School Administrator (HR and Central Support)

18379BR

School of Modern Languages

Administrative Support

Advert

School Administrator (HR and Central Support)

The School of Modern Languages is seeking an administrator to provide professional administrative support to the Head of School and the School Management Team across a range of operational areas.  The post holder will support the human resources service and processes within the school, engaging and completing a range of tasks to meet operational and customer service requirements. They will deliver a professional and highly effective personal assistant service to the Head of School and support the schools’ central services team on a range of other areas of support as required, including projects, health and safety, facilities and front of house (reception services).

The post is full time (35 hours per week) and open ended. 

Salary: £26,444 – £29,605 per annum (Grade 4)

For informal enquiries about this post please contact Denise Phillips, Executive Officer,  [email protected]

Date advert posted: Friday, 15 March 2024

Closing date: Friday, 29 March 2024

Please be aware that Cardiff University reserves the right to close this vacancy early should sufficient applications be received.

Cardiff University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds who have the ambition to create a University which seeks to fulfil our social, cultural and economic obligation to Cardiff, Wales, and the world.  In supporting our employees to achieve a balance between their work and their personal lives, we will also consider proposals for flexible working or job share arrangements.

Applications may be submitted in Welsh, and an application submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application submitted in English.

Job Description

Main Job Purpose
To provide a highly professional human resources service for the School, engaging and completing a range of routine tasks to meet operational and customer service requirements. Provide general HR advice and guidance and to add value through continual improvement of the School’s HR function.

To provide a comprehensive professional administrative support to the Head of School and the School Management Team with a focus on HR, school committees and events, and some PA/diary management support.

To support the School’s central services team on a range of other areas of support including projects, health and safety, facilities management and front of house (reception) services.

Duties and Responsibilities

Key Duties

• Provide detailed advice and guidance on HR processes and procedures to internal and external customers, using judgement and creativity to suggest the most appropriate course of action where appropriate, contributing to the resolution of more complex issues. Examples of support include:
  • co-ordinating routine HR processes, liaising with relevant parties to ensure deadlines are met, ensuring accurate electronic records are maintained and running regular data reports to support your work and School/University processes.
  • providing administrative support to a range of HR processes, including recruitment, probation, sickness and other absence, and professional development reviews (PDRs).
  • providing advice and support to a range of HR processes, including resignations, retirements, statutory absences, occupational health referrals, pay and contract changes.
• Maintain and manage the diary of the Head of School and drafting and preparing correspondence, gathering and analysing data to inform decisions, establishing basic trends and patterns in data and creating reports as appropriate.
• Support the senior management team, including committee servicing and minute taking, preparing agenda and papers, producing and circulating actions from meetings, and monitoring progress on actions and deadlines.
• Undertake a variety of other administrative duties to support the School’s management functions and central services which includes arranging internal and external meetings, contributing to school and university projects, health and safety, facilities management, and providing cover as required for the school’s front of house (reception) services.
• Establish working relationships with key contacts to help improve service levels, developing appropriate communication links with the AHSS College, the University’s Schools/Directorates and outside bodies as required.
• Collaborate with others in order to make recommendations for developments of established processes and procedures.
• Instruct and guide other employees across the University in relation to the business of the Head of School and the School’s academic and professional services management teams.

General Duties

• Abide by all University policies and undergo appropriate personal and professional development.
• Perform other duties which are not included above, but which will be consistent with the role.

• Uphold the Professional Services Values and Behaviours or local equivalent.

Person Specification

It is Cardiff University’s policy to use the person specification as a key tool for shortlisting. Therefore, candidates must evidence they meet ALL the essential criteria and, where relevant, the desirable. Please attach a supporting statement, using each of the below criteria as a heading evidencing how you meet each. When attaching the supporting statement to your application, please ensure you name it with the vacancy reference number: XXXXXBR.

Essential Criteria

1. Ability to communicate clearly, concisely and effectively to provide detailed advice and guidance on human resource processes and procedures.
2. Ability to communicate specialist and complex information effectively and professionally to a range of customers with varying levels of understanding.
3. Evidence of a good standard of numeracy and IT literacy in Microsoft Office applications and packages.
4. Experience of working in a similar role or environment e.g., Higher Education or another large complex organisation, where responsibilities have included servicing committees or workgroups and taking minutes of meetings.
5. Specialist knowledge of HR processes and procedures within a workplace context.
6. Evidence of ability to explore customers’ needs and adapt the service accordingly to ensure a quality service is delivered at all times.
7.Ability to set up standard office systems and procedures as well as providing suggestions for, and implementing, system and process improvements.
8. Evidence of ability to solve problems using initiative and creativity; identify and propose practical solutions and to resolve problems where there are a range of potential options available.
9. Evidence of ability to work unsupervised to deadlines, planning, setting and monitoring your priorities and those of the team.

Desirable Criteria 

1. Experience of diary management for another colleague or manager.
2. Experience of using systems software (eg. Business Objects) and MS Excel to collate and present management data.
3. Ability to speak/understand Welsh, or a willingness to learn.

Job Category

Admin / Clerical