Academic Office

Grade 6: - £26,715-£32,817 per annum
Fixed Term - Full Time
Contracted Hours per Week: 35
Closing Date: 12-Apr-2021, 6:59:00 AM 

This vacancy is Fixed Term Maternity Cover

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    

Department

The University offers an education that is challenging, difficult, enabling and transformative. Curriculum, Learning & Assessment supports this offering.

Working for the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education), we develop and implement educational guidance, policy and regulations. We manage engagement with external educational bodies and reviews, support the University’s Education Committee (and its sub-committees), run and analyse Durham's national student surveys, and publish and maintain the University's regulations and handbooks. We work directly with departments and faculties, overseeing quality assurance and enhancement processes, and managing progress and examination processes for research degree students. We oversee student appeals and academic misconduct processes, and run the University’s matriculation and graduation ceremonies. Our Common Awards Team manages the national Common Awards partnership, working with the Church of England and Theological Educational Institute (TEIs) partners across England, Scotland and Wales.

Curriculum, Learning & Assessment is part of the Academic Office. The Academic Office provides a professional administrative support service to staff, students and potential students of Durham University.

The Academic Registrar is the head of the department and is responsible to the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education) for its management. The following services fall under the remit of the Academic Office:

• Access and Engagement
• Curriculum, Learning and Assessment
• Recruitment and Admissions
• Student Immigration and Funding
• Student Registry

All of the services are based at either the Palatine Centre or Mountjoy Centre in Durham City.

Role

This role, one of two Assistant Quality Manager roles, provides support for the operation of the external validation partnership between the University, the Church of England and the Theological Education Institutions (TEIs) that operate within the Common Awards Scheme. This involves working across a broad range of areas, with a specific focus on student records and/or supporting quality assurance procedures. The Assistant Quality Manager works closely with the Senior Quality Manager in one or more of the following areas: supporting the implementation of the University’s core quality management processes as they relate to the Common Awards Scheme; developing and implementing procedures for the accurate collection of data in order to fulfil the University’s student registration and assessment processes; running and analysing student surveys; developing and reviewing staff and student-facing guidance and policy.  This role is responsible for supporting Common Awards committees and groups, and for undertaking other projects and duties as required as agreed with the Senior Quality Manager. This role has a specific focus on student records. 

Core responsibilities:

• Implement and monitor protocols, procedures, processes and regulations, in line with the Common Awards Framework.
• Carry out more in-depth  reviews to identify trends, patterns and service improvements, for presentation in reports or at committees and forums.
• Implement and monitor recognised procedures to ensure compliance and meet University values of inclusion, diversity and participation.
• Contribute to business meetings, working groups and committees to help shape service delivery and stakeholder expectations.
• Reactive and proactive service provision with others to deliver an excellent stakeholder experience.
• Responsible for organising and overseeing all day to day aspects of defined area of operational service delivery.
• Take responsibility for day to day decision making within own area of responsibility for operational aspects of service delivery, translating external requirements into practical application and advice. 
• Specialist support with problem solving and query handling from internal and external stakeholders. 
• Relationship building, network participation internally and externally to build and update knowledge and skills.
• Supervisory responsibilities for services, resources and people.
• Provide induction and ongoing development support and training to team members.
• Contribute to the ADR process, assisting with the identification of development needs where appropriate.
• Plan and organise own workload, and allocate and monitor work activities for others.
• Act as first point of contact for HR issues when supervising a team.
• Monitor and report incidents (in relation to GDPR, events etc)
• Responsible for keeping financial and budget records and reconciling consumable expenditure queries.
• Involved in the purchase and return of goods and services.

Role responsibilities:

• Manage and organise professional business and administrative service processes, staff and resources (for student records and quality assurance activity), to achieve defined targets and outcomes.
• Develop and maintain data checks to verify the accuracy and consistency of data recieved from TEIs and student records held in Banner in relation to processes such as module registration, APL and new and continuing student records and assessment details. 
• Develop, implement and enforce recognised procedures within the Common Awards Framework to ensure compliance (e.g. with student records requirements and deadlines, for instance), co-ordinate effort and contribute to team goals.
• Provide professional guidance and advice to internal and external academic and professional support services staff external examiners and students with the implementation of policies, processes, and data and information recording.
• Ensure team activities, budgets and documents comply with internal University and external regulation, policy and procedures.
• Ensure accuracy by instituting recognised and routine checks, assessment criteria and techniques.
• Record data and information accurately, provide reports and distribute information to key stakeholders, committees and fora in the process or service.
• Use a range of digital media and tools (e.g. email, website and bulletins) to communicate with a diverse range of key stakeholders, both verbally and in written format who may need to access information across different geographic and time zones.
• Develop, plan and deliver internal and external events and activities for internal and external stakeholders. 
• Establish, maintain and develop productive and ongoing relationships with stakeholders to influence perception of the University and contribute to the maintenance of the relationship with the Church of England and Theological Education Institutions. 
• Coordinate and oversee committee working within the Common Awards Framework. 
• Any other reasonable duties.

Specific role requirements

• This role will require some travel to meet with Common Awards partners, based in London and throughout the UK.

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 and in the desirable section of the person specification;
3. 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.

Person specification - skills, knowledge, qualifications and experience required

Essential Criteria

1. Excellent oral communication skills and the ability to develop effective working relationships, both internally and externally.
2. Excellent written communication skills and experience of writing detailed, evidence-based reports.
3. Proven IT skills, including the use of Microsoft Office, and the ability to manipulate data sets using Microsoft Excel, Access or similar
4. Educated to degree level (or equivalent experience).
5. Relevant office experience
6. Experience of providing specialist advice and guidance to a range of customers, stakeholders and colleagues, including senior colleagues
7. Ability to effectively network and exchange advice and information for development purposes. 
8. Capacity to synthesise complex ideas, analyse procedures and requirements, and use own judgement and initiative to solve problems
9. Time management skills with the ability to balance the conflicting demands, work to deadlines and deliver under pressure
10. Ability to work on own initiative, prioritising own workload and work with minimal supervision
11. Ability to operate complex procedures effectively and efficiently
12. Experienced service provider with knowledge and expertise used to contribute to the delivery and development of services, events and activities within the organisation.
13. Excellent attention to detail and an ability to maintain accuracy whilst working under pressure
14. Evidence of personal development to maintain skills.

Desirable Criteria

Experience of working with a Student Record System (e.g. SITS or, in particular, Banner) or other databases

Experience of implementing policy and procedures and involvement with future changes for a service area.

Experience of committee work not necessarily in a work environment

Previous experience of work in education, particularly higher education

Realising Your Potential Approach

The Realising Your Potential Approach clarifies the behaviours expected to be demonstrated by all staff across Professional Services in the University regardless of their role. Along with the core responsibilities, role responsibilities and the person specification, the Realising Your Potential Approach behavioural indicators are used to inform the recruitment and selection process. Further information on the Realising Your Potential Approach is available here.

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.

When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas.

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 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: Alyson Bird (alyson.bird@durham.ac.uk), Senior Quality Manager (Common Awards)

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

DBS Requirement: Not Applicable.