The University
At Durham University we are proud of our people. A globally outstanding centre of educational excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, a unique and historic setting – Durham is a university like no other.
Across the University we have a huge variety of roles and career opportunities, which together make us a large and successful community, which is a key hub of activity within our region and nationally. Whether you are at the very start, middle or end of your career, there is a role for you. We believe everyone has their own unique skills to offer.
We would be thrilled if you would consider joining our thriving University. Further information about the University can be found here.
Find out more about the benefits of working at the University and what it is like to live and work in the Durham area on our Why Join Us? - Information Page.
The Role and the Department
The Laidlaw Scholars Leadership & Research Programme is a two-year scholarship programme for undergraduate students dedicated to cultivating the next generation of ethical leaders who are not only skilled researchers but also champions of integrity and evidence-based decision-making.
This is a Fixed term externally funded post until April 2029.
The role holder will provide full administrative support to the Laidlaw Scholar Programme, supporting the Senior Manager in all aspects of the delivery of the programme.
The role holder will have responsibility for administering the programme publicity, scholar recruitment process, programme event management, financial and programme reporting, and assisting with scholar support and development. They will report to the Senior Manager of the Laidlaw Leadership and Research Programme to contribute to the delivery of an excellent service. The role holder will be required to work flexibly and professionally as part of a busy year’s schedule of events.
The role is offered as a 10 month (No requirement to work in August, or December). The role is (28 hours) a week post (nominally working 4 days a week). The post does require flexibility with occasional planned unsociable hours and weekends work required.
The Laidlaw Scholars Leadership & Research Programme is part of the Student Experience Directorate. The Student Experience Directorate that brings together Student Support and Wellbeing with Enrichment to provide opportunities for students to gain skills and experience through extracurricular activities across the following areas of Sport, Music, Leadership, Volunteering and Theatre whilst also supporting with the Welfare of students during their time at University.
A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University: you will also receive access to the following fantastic benefits:
- 27 Days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year – a total of 39 days per year. The University closes between Christmas and New Year.
- No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered. We have parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies.
- Lots of support for health and wellbeing including discounted membership for our state of the art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme.
- On site nursery is available plus access to holiday camps for children aged 5-16.
- Family friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, which are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers).
- There is a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally. There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University. All staff have dedicated annual time to concentrate on their personal development opportunities.
- The opportunity to take part in staff volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community
- Discounts are available via our benefits portal including; money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, the cinema and days out at various attractions.
- We offer generous pension schemes.
Discover more about our total rewards and benefits package here.
Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion
Our collective aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and we believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work. As a University equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key part of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do. We also live by our values and our Staff Code of Conduct. 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. It’s important to us that all of our colleagues are aligned to both our values and commitment to EDI.
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. If you have taken time out of your career, and you feel it relevant, let us know about it in your application. If you are a candidate with a disability, 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, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role.
What you need to demonstrate when you apply/Person Specification
When you apply it is important that you let us know what skills/experience you have from a similar role and/or what skills/experience you have which would make you right for this role. Further information about the role and responsibilities is at the end of this job description. Where a criteria has an asterisk* next to it, it may be given additional weighting when your application is considered.
Your application should cover the following criteria:
Essential Criteria
Qualifications/Experience
Five GCSE’s at least Grade C or level four (or equivalent) including English
Administrative experience within an office environment
Experience with managing budgets and reporting on financial spend.
Experience with working with external partners and stakeholders.
Experience in a similar role or environment.
Experience of working collaboratively with other team members to ensure the delivery of high-quality services.
Experience with managing spreadsheets with attention to detail.
Skills/Abilities/Knowledge
Effective communication skills, both written and verbal
Excellent digital skills specifically Microsoft 365, TEAMS, ZOOM, email, and LinkedIn
Excellent customer service
Strong attention to detail with a systematic approach to tasks
Ability to work effectively and be flexible to work after hours and over weekends, when required.
Strong interpersonal skills assist with working with students.
Ensuring collaboration with the Senior Manager of the Laidlaw Leadership and Research Programme
Self-motivated
Flexible
Desirable Criteria
1. Willingness to learn new skills
2. Ability to prioritise competing demands
To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification above. Where there are desirable criteria we would also urge you to provide any relevant evidence. Please don’t forget to check if there is any weighted criteria (see above).
While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview.
Submitting your application
We prefer to receive applications online. We will update you about your application at various points during the process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to ensure you receive all emails
What you are required to submit:
- A CV
- A supporting statement which shows examples of how you meet all of the criteria within the Person Specification
Contact details
If you would like to have a chat or ask any questions about the role, Chantelle Cumming would be happy to speak to you, [email protected].
Typical Role Requirements
Service Delivery
Show a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and the University’s values.
Respond to queries and provide information/advice, while raising more specialist or complex queries with more experienced team members.
Use your experience and problem-solving skills to investigate and resolve issues relevant to your role such as Laidlaw Leadership and Research Coordinator and make recommendations based on your findings.
Laidlaw Scholar Recruitment: including setting up the online application process via the Pebblepad/Microsoft Forms of equivalent system, supporting the Senior Manager with liaising with internal and external stakeholders to ensure opportunities are widely and equitably marketed, providing support to the selection panel and collating information about the participants, under the supervision of the Senior Manager of the Laidlaw Leadership and Research Programme. This will also involve working with internal University Stakeholders and Laidlaw Marketing team to ensure brand compliance.
Laidlaw Financial and Programme Reporting: including reporting on financial income and expenditure related to the Laidlaw programme, and compiling relevant reports for internal and external colleagues, under the supervision of the Senior Manager for the Laidlaw Leadership and Research Programme.
Enhance Durham University’s reputation by providing support to the running of internal and external outreach activities.
Monitor and analyse the use of Pebble Pad and Scholars Network to ensure efficiency and report your findings to senior colleagues.
Provide administrative support for managing workshops: including use of the Personal Development Management (PDMS) software, CANVA, Microsoft Forms, PebblePad, and processing of attendance and evaluation records.
Continually review what is required from [staff, students and others who you work with] to make sure the best possible service is provided.
Monitor feedback on the services and identify changes that will improve the service level that is provided and compliance.
Ensure that information used to analyse is accurate and provide reports and analysis of patterns and trends to senior colleagues.
Prepare reports for consideration by senior managers.
Support the welfare of our students and refer them to appropriate support services when necessary.
Provide administrative support for some financial operations, which may include ordering and invoicing, processing timesheets, tracking financial spend, monitoring budgets and other associated tasks.
Assisting in other office duties, when delegated, as required.
Planning and Organising
- Plan and organise own workload to deliver the role.
- Organise and schedule assigned resources, activities and events.
- Monitor processes and activities to ensure team priorities are met.
- Help manage and coordinate events, conferences and other activities.
- Laidlaw Scholar Event Management: including sourcing and booking venues, providing appropriate resources, and ensuring accurate event records are maintained, under the supervision of the Senior Manager of the Laidlaw Leadership and Research Programme
- Assisting students with their travel requirements working alongside KeyTravel to ensure all travel is coordinated and aligned to the students Leadership in Action, or conference requirements, reporting to the Senior Manager for the Laidlaw Leadership and Research Programme for approval.
- Supporting Laidlaw Scholars with the completion of their Risk Assessments prior to their travel, with overall support from the Senior Manager for the Laidlaw Leadership and Research Programme.
Teamwork
- Provide specialist support and advice to Laidlaw Leadership and Research Programme Senior Manager on administration and management of the programme.
- Help your team ensure that services are adapted in response to feedback and to meet changing demands.
- Identify opportunities and contribute to decisions on how to improve services being delivered by the team.
- Seek feedback from students and academic staff on their requirements from your service and recommend improvements to senior colleagues.
Communications/Liaison
- Update and apply changes to processes and procedures.
- Use your knowledge and expertise to provide advice and guidance to resolve problems and respond to a wide range of queries.
- Advise and guide others on standard information and procedures, providing any relevant instructions and demonstrations as required.
- Create good working relationships with other team members and anyone else that you come across as part of your role to work together on joint activities.
- Liaise with [staff in other areas] to ensure that services are being delivered in an efficient and collaborative way.
- Record information using digital platforms for various purposes including event registration, travel requirements, specific participant needs and share with internal partners.
- Contribute and engage with staff, students and the Laidlaw Foundation on promotional activities, events and presentations.
- Working directly with students on the Laidlaw Programme to ensure they are completing their required components of their scholarship contract, with support from the Senior Manager for the Laidlaw Leadership and Research Programme.
- Laidlaw Programme Publicity: including updating webpages, organising briefing sessions and publicity materials, liasing with scholars on the programme to co-ordinate and deliver information sessions, orientation week, social events, and curating scholar blog posts, under the supervision of the Senior Manager for the Laidlaw Leadership and Research Programme.
- Laidlaw Scholar Support: including acting as a first point of contact for scholars regarding issues arising, providing advice about aspects of the programme, and ensure scholars are correctly paid, under the supervision of the Laidlaw Leadership and Research Senior Manager.
- Laidlaw Scholar Development: including registering scholars with external bodies, collating scholars’ reports and posters, and creating a poster brochure and display under the supervision of the Senior Manager of the Laidlaw Leadership and Research Programme.
- Working alongside the Student Experience Finance Team to ensure stipends and student expenses are tracked and paid, in collaboration with the Senior Manager for the Laidlaw Leadership and Research Programme.
- Create good working relationships with internal and external partners and suppliers to work together on joint initiatives.
- Build relationships with contacts and contribute to internal and external networks to share good practice and exchange information.
- Create and distribute The Laidlaw promotional materials and print resources: including weekly emails, memos, newsletters, posters, certificates and handbooks.
- Any other reasonable duties.
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 Privacy Notices - Durham University which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.
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.
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