Experience Durham

Grade 3: - £17,682 - £19,133 pro rata
Open-Ended/Permanent - Part Time
Contracted Hours per Week: 21
Closing Date: 27-Jan-2022, 7:59:00 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

As a Department Experience Durham is striving to play a pivotal role in developing, delivering and transforming a Wider Student Experience that is as impactful as anything in the world. We remain steadfast in our core commitment to accelerating the growth of far-reaching and market-leading programmes across performance, participation and community outreach, whilst fostering a culture that safeguards academic excellence. We are guided by the belief that an investment in the Wider Student Experience is ultimately an investment in the quality of graduates that the University produces and are motivated by the opportunity to engage and inspire the next generation of talent. In doing so, we feel confident that we are making a positive contribution to the development of rounded, global citizens.

The post holder will be responsible for providing reception services and associated administration of the front-desk, including welcome service, professionally greeting 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.
• Any other reasonable duties.

Specific role requirements

• Work evenings and weekends, as business demands.
• Wear a uniform.

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.

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.

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; Laura Green - 0191 3342178, Email: laura.green2@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. Good oral and written communication skills.
2. Good 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. Experience of working as part of a team in a customer focussed service to ensure the delivery of high quality services.
6. Experience of managing time in order to meet deadlines.
7. Good standard of organisational skills and ability to use initiative in day-to-day tasks and forward planning.
8. Experience of providing advice and guidance to a range of customers and colleagues.
9. Ability to solve problems as part of a team and resolve straightforward issues.
10. Proven track record in a similar role including customer care and administrative support in a similar environment.
11. Excellent levels of attention to detail.

Desirable

NVQ Level 3
RSA Level II word processing qualification or equivalent

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.

DBS Requirement: Not Applicable.