School of Modern Languages and Cultures

Grade 5: - £22,417 per annum pro rata (fixed at spine point 16)
Fixed Term - Part Time
Contract Duration: 12 months
Contracted Hours per Week: 4
Closing Date: 02-Dec-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

Under the Access at Work scheme, the School of Modern Languages and Cultures seeks to appoint a Personal Support Worker to provide specialist assistance to a member of staff. The post is part-time (4 hours per week 0.11FTE) and fixed term for 1 year.

The School is one of the largest and most successful Schools of Modern Languages in the UK bringing together research in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hispanic Studies, Italian, Japanese and Russian Studies. It is consistently ranked in the top five in national league tables, such as the Complete University Guide. The School’s reach spans Europe, the Arab world, Russophone Eurasia, Hispanic America, and East Asia, and their mutual socio-cultural, intellectual and linguistic relations.

Core responsibilities:

• Act as more knowledgeable team member without responsibility for team members.
• Plan and organise own workload 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.
• Respond to stakeholder needs to deliver and shape an excellent stakeholder experience.
• Apply theory and practice, from academic and professional development and previous knowledge 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.
• Identify priorities and monitor processes and activities to ensure success.
• Provide more in-depth independent research and analysis activities within the role, sourcing additional information which could be of use and help to the relevant individual(s).
• Liaise with contacts and participate in networks and communities internally and possibly externally, contributing to effective collaborative working.

Role responsibilities:

• Deliver support services to ensure the effective and efficient running of business processes and systems
• Participate in the design of teaching related material and contribute to the assessment of undergraduate work.
• Undertake any clerical and administrative tasks, such as data entry.
• Monitor and evaluate service delivery to ensure compliance with regulatory and professional procedures and standards.
• Advise and guide relevant individual(s) on standard information, procedures, and assist/guide them on specific, tasks, issues, and activities.
• Collaborate with colleagues across professional and administrative areas to ensure seamless service provision.
• Monitor data accuracy checks to identify anomalies and ensure the integrity of data and information.
• Work with internal and external partners to deliver cross-functional services and activities.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of policy and procedures within own area of working. 
• Prepare written reports for consideration by management where required.
• 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.

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 ensure you give detailed examples of how you meet the person specification essential criteria.

The Realising Your Potential Approach criteria is for information only, but may be referred to during the interview process.

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; Matthew Gildersleeve, matthew.r.gildersleeve@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 effective working relationships, both internally and externally.
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 proactively work with team members to ensure the delivery of high quality services.
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. Demonstrable ability to provide advice and guidance to a range of customers and colleagues.
10. Ability to solve problems as part of a team and resolve issues, plan solutions and make pragmatic decisions.
11. Ability to effectively network and exchange advice and information for development purposes.

Realising Your Potential Approach

1. Acting fairly and respectfully towards others in both verbal and non-verbal communication
2. Show consideration by ensuring that working arrangements, resources and processes respond to different needs, abilities, values and ways of working
3. Recognising and respecting the roles, responsibilities, interests and concerns of colleagues and stakeholders
4. Tailoring communication to meet students’, customers’ and stakeholders’ needs 

DBS Requirement: Not Applicable.