Administrative Officer

University-of-Oxford; Oxford; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

38 days annual leave

Childcare services

Family leave schemes

Discounted bus travel

Club memberships

Job summary

The Department of Oncology at the University of Oxford is seeking an Administrative Officer based at the Old Road Campus Research Building, Headington, Oxford. The role provides high-quality administrative support to senior staff, including the Head of Department and Executive PA, handling inbox management, room bookings, records, financial documentation in Oracle R12, and travel arrangements.

You will lead the planning and delivery of departmental events (seminars, research days and social

Qualifications

• Excellent organisational and administrative skills.
• Experience managing complex diaries and coordinating events.
• Ability to prioritise a busy workload to tight deadlines.
• Confident communicator with excellent written and verbal skills.
• Drafts correspondence on behalf of senior staff with discretion.

Responsibilities

• Manage departmental inboxes and room bookings.
• Support the Director of Graduate Studies; maintain records and financial documentation.
• Arrange travel and process expenses using Oracle R12.
• Lead planning and delivery of departmental events (seminars, research days, social events).
• Deputise for the Executive PA: manage diaries, meetings, draft papers and minutes.

Skills

Organisational skills

Administrative skills

Diary management

Event coordination

Communication skills

Written communication

Verbal communication

Numeracy

MS Office / IT skills

Financial processes (Oracle)

Discretion and judgement

Education

Higher education experience

Tools

Microsoft Office

Oracle Financials

Key Travel

Job description

Department of Oncology - Old Road Campus Research Building, Roosevelt Drive, Headington, Oxford, OX3 7DQ

About the role

We have an exciting opportunity to join the Department of Oncology at the University of Oxford as an Administrative Officer, based at the Old Road Campus Research Building in Headington, Oxford.

This role is a key part of the department’s administrative support team, providing high-quality assistance to senior staff, including the Head of Department, Head of Administration and Finance, and Executive PA. Responsibilities include managing departmental inboxes and room bookings, supporting the Director of Graduate Studies, maintaining records, processing financial documentation using Oracle R12, and arranging travel.

You will lead the planning and delivery of departmental events, including seminars, research days and social events, coordinating speakers, venues, catering, travel and budgets. You will also deputise for the Executive PA to the Head of Department, managing diaries, correspondence and meetings, drafting communications, preparing papers and minutes, and handling enquiries with discretion and sound judgement. Other responsibilities include supporting departmental reporting, mailing lists and the PIL process, contributing to projects, and identifying improvements to administrative procedures.

The post is offered on a full-time or part-time basis (minimum 0.8 FTE) on a fixed-term contract for two years.

About you

You will have excellent organisational and administrative skills, with proven experience managing complex diaries, coordinating events and prioritising a busy workload to tight deadlines. You will be a confident communicator with excellent written and verbal skills, able to draft correspondence on behalf of senior staff and build positive working relationships across the department and wider University. You will demonstrate strong numeracy, attention to detail and IT skills, including Microsoft Office, alongside the ability to interpret procedures, maintain accurate records and handle financial information. A proactive, flexible and professional approach, with sound judgement, discretion and the ability to work independently and collaboratively, is essential. Experience in higher education or a similar environment, a senior management office, or financial and travel systems such as Oracle Financials and Key Travel would be an advantage.

What we offer

As an employer, we genuinely care about our employees’ wellbeing and this is reflected in the range of benefits that we offer, including:

• 38 days’ annual leave (inclusive of bank holidays, pro rata for part time)
• A comprehensive range of childcare services
• Family leave schemes
• Discounted bus travel and season ticket travel loans
• Membership to a variety of social and sports clubs

We welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds, including those under-represented within higher education. No applicant or member of staff will be unlawfully discriminated against on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

Committed to equality and valuing diversity.