HR & OD

Grade 4: - £21,630 - £23,144 per annum (pro rata)
Open-Ended/Permanent - Part Time
Contracted Hours per Week: 25
Closing Date: 03-Oct-2022, 6:59:00 AM

Durham University

Durham University is one of the world's top universities with strengths across the Arts and Humanities, 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

At Durham University Day Nursery we aim to provide high quality childcare in a safe secure and stimulating environment for children from 0 to 5. We aim to operate in partnership with parents, helping children to be happy, independent and well-adjusted emotionally and socially.

Our Nursery aims to promote self-confidence and a positive attitude to learning in all children whatever their gender, ethnicity, home language, special educational needs, disability or ability. We aim to offer a broad, balanced and diverse curriculum where learning will be fun and will provide basic skills for the future. We recognise that every child is unique and aim to assist all children to attain their maximum development potential by paying attention to their individual needs.

We aim to support students and staff of Durham University with parental responsibilities, in order that they can achieve their goals at study or at work. Please note that we also welcome non-Durham University staff/students.

The Nursery Administrator will work closely with the Nursery Management Team and have responsibility for supporting the development of administration and finance activities, ensuring such activities are implemented and managed in a professional, effective manner. This will include invoicing, contract management, ordering goods and services, dealing with general queries and office management duties.

The Nursery Administrator will be responsible for ensuring that administration and finance activities are completed accurately, in accordance with University policies and procedures and that complete and up-to-date records are maintained.

The Nursery Administrator will provide a comprehensive, efficient and effective administration service to the Nursery ensuring that agreed operating procedures, templates and checklists are adhered to and, where appropriate, improved.

Core responsibilities

• Provide a responsive and proactive administrative support service for the Nursery, ensuring that all activities are completed in accordance with University policies and procedures.
• Focus on checking stakeholder requirements to ensure the delivery of excellence with the frontline stakeholder experience.
• Respond to service users answering and recording standard queries and bookings for activities and/or events.
• Contribute to the planning of team activities, work and deadlines to ensure the smooth running and timeliness of service.
• Solve day-to-day routine problems and source background information within the role.
• Record data and information accurately and provide reports as required to team members and more experienced staff.
• Operate a booking and enquiry service and process requests finding solutions or escalating queries where necessary.
• Flexible in approach to accommodate the needs of team members and/or service users.
• Assist team members to organise, plan and prepare for events, meetings and activities.
• Liaise with internal and external suppliers, contractors and professional specialists to pass on information.
• Apply professional and regulatory procedures and processes and use of systems.
• Establish and develop close working relationships, liaise and collaborate with staff in other areas of the organisation to ensure a seamless, smooth and efficient service.
• Act as principle point of contact for nursery enquiries and requests for information and advice from both staff and members of the public, via email, telephone and face-to-face contact, and escalate more specialist and complex queries or issues to more experienced team members.

Role responsibilities

• Work with team members to ensure the smooth running of administrative processes to support people and business activities.
• Apply standard professional and recognised regulatory procedures to process, check and reconcile anomalies within data and information sets.
• Compile, record, store and archive data and information to ensure the accuracy and safety of information, in line with data protection and confidentiality requirements.
• Liaise with representatives from other service areas, professional organisations and agencies where necessary.
• Use standard office-based digital systems, tools and equipment to carry out data recording, communications and networking.
• Provide service and support for Nursery meetings and events, to draft and distribute documents and communications in standard professional formats.
• Produce and update key business process documentation, including estate and staff records, UCAS and legislative requirements, and ensure all Nursery policies are kept up to date.
• Liaise with internal and external suppliers and specialists with the organisation, planning and delivery of services, activities and events.
• Make venue, catering, travel and/or equipment arrangements for events, meetings and activities on behalf of the Nursery Manager.
• Develop, maintain and review administrative procedures to ensure the smooth running of the Nursery by developing systems and guidelines to ensure consistent and efficient processes are applied across all Nursery administrative operations.
• Oversee the marketing and publicity activities for Nursery.
• Calculate and raise invoices for service users in a timely manner working with Finance to ensure accuracy.
• Have a working knowledge of the childcare scheme and salary sacrifice systems operating at the University and to provide advice and guidance as required.
• Develop and maintain the Nursery website.
• Support the Nursery management team in activities to support Ofsted visits and compliance.
• Any other reasonable duties.

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 the Question section.

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 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: Kim Roberts at kim.roberts@durham.ac.uk

Person specification - skills, knowledge, qualifications and experience required

The essential criteria for this role are:

1. Excellent oral and written communication and interpersonal skills.  Including note taking, ability to draft accurate letters and contract changes.
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. Evidence of personal development to maintain skills.
5. Post-16 qualification or equivalent experience.
6. Relevant administrative experience in a busy office environment.
7. Demonstrable ability to provide advice and guidance to a range of customers and colleagues.
8. 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.
9. Experience of working in a team.
10. Ability to solve problems as part of a team and resolve straightforward issues. 
11. Demonstrable effective time management and workload organisation and prioritising skills with the ability to manage conflicting priorities.
12. Experience working with data and spreadsheets.
13. Proven ability to deliver a high standard of customer care and service, with a demonstrable customer focus.
14. Highest level of attention to detail.
15. Tact and diplomacy and high degrees of confidentiality.
16. Ability to maintain a polite but professional approach when liaising with challenging individuals.

The desirable criteria for this role are:

Experience of managing and tracking budget spend. Experience of administration and finance processes, ideally gained within a nursery environment. Experience of Durham University Finance, procurement and HR processes and policies. IT related qualification in use of Microsoft Office or equivalent. Knowledge of Acquire System.

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: Please note that the succesful applicant will require DBS disclosure.