Operations Assistant

Salary:  £23,700 with progression to £25,138 per annum

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 29 May 2024

The Role

Do you have experience in customer service, possess good administration skills and are highly organised, then we would like to hear from you!

We have several exciting opportunities to join our highly motivated teams in the the School of Natural & Environmental Sciences and the School of Engineering Professional Services. As a member of the Operations Team you will deliver comprehensive administrative support and outstanding customer service, developing excellent working relationships with colleagues and students. 

Working as part of the Operations Team, you will contribute to the successful delivery of an excellent student and colleague experience.  You will provide administrative support to ensure the smooth and effective running of the Unit’s activities.

You will be interested in working in a fast-paced, varied, and challenging environment and be proactive and a confident team player, with excellent communication, planning and organisational skills.

For more information about the School of Natural and Environmental Sciences click here.

For more information about the School of Engineering please click here.

We are committed to building and maintaining a fair and inclusive working environment and we would be happy to discuss arrangements for flexible and/or blended working over 33-37 hours per week.

If you would like to discuss this vacancy, please contact Rachel Barnett, Assistant Operations Manager, via email: rachel.barnett2@ncl.ac.uk or Nicole Guillan, Operations Coordinator via email: nicole.guillan@ncl.ac.uk

To apply, please complete an online application and upload a CV and a cover letter. Your cover letter is a supporting statement and you should outline how you meet the essential criteria of the role and evidence this with examples. 

Key Accountabilities

• To provide a professional and proactive service to colleague, students and visitors with a clear focus on customer service
• To provide general administrative support as required, including (but not exclusively) booking travel, purchasing, deliveries, assisting with the running of events, administering mail and stocks of consumables, day to day correspondence, reception services and diary management.
• To clearly communicate and disseminate information as requested and to maintain up to date unit records
• To act as secretary to meetings including logistical arrangements such as room bookings, agenda preparation and circulation, minute taking and monitoring progress of actions
• To undertake an active role in the health and safety management of a designated office, contributing to the maintenance of a safe working environment for colleagues and visitors
• To contribute to the effective and efficient running of School offices through a team approach, providing assistance to colleagues as appropriate.
• To work as part of a wider Faculty and unit team and to undertake other duties within the scope and general nature of the grade which may be required

The Person 

Knowledge, Skills and Experience 

• Ability to manage time effectively 
• Effective planning and organisational skills with ability to solve problems 
• Good IT skills with experience of Microsoft suite of programmes 
• Flexible attitude to work demands and customers with a commitment to excellent customer service 
• Ability to work under own initiative and as part of a team 
• An excellent communicator both verbally and in writing with the ability to tailor messages to the appropriate audiences 
• Takes responsibility for meeting own targets 

Attributes and Behaviour

• A positive, proactive and professional customer focussed attitude 
• Good communication skills
• Works in a planned and structured way 
• Uses own and others time effectively 
• Ensures that all activities are completed on time 
• Keeps fellow team members up to date with progress 
• Willing to help others and share workloads 
• Maintains flexibility in work plans to allow for changing circumstances 
• An aptitude for utilising software tools and technologies to enhance, improve and simplify day to day functioning/organisational skills

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.  As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society.  We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent.  We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a silver Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.  We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC.  We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe. 

Requisition ID: 27045