Department of Archaeology

Grade 8: - £42,149 - £50,296 per annum/ pro rata
Open-Ended/Permanent - Full Time
Contracted Hours per Week: 35
Closing Date: 19-Aug-2022, 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

Durham University’s Department of Archaeology is one of the UK’s best Departments of Archaeology with an outstanding reputation for excellence in teaching, research and employability of our students. We are regularly ranked one of the top two Archaeology departments in the UK (e.g. Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021, The Guardian University Guide 2022, Complete University Guide 2022) and one of the top 8 globally (World University QS rankings 2022).

Our vision is to build upon our strengths as a world-class research department, whilst remaining ethical, authentic and sincere. We are firmly committed to the principles of equality and diversity for all our staff and students. We will offer broad thematic, chronological and geographical coverage, with world-class fieldwork projects, scientific expertise and a laboratory and commercial infrastructure to match. We are an outward-looking community – collaborating strategically with a worldwide network of scholars, institutions and heritage agencies and our archaeological and interdisciplinary research creates demonstrable societal and economic impacts, both in the UK and around the world.

The Department Manager role requires an excellent all-rounder with the ability to:

• Work at a strategic level but with an operational focus to support the development and implementation of department strategy in learning and teaching and research.
• Lead and manage the departmental professional services team both in business as usual and also in ensuring responsiveness to change, maximising administrative capacity to deliver departmental strategy.
• Act as a key channel of communication between academic staff and professional services staff, both within the department and across all academic, College and other professional services departments.

Core responsibilities:

• Provide expert professional subject and/or managerial and leadership expertise.
• Manage and develop service, infrastructure and people performance across the professional support team of the department, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities.
• Provide feedback on team and individual performance and identify development needs, conducting regular staff ADR and performance reviews.
• Recruit, induct, train and develop new team members.
• Help to shape the skills and expertise of future team members and design work structures to meet operational and strategic goals.
• Handle the vast majority of welfare issues within a team, referring more complex welfare issues to appropriate support services/senior management.
• Liaise with key stakeholders and engage in internal and external networks to inform service development.
• Contribute to the implementation of strategic planning and development of the department across a range of activities, making recommendations to the Head of Department and Senior Management Team.
• Within agreed University frameworks, lead on the design, implementation and monitoring of departmental policy and quality standards, procedures and systems to ensure effective working and continuous improvement.
• Promote and develop a deep understanding of organisational policy and external developments, providing high level advice.
• Devolve responsibilities to team members to ensure continuity of service provision and encourage skills development.
• Monitor all activities and processes to ensure an effective level of service is maintained and all transactions are accounted for accurately and promptly to meet regulatory and professional service and policy standards.
• Ensure all stakeholder-facing staff provide an accessible, friendly and professional service by shaping processes for inducting and developing staff.
• Implement processes to manage the integrity and security of all commercially and professionally sensitive and personal data.
• Take an active role in departmental and University business meetings, working groups and sub-committees at operational service level to influence governance, organisational policy and standards for the service.
• Effective administrative resource management to include allocating and monitoring financial budgets, staff and non-staff resources.
• Analyse stakeholder feedback, implementing and reviewing service provision.

Role responsibilities:

• Manage quality and regulatory audit process for student and staff services over-arching systems and procedures.
• Work with team members and stakeholders to build and maintain excellent working relationships.
• Provide professional guidance to stakeholders regarding welfare, employment and wellbeing.
• Produce communications for promotion and reporting purposes, designing and structuring information and fact, applying creative and innovative principles to influence and engage.
• Deliver professional expertise with investigative and service methodologies, make recommendations and identify priorities to achieve business outcomes and objectives.
• Maintain an oversight of the service and performance metrics to provide analysis of management information and reports for higher level managers and committees, working in collaboration with the Faculty Office and Strategic Planning Office.
• Represent the service and University at promotional events and contribute to the delivery of presentations at conferences.
• Develop external relations, identify and develop opportunities for communities of practice, employers, alumni and donors via extra-curricular activities and increased levels of participation.
• Manage administrative priorities and monitor their successful completion ensuring that the teaching, research and other activities of the department are effectively underpinned by appropriate support provision.
• Develop strong relationships with other departments, in particular the Faculty Office and central administrative departments, with a view to forging an understanding of organisational policy and operational issues and developments.
• Provide information, costings and analysis of statistics to make written recommendations to support strategic decision making.
• Deputise for more senior managers as required.
• Any other reasonable duties.

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 mid September 2022.

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:

• 30 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. A Word document, with examples of how you satisfy the person specification. Please ensure you give detailed examples of how you meet these criteria.

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; Professor Sarah Semple, Head of Department (s.j.semple@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

The essential criteria for this role are:

• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• The ability to develop effective working relationships, both internally and externally.
• Proven IT skills, including use of Microsoft Office.
• Educated to degree level (or equivalent experience).
• Professional practitioner with specialist knowledge and expertise used to influence events and activities within the organisation. 
• Knowledge and experience of ensuring compliance with regulatory and organisational policy and guidelines.  
• Experience of providing advice and guidance to a range of customers and colleagues, including more senior colleagues.
• Ability to contribute to planning at operational and strategic levels.
• Demonstrable people, leadership and management skills.
• Experience of developing and leading significant organisational change.

The desirable criteria for this role are:

• Experience of being able to network effectively and develop strong and productive working relationships, to influence perceptions of the University.
• Track record of management and development experience and/or an enhanced management qualification applied across a large service team or teams.

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 VALUES: We 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.