Programme Officer

Job description 

This role forms part of a busy assessment team within the Faculty Education Services (Bioscience Education) department. It is responsible for providing a professional and quality service to both the students and academics of the Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine for a vast suite of Undergraduate and Postgraduate programmes.    

We are seeking an enthusiastic, proactive administrator who is committed to providing an excellent assessment provision.  The successful applicant will provide administrative support across a range of assessment services.   

The post holder will be expected to communicate with students and will interact with a wide range of academic and professional service staff from across the School and the University.  The Faculty Education Service is a busy department; you will need to be highly motivated, with good time management and excellent attention to detail.    

The post holder must be an excellent communicator able to present information clearly and concisely and disseminate information across varied levels.  Applicants must have excellent IT skills, in particular Microsoft Excel and some experience of a student record system and/or VLE would be beneficial.  The role holder will be expected to manage a varied workload often across competing priorities, requiring the ability to negotiate and influence to deliver an excellent and effective administrative service.  

This post will be offered on an indefinite contract  

This is a Full time role

Key responsibilities 

To deliver a professional and service centric assessment provision across all aspects of examination and coursework administration, supporting the requirements of the UG and PG bioscience programmes within the Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine (FoLSM)  

•        Working within a team of Programme Officers within the Faculty Educational Service (FES) ensuring a consistent, accurate and timely service across all operational assessment activity; including exam content/paper production, exam events, coursework/project submission, reconciliation of mark entry and results processing and coordination of student feedback.  

•        To ensure a responsive and personable student enquiry service with a coordinated approach to communication. 

•        Responsible for maintaining high standards of accuracy across assessment record data and across multiple systems ensuring data processing meets agreed deadlines in order to deliver student and academic expectations 

To undertake a range of assessment administration and activity across the full academic cycle; across the suite of bioscience programmes, working closely with colleagues across Faculty Education Services.   

•        To contribute to operational planning; supporting the production of examination timetables, coursework and project submission schedules, extension and resit timelines across all summative and formative assessment for a range of programmes. 

•        To manage student submissions across a broad range of coursework, assignments, project and portfolio and across a range of UG and PG programmes. Using the online submission systems available such as the virtual learning environment (Keats). Accurately reconciling late submission and proactively following up with markers or supervisors who have missing or are late with mark entry requirements, identifying and escalating delays to processing as necessary. 

  • To support with servicing responsibilities to Assessment Boards across a range of programmes, production of agenda and board papers, attendance records and secure distribution of papers and formal minute writing.  

•        Accountable for the data quality of assessment records, ensuring record keeping is accurately maintained and is of a highly organised standard, able to withstand the scrutiny of audit at short notice.  This high standard extends across all record keeping whether on spreadsheets, paper or the SITS student record; whether current or archived and in accordance with agreed retention schedules 

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post. 

Skills, knowledge, and experience 

Essential criteria 

1.      Excellent communication and presentation skills; demonstrable ability to present information clearly, accurately and concisely to diverse audiences  

2.      Excellent time management with the ability to organise, and plan effectively across competing priorities 

3.      Excellent attention to detail with methodical, exacting standards of written and numerical accuracy 

4.      Able to manage individual workload while working to deliver shared team service levels and objectives 

5.      Ability to make timely informed decisions, independently resolve problems and identify when to escalate risk 

6.      Ability to work with a broad range of stakeholders in a professional and assured manner 

Experience 

1.      Previous HE or administrative experience.  

2.      Excellent IT experience, across all Microsoft packages; advanced excel user and experience of production of analytical data reporting 

Desirable criteria 

1.      Degree or equivalent 

2.      Experience of programme governance and delivering professional committee servicing