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Assistant Project Manager, UKANET Antarctic GPS

Employer
DURHAM UNIVERSITY
Location
Durham, United Kingdom
Salary
£26,715 pro rata
Closing date
27 Aug 2021

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Department of Geography

Grade 6: - £26,715 pro rata
Fixed Term - Part Time
Contract Duration: 24 months
Contracted Hours per Week: 10.5
Closing Date: 27-Aug-2021, 6:59:00 AM

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.

The Department and role purpose:

The Department of Geography, Durham University, seeks to appoint a part time Assistant Project Manager - UKANET Antarctic GPS to support the organisation and administration of the UKANET Antarctic Global Positioning System (GPS) research project for a period of two years. The project is funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council and runs until 2023 with the aim of using precise GPS measurements of crustal motion to better understand variability in ice sheet behaviour across a large sector of Antarctica. The project involves close collaboration between scientists in Durham and Newcastle, and a wide range of engineers and GPS specialist equipment suppliers in government and non-government organisations in the UK and internationally. The objectives of the project are to (i) procure specialist GPS equipment from international suppliers and freight the equipment to Antarctica according to meticulous shipping pathways and timescales; (ii) oversee the installation and maintenance of the equipment at measurement sites in Antarctica; (iii) ensure continued operation of the sites, data upload via satellite or by in-person engineer visits, and curation of the resultant data; (iv) analysis of the GPS data by project scientists and partners for signals of crustal motion that can be related to ice sheet behaviour and other scientific applications.

The successful candidate will be based in the Department of Geography, and will work alongside the Principal Investigator, Co-Investigators, and project partners in order to effectively manage the project. The candidate should have excellent organisational skills and the ability to meet strict deadlines, and should enjoy working independently and proactively. Excellent communication and team-working skills are essential, with the flexibility to communicate with a variety of different audiences and to move across a range of different activities.

Core responsibilities:

  • Experienced service practitioner, planning and co-ordinating of projects and work streams with inter-related activities.
  • Plan and organise own workload with or without involvement with project work streams.
  • Specialist support with problem solving and query handling.
  • Reactive and proactive service provision with others to deliver an excellent stakeholder experience, specifically providing support to the wider group of project partners around fieldwork planning, financial reporting, insurance, human resources, risk management, and any emergent contractual issues.
  • Relationship building, network participation internally and externally to build and update knowledge and skills.
  • Engage with external peers and specialists to exchange knowledge and information.
  • Supervises service users and stakeholders undertaking activities, events, project work and exhibitions.
  • Interpret, curate, design and present artefacts, information, data, equipment and resources.
  • Implement and monitor protocols, procedures, processes and regulations, including coordination and implementation of a data management and archiving protocol and a monitoring protocol to track the project’s progress against the aims and objectives, and the project’s impact.
  • Monitor and report incidents.
  • Carry out more in-depth investigations, searches and research information and data to identify trends and patterns.
  • 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.
  • 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 and provide support for project meetings, both face-to-face and remotely, through scheduling, preparation of documentation, and minuting to help shape service delivery and stakeholder expectations.
  • Accountable for managing/maintaining financial and budget records and reconciling consumable expenditure queries.
  • Involved in the purchase and return of goods and services.
  • Support the capture of business requirements from users and work with colleagues to translate these into recommendations for future service provision.

Role responsibilities:

  • Manage and organise professional business and administrative service processes, activities, events and/or resources to achieve defined targets and outcomes, providing support to the PI around equipment procurement, fieldwork planning, progress reporting by partners, HR processes, and budget management.
  • Develop, implement and enforce recognised procedures to ensure compliance, co-ordinate effort and contribute to team goals.
  • Provide professional guidance and advice to staff and students with the operational running of processes, data and information recording and assessment data. 
  • Providing logistical support for international cargo movements and fieldwork.
  • Providing support for communication with, and reporting to the project funders, Natural Environment Research Council.
  • Ensure projects, 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.
  • Collation and tracking of project progress, including careful record keeping, regular checks that data are uploading and the provision and distribution of progress reports, updates, and publications.
  • Use a range of digital media and tools 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, including coordinating regular communications across partners via email and website and coordination of the project media and other wider impact activities, synthesising and presenting content for social media and website updates.
  • Develop, plan and deliver internal and external events and activities for stakeholders, organising meetings and workshops.
  • Establish, maintain and develop productive and ongoing relationships with stakeholders to influence perception of the University.
  • Any other reasonable duties.

Specific role requirements 

As the post is 10.5 hours a week and part-time, it may be possible to arrange parallel part-time study that is complementary to the wider project.

Working Arrangements

At Durham we recognise that our staff and students are our greatest asset and we want to support the health and wellbeing of all. Hybrid working supports this ethos and provides many benefits to our colleagues, including empowering people, where their role allows, to work in a manner which is more suitable for them, whilst encouraging our commitment to environmental sustainability.

Depending on the needs of the business and the job role, Durham University is piloting hybrid working for all Professional Services colleagues in the academic year 2021/2022, which may include the opportunity to work both on and off campus and to flex working hours. If appointed to the post, your line-manager will discuss the specific arrangements with you. Any hybrid arrangements are non-contractual and may change within the pilot and when the pilot ends.

Interviews are anticipated to take place on or around the end of August 2021.

Reward and Benefits

To support the delivery of the University's People Strategy to attract, retain and reward the very best, we offer a fantastic range of rewards and benefits to our staff, including:

  • 27 days annual leave, plus 4 customary days and 8 bank holidays (pro-rata for part time) and the option to purchase additional leave;
  • Automatic enrolment into a pension scheme;
  • Corporate and local discounts;
  • Wellbeing resources and discounted health benefits;
  • Health discounts on sports and activities at Maiden Castle Health and Activity Centre;
  • Reward and Recognition Schemes;
  • Personal and career development;
  • And SO much more, with further information 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.

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.

Information if you have a disability

The University welcomes applications from disabled people. We are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, adjustments will be made to support people within their role.

If you are unable to complete your application via our recruitment system, please get in touch with us on e.recruitment@durham.ac.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 in the essential and desirable criteria;
  3. Completion of the application questions / A Word document, with examples of how you satisfy the person specification and the Realising Your Potential Approach criteria. Please ensure you give detailed examples of how you meet these criteria if requested.

Please ensure that you submit all documentation listed above or your application cannot proceed to the next stage.

Contact details

For further information regarding this post, please contact; Dr Pippa Whitehouse, Department of Geography, Durham University, pippa.whitehouse@durham.ac.uk

Contact information for technical difficulties when submitting your application

If you encounter technical difficulties when using the online application form, we prefer you send enquiries by email.  Please send your name along with a brief description of the problem you’re experiencing to e.recruitment@durham.ac.uk

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.

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.

As a University we foster a collegiate community of extraordinary people aligned to the University’s values.  Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) are a key part of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do.  At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive, and in doing so, recruit the world’s best candidates from all backgrounds and identities. It’s important to us that all of our colleagues are aligned to both our values and commitment to EDI.

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. Post-16 qualification or equivalent experience.
  5. Evidence of personal development to maintain skills.
  6. Experience of providing advice and guidance to a range of customers and colleagues.
  7. Experienced service provider with knowledge and expertise used to contribute to the delivery and development of services, events and activities within the organisation. 
  8. Experience of procurement, administration, and logistical support provision for complex projects.
  9. Ability to effectively network and exchange advice and information for development purposes.
  10. Management of research networks that span a wide range of organisations, including academic and non-academic partners.
  11. Compliance with regulatory and organisational guidelines, including the preparation and submission of reports to research funders.
  12. Experience of financial management, IPR concerns, and ethical issues with large research projects.
  13. Excellent media and communications skills, including print, web and social media.

Desirable Criteria

  • Experience of working with governmental and non-governmental organisations
  • Experience or interest in environmental issues, hazard, risk, and resilience.
  • Organisation of outreach activities and publicity materials.
  • Experience of dealing with complex, technical scientific equipment

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.

Durham University

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 VALUESWe are inspiring, challenging, innovative, responsible and enabling.

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.

DBS Requirement: Not Applicable.

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