Department of Psychology

Grade 5: - £22,417 - £25,941
Open-Ended/Permanent - Full Time
Contracted Hours per Week: 35
Closing Date : 19-Oct-2021, 6:59:00 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    

Founded in 1952, the Department of Psychology is consistently ranked as one of the very best in the UK with an outstanding reputation for excellence in teaching, research and student employability. The department is committed to creating and maintaining a research environment that spans the entire breadth of psychology. Currently the department’s research falls within three groupings: Cognitive Neuroscience, Developmental Science, and Quantitative Social Psychology. There is a vibrant research culture with a weekly departmental research seminar series.

The department is extremely well-equipped for research, including facilities for fMRI, TMS, tDCS, EEG/ERP, VR, eye movement tracking, and biophysiological recording. The department also has a motion capture lab for analysis of visuomotor action and experiments in immersive VR, a ‘bar’ lab for naturalistic studies in health psychology, and setups for psychophysics including an echo-attenuated chamber. The department benefits from full IT and mechanical research support from departmental technicians between 8:30 and 16:30 Monday to Friday.

We offer a prestigious Psychology undergraduate programme (C800), a new undergraduate programme in Behavioural Science (C803), as well as a suite of masters programmes. Our single honours Psychology programme achieved 91% satisfaction with our students in the 2020 NSS and we are privileged to work with outstanding students who are attracted to Durham from across the globe.

The Research Coordinator is responsible for the provision of a professional, efficient administrative service, taking responsibility for operational aspects of research programme delivery, academic research and other departmental activities. The post holder will ensure deadlines are met and service delivery standards are maintained, working in accordance with University and Departmental policies and procedures.

The Research Coordinator will work independently, taking day to day decisions and using his/her own initiative and experience to decide on appropriate courses of action and resolve complex problems. S/he will possess excellent organisational and time management skills, display initiative and flexibility and demonstrate a commitment to customer service and excellence.

Core responsibilities:  

• Act as more knowledgeable team member without responsibility for team members.
• Plan and organise own workload, taking responsibility for operational aspects of programme delivery, ensuring deadlines are met and service delivery standards are maintained. 
• Resolve queries and requests for information and act as a key contact in relation to research student issues, signposting to other staff or departments where appropriate and escalating 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 developing expertise in relation to research student admissions, progress and assessment policies and processes.
• Collaborate with team members to implement new policies and procedures.
• Organise and schedule resources, activities and events e.g. postgraduate induction and training and the deployment of postgraduate students as demonstrators for undergraduate modules.
• Identify priorities and monitor processes and activities to ensure success e.g. monitor progress against deadlines, ensure accurate recording of viva outcomes, production of documentation and multimedia material to promote research projects and the wider research environment.
• Provide more in-depth independent research and analysis activities within the role.
• Analyse work activities to ensure the effective and efficient use of capital and consumable equipment and resources.
• Provide demonstrations and instruction to others within and outside the team.
• Support the capture of business requirements from users and work with colleagues to translate these into recommendations for future service provision.
• Liaise with contacts and participate in networks and communities internally and possibly externally, contributing to effective collaborative working.
• Advise others and make recommendations into work processes and procedures for consideration by senior management to improve services.

Role responsibilities:  

• Deliver research student support services to ensure the effective and efficient running of business processes and systems, ensuring students receive appropriate academic support and guidance. 
• Monitor and evaluate service delivery to ensure compliance with regulatory and professional procedures and standards, including UK Border Agency requirements.
• Collaborate with colleagues across professional and administrative areas to ensure seamless research service provision.
• Develop and enhance operational and administrative policies, systems and procedures, fostering a continuous improvement philosophy.
• Provide training to team members on data handling and recording.
• Monitor data accuracy checks to identify anomalies and ensure the integrity of data and information.
• Coordinate and monitor the implementation of departmental and University policies and initiatives. 
• Update data and information on systems and media for recording, storing, communicating and informing service users and team members.
• Work with internal and external partners to maintain effective relationships and to plan and deliver complex cross-functional activities.
• Interpret PGR data and provide reports for higher level decision makers.
• Accurately record information and data and disseminate within internal networks including committees including acting as Secretary to the Staff, Student Consultative Committees and other student meetings as required e.g. arrange meetings, draft agenda, take minutes, initiating and monitoring follow up actions.
• Contribute to the development and implementation of policy and procedures within own area of working.
• Prepare written reports for consideration by management where required.
• Contribute to the preparation of documentation associated with internal accreditation, quality management and enhancement activities related to research student activities and the wider research environment. 
• Any other reasonable duties.

Specific role requirements:

• Work outside office hours during peak periods

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 (including those listed in the section ‘Realising Your Potential Approach’).    

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. Examples of how you satisfy both the person specification and the Realising Your Potential Approach criteria.

This may require completion of the 'Supporting Evidence' application section if specified by the recruiting manager. 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 please contact; Mrs Carolyn Loughlin (Department Manager) carolyn.loughlin@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  

• Excellent oral and written communication skills and the ability to develop effective working relationships, both internally and externally.
• Proven 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). 
• Relevant administrative experience in a busy office environment.
• Demonstrable ability to proactively work with team members to ensure the delivery of high quality services.
• 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.
• Demonstrable ability to provide advice and guidance to a range of customers and colleagues.
• Ability to solve problems as part of a team and resolve issues, plan solutions and make pragmatic decisions.
• Ability to effectively network and exchange advice and information for development purposes.  
• Accuracy, numeracy and attention to detail.
• Experience of developing and enhancing operational and administrative policies, systems and procedures.
• Ability to use initiative and exercise judgement in determining the correct course of action.  

Desireable Criteria  

• Evidence of personal development to maintain skills.
• Post-16 qualification or equivalent experience.
• Experience of working in Higher Education.
• Experience of working in multicultural environments.  

DBS Requirement: Not Applicable.