Operations Directorate

Grade 3: - £17,682 - £19,133 (pro rata)
Open-Ended/Permanent - Part Time
Contracted Hours per Week: 20
Closing Date: 28-Apr-2021, 6:59:00 AM

Job Family: Community, Participation and Engagement 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 an excellent stakeholder experience for our diverse and supportive community.

Overall family purpose

• Provide excellent student support services, development and extra-curricular activities.
• Align and deliver programmes and activities to meet operational and strategic objectives to enhance the stakeholder experience.
• Respond to stakeholders at the point of service delivery, either in situ or remotely.
• Facilitate the development of excellent colleague and academic engagement.
• Provide a stakeholder focussed service designed to increase widening participation and diversity.
• Promote the Durham reputation by establishing and broadening national and international community links to enhance the cultural and economic viability of the City and region.
• Enhance the Durham wider student experience by developing extra-curricular activities.
• Contribute to and enhance active, inclusive and supportive communities of stakeholders.
• Work collaboratively and network across the University with staff in other families to ensure a smooth, timely and high-quality delivery of service.
• Engage with suppliers, consultants and specialist professionals to deliver programmes and activities to enhance the stakeholder experience.
• Engage and encourage outreach and participation with external professionals, schools, alumni and donors.
• Engage and network with both internal and external stakeholders to facilitate knowledge exchange and impact through local, national and international communities.

Link to key strategic plan

• An economically and environmentally sustainable approach to delivering stakeholder focussed services across the University;
• A world-class student, alumni and donor experience;
• Focussed on the needs of all users working together to deliver front-line services as part of the Wider Student Experience;
• Learn from and match best practice in the Wider Student Experience around the world;
• Opening up our world-class sporting facilities to local clubs and athletes;
• Support and facilitate activities as part of the Widening Student Experience at Durham;
• A stakeholder-focused orientation, offering satisfying careers to all staff;
• 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

A key part of the Durham wider student experience strategy is ensuring all students have the opportunity to spend at least part of their time at university in residence in one of our colleges. We consider it of particular importance for new undergraduate first years to live, work, eat and socialise together as part of a community of learning. Most of our college residences have undergraduates from all years living alongside postgraduates and visiting university fellows. We also offer those postgraduate students who would prefer it, the opportunity to reside in a postgraduate only community at Ustinov College.

The University is embarking on an ambitious programme of residential development over the next ten years. This will comprise an accelerated and comprehensive maintenance schedule alongside the building of four to six new colleges to ensure Durham can meet the aim of having at least 50% of its student population in University managed accommodation by 2027.

The Reception Helpdesk team is responsible for providing reception services and associated administration of the front-desk, including welcome service, professionally greeting students, staff, visitors, and users of the building, providing assistance, directions and information.

Core responsibilities:

• Provide a highly responsive and/or frontline service to stakeholders.
• Assist team members within a wider service team with a rotation of tasks and duties or with own small area of day to day responsibility.
• Respond to service users logging and recording queries and information systematically in accordance with procedures.
• Operate a system to record, dispense and distribute resources and information as required.
• Assist team members to concentrate effort on a more regular basis to achieve common goals.
• Apply skills and techniques to operate and use a range of everyday task or job specific equipment, tools and resources.
• Follow a set of pre-determined tasks and objectives, with some discretion for variation, referring to team members where necessary.
• Gather and collate data and information for others to use for evaluation and decision making.
• Contribute to the tidying, set-up and maintenance of facilities, equipment and resources.
• Liaise with representatives from other teams/service areas where necessary. 
• Collaborate with team members to identify work flows, timescales and where support is required.

Role responsibilities:

• Deliver a frontline service to stakeholders with team members within a defined service area for concentrated periods of time.
• Operate a range of standard office equipment to maintain various databases and spreadsheets.
• Monitor and record changes to the working environment and service processes to ensure the safety, security and hygiene of service products and services.
• Follow University identification and security procedures when dealing with stakeholders new to a service area.
• Provide direction to service users about the range of events and activities and how to access them.
• Complete necessary skills training to deliver a high-level of customer service.
• Apply manual dexterity, physical effort and/or sensory skills to carry out work in a defined space or service area.
• Assist team members where necessary to review and update risk assessments.
• Respond to first-line queries from suppliers, stakeholders and contacts where necessary.
• Liaise with students face-to-face, offering guidance and support where appropriate.
• Liaise with internal stakeholders and external suppliers to raise requisitions as required.
• Answer calls to the reception from members of the University and general public, providing advice and assistance, as required.
• Any other reasonable duties.

Specific role requirements

This position will be 20 hours per week any five days out of seven, primarily Monday to Friday but will include occasional evening and weekends, during busy periods as business demands.

• Provide cover at any reception, as required.
• Provide absence cover, with suitable notice, as required.
• Wear a uniform.
• Attend all training and development, as required.

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.

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. A document providing 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.

Contact details 

For further information please contact; Donna Pudwell (donna.pudwell@durham.ac.uk / 0191 334 6207).

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:

• Good oral and written communication skills.
• Good IT skills, including use of Microsoft Office.
• 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.
• Experience of working as part of a team in a customer focussed service to ensure the delivery of high quality services.
• Experience of managing time in order to meet deadlines.
• Experience of providing advice and guidance to a range of customers and colleagues.
• Ability to solve problems as part of a team and resolve straightforward issues.
• Proven track record in a similar role including customer care and administrative support in a similar environment.
• Good standard of organisational skills and ability to use initiative in day-to-day tasks and forward planning.

Desirable Criteria:

• Excellent attention to detail
• NVQ Level III

For information - Realising Your Potential Approach

Providing Excellent Student Services and Professional Support:

Providing the best quality service to all our students, customers and stakeholders. Building genuine and long-term relationships, through every day interactions, in order to drive up service standards and to enhance their experience.

1. Resolving problems efficiently in a cheerful, friendly manner.
2. Ensuring knowledge of systems and processes is kept up-to-date, to enable you to provide accurate information.

Finding Solutions:

Taking a holistic view and working enthusiastically and with creativity to analyse problems and develop innovative and workable solutions. Identifying opportunities for innovation.

1. Taking time to understand and diagnose problems by considering the whole picture.
2. Identifying ways of resolving issues using own initiative.

Working Together:

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

1. Monitoring and reviewing the effectiveness of working relationships.

Achieving Results:

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

1. Taking personal responsibility for getting things done.
2. Working effectively to meet deadlines.

Respecting Others

Embracing diversity by promoting and maintaining an inclusive and supportive work and study environment that enables all members of our University community to achieve their full potential

1. Acting fairly and respectfully towards others, in both verbal and non-verbal communication.

DBS Requirement: Not Applicable.