment planning, senior management decision-making and admissions processes and communication requirements,
• the continued development of business intelligence reports to disseminate Recruitment and Admissions data and insights to internal stakeholders,
• the continuous improvement of data and analytics systems, tools and processes.

This post is part of the Business Enhancement Team, which is tasked with embedding a culture of continuous improvement into Recruitment and Admissions business as usual, identifying opportunities for continuous improvement in line with operational and strategic objectives. The team also plans, executes and measures continuous improvement and develops Recruitment and Admissions staff in the principles and practice of continuous improvement.

Core responsibilities:

• Recognised professional data analyst with responsibility for the management of team members.
• Provide input to the design and development of service processes, techniques and deliverables for one or more service areas or projects.
• Manage data and analytics service activities to ensure excellence in the stakeholder experience.
• Contribute to the analysis of stakeholder feedback to help define needs and requirements, inputting to the design and planning of services.
• Internal and external relationship development and partnership working, networking and participation to engage and influence future services and the University reputation.
• Provide feedback on team and individual performance and identify development needs, conducting regular staff ADR and performance reviews.
• Handle the vast majority of welfare issues within a team, referring more complex welfare issues to appropriate support services/senior management.
• Delivery of ongoing coaching, mentoring and training to team members and other staff in the University.
• Maintain an awareness of current policy for University business goals such as widening participation and access.
• Contribute to business meetings, working groups and sub committees at departmental and operational service levels
• Devolve responsibilities to team members to ensure continuity of service provision and encourage skills development.

Role responsibilities:

• Provide management for the Data and Analytics Team ensuring a high quality and timely service to all stakeholders, including prospective students, their advisers and staff.
• Manage and monitor performance and workload outcomes and staff, planning cover to ensure smooth service provision through peaks and troughs.
• Analyse recruitment and admissions data and provide data visualisations and reports to Service Heads, making recommendations for improvement as appropriate.
• Act as a subject matter expert for data and reporting systems.
• Provide advice to stakeholders in relation to University, School and/or Department policy, procedures and regulations.
• Ensure the review and improvement of data and analytics systems and procedures in line with University, School, Department or unit frameworks.
• Distribute service information and provide admissions advice to stakeholders regarding compliance and regulations.
• Ensure regulations and procedures are updated to take account of internal and external changes.
• Awareness of the external environment and sector best practice to support high quality services. 
• Respond to Freedom of Information requests.
• Any other reasonable duties.

Specific role requirements

Occasional weekend/evening working will be required. This is to attend external events and assist with tasks such as open days, recruitment events and undergraduate confirmation. Due to the operational needs of the Office, annual leave is not permitted between the receipt of A level results in mid-August (the 8th August in 2020) and the 31st August each year, and the number of staff permitted to be on annual leave during September is restricted.

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 (Those listed in the section ‘Realising Your Potential Approach’ may be considered at interview stage).

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. Please answer the questions giving evidence of how you meet the essential 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: Richard Emborg at richard.emborg@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

1. Excellent oral and written communication skills and the ability to develop excellent working relationships both internally and externally.
2. Advanced IT skills, including use of Microsoft Office (especially Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Access) and a commitment to maximise the use of technology in supporting processes
3. Educated to degree level in a subject or area with numerical and analytical content (or equivalent experience).
4. Continuing professional development required to maintain professional recognition.
5. Professional data and analytics practitioner with knowledge and expertise used to contribute to the delivery and development of services, events and activities within the organisation and excellent attention to detail and accuracy.
6. Experience of implementing policy and procedures and involvement with future changes for a service area.
7. Knowledge and experience of ensuring compliance with regulatory and organisational policy and guidelines.  
8. Experience of providing specialist advice and guidance to a range of customers and colleagues, including more senior colleagues.
9. Experience of being able to network effectively and develop strong and productive working relationships, to influence perceptions of the University.
10. Experience of managing and developing a team or teams and/or line management qualification.
11. Excellent customer service skills with a clear commitment to delivering a consistently high standard of customer service to internal and external contacts and continuous improvement of the service
12. Experience of presenting complex statistical information in a clear and concise way to a non-specialist audience
13. Proven experience in data analysis and reporting, including handling and interpreting large and complex data sets
14. A postgraduate qualification in computing or statistics or any other discipline including a significant element of statistical analysis
15. Knowledge of current issues facing higher education institutions and applicants to degree programmes.
16. Expert familiarity with Higher Education admissions data sets or other social research data sets
17. Knowledge of using Microsoft Power BI or other business intelligence software as a data visualisation tool; and data warehousing methods

Realising Your Potential Approach

DEVELOPING MYSELF AND OTHERS - Showing commitment to own development and supporting and encouraging others to develop their knowledge, skills and behaviours to enable them to reach their full potential for the wider benefit of the University.

1. Showing awareness of the changing needs of the University and incorporating these into own and others’ development plans

EMBRACING CHANGE - Adjusting to unfamiliar situations, demands and changing roles. Seeing change as an opportunity and being receptive to new ideas.

1. Proactively scanning the wider external environment to seek opportunities to develop the  University

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

DBS Requirement: Not Applicable.