Contracts and Compliance Assistant

Diversity Dashboard; Sheffield; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 27,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

A minimum of annual leave

Generous pension scheme

Flexible working opportunities

Job summary

The University of Sheffield is seeking a Contracts and Compliance Assistant to support statutory compliance across on-campus and partnership accommodation. You will coordinate inspections, audits, and maintenance records, helping ensure a safe and compliant living environment for students.

This full-time role involves collaboration with multiple teams, maintaining documentation, and supporting the ACS Contracts Team.

Qualifications

• Good standard of general education to GCSE or equivalent with strong numeracy and literacy.
• Working knowledge of building maintenance demands and requirements.
• Experience applying defined processes and procedures.
• Excellent IT skills with spreadsheets, presentations and email.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills for collaboration with colleagues and students.
• Experience in administration with databases and documentation.
• Ability to multitask and meet deadlines with attention to detail.
• Knowledge of student accommodation lettings and maintenance in higher education (Desirable).
• Experience supervising staff (Desirable).

Responsibilities

• Monitor planned maintenance across the University accommodation portfolio and coordinate resident communications.
• Create annual audit plans to monitor statutory compliance and Code of Practice adherence.
• Maintain the Accommodation Compliance Tracker and raise anomalies.
• Support delivery of statutory compliance audits across the portfolio.
• Develop and deliver annual exit inspection programme and maintain inspection records.
• Coordinate daily supervision of summer inspectors and allocate inspection tasks.
• Inspect family accommodation and assist with damage queries and turnaround.
• Log maintenance requests in CAFM and assign follow-ups.
• Coordinate Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) and monitor adaptations.
• Attend meetings with minute-taking and provide admin support to ACS Contracts Team.

Skills

GCSE

Maintenance knowledge

Process adherence

IT skills

Communication

Administration

Multitasking

HE accommodation knowledge

Education

GCSE or equivalent

Tools

Microsoft Office/Google Suite

CAFM system

Job description

The University of Sheffield is a remarkable place to work. Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Their diverse backgrounds, abilities and beliefs make Sheffield a world-class university.

We offer a fantastic range of benefits including a highly competitive annual leave entitlement (with the ability to purchase more), a generous pensions scheme, flexible working opportunities, a commitment to your development and wellbeing, a wide range of retail discounts, and much more. Find out more about our benefits (opens in a new window) and join us to become part of something special.

Overview

Here in Accommodation and Commercial Services (ACS) we provide homes for around 6,000 UK and International students each year! We're looking for the right candidate to be part of our Contracts Team in the award winning Accommodation and Commercial Services.

Working across statutory compliance, planned maintenance and operational delivery, you'll collaborate with colleagues from across the university. As a Contracts and Compliance Assistant, you will work coordinating inspections, supporting audits, and maintaining the systems and records that underpin our compliance framework. This vital role is an excellent opportunity to develop expertise in accommodation compliance, legislation and operational management within a large and diverse residential portfolio.

We want you to play a key role in ensuring our accommodation remains safe, compliant and ready to provide a phenomenal experience for all of our students!

As an equal opportunity employer we value diversity at our university. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.

Main duties and responsibilities

• Monitor planned maintenance across the University's accommodation portfolio, liaising with relevant teams to coordinate resident communications, monitor Scheduled Works Requests and raise issues where appropriate.
• Create an annual audit plan to monitor adherence to statutory compliance, the Universities UK Accommodation Code of Practice and any other relevant legislation, in university-owned and partnership properties.
• Continuously collect and maintain documentation for the Accommodation Compliance Tracker. Raise any anomalies to the Accommodation and Compliance Supervisor.
• Support the delivery of statutory compliance audits across the University's accommodation portfolio, including University-owned and partnership properties.
• Support the development and delivery of the annual exit inspection programme, including creating and maintaining inspection records within the University's property management system and delivering training to inspection staff.
• Coordinate the daily supervision of the summer inspectors. Through analyses of reports, allocate areas for inspection, prioritise keys for access and supervise the supervisor messaging group.
• Take responsibility for the inspection of family accommodation throughout the year, assisting with damage queries and collaborating with Engineering and Maintenance and Housekeeping to facilitate the timely turnaround of properties.
• Review inspection data and assign follow-up work across University-owned, partnership and family accommodation. Take responsibility for logging maintenance requests within the Computer Aided Facilities Management (CAFM) system as required.
• Coordinate Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs), maintaining accurate records and liaising with relevant University teams to support the safe occupation of accommodation. Monitor accommodation adaptations and work with internal and external partners to ensure requests are progressed promptly.
• Support relevant meetings through minute taking and deputising for senior staff as needed.
• Provide administrative support to the ACS Contracts Team when needed.
• As a member of staff, you will be encouraged to make ethical decisions in your role, embedding the university's sustainable strategy into your working activities wherever possible.
• Carry out other duties, commensurate with the grade and remit of the post

Person Specification

Our diverse community of staff and students recognises the unique abilities, backgrounds, and beliefs of all. We foster a culture where everyone feels they belong and is respected. Even if your past experience doesn't match perfectly with this role's criteria, your contribution is valuable, and we encourage you to apply. Please ensure that you reference the application criteria in the application statement when you apply.

• A good standard of general education to GCSE standard or equivalent with high levels of numeracy and literacy. Essential. Application/interview
• Working knowledge of building maintenance demands and requirements. Essential. Application/interview
• Experience of working to, and with, defined processes and procedures. Essential. Application/interview
• Excellent IT skills including experience of Microsoft Office/Google Suite particularly spreadsheets, presentations and e-mail. Essential. Application/interview
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills capable of collaborating closely with colleagues and students/customers. Essential. Application/interview
• Experience in administration with a history of maintaining databases and documentation. Essential. Application/interview
• Ability to work on multiple tasks while delivering to set time frames, with excellent attention to detail and time management skills. Essential. Application/interview
• Knowledge of student accommodation lettings and maintenance working in a higher education background. Desirable. Application/interview
• Experience supervising staff. Desirable. Application/interview

Further Information

• Grade 4
• Salary £25,249 - £26,707 with potential progress to £28,778 through sustained exceptional contribution.
• Work arrangement Full-time.
• Line manager Accommodation and Compliance Supervisor
• Direct reports None
• Right to work in the UK This role does not meet the criteria for Skilled Worker sponsorship under the UK Visa & Immigration points-based system. Information on alternative visa options is available on www.gov.uk.
• Our website https://sheffield.ac.uk/accommodation
• For informal enquiries about this job contact Michael Dimbleby, Accommodation and Compliance Supervisor: on [e-mail] or on 0114 222 8933.

Next steps in the recruitment process

The selection process will take place after the closing date. This will consist of an interview. We plan to let candidates know if they have progressed to the selection stage following this. If you need any support, equipment or adjustments to enable you to participate in any element of the recruitment process you can contact [e-mail]

Our vision and strategic plan

We are the University of Sheffield. This is our vision: sheffield.ac.uk/vision (opens in new window).

What we offer

• A minimum of 38 days annual leave including bank holiday and closure days (pro rata) with the ability to purchase more.
• Flexible working opportunities, including hybrid working for some roles.
• Generous pension scheme.
• A wide range of discounts and rewards on shopping, eating out and travel.
• A variety of staff networks, providing opportunities for social interaction, peer support and personal development (for example, Race Equality, LGBT+, Women's and Parent's networks).
• Recognition Awards to reward staff who go above and beyond in their role.
• A commitment to your development access to learning and mentoring schemes; Professional Services Shared Skills Framework
• A range of generous family-friendly policies
  • paid time off for parenting and caring emergencies
  • access to menopause support in the workplace
  • paid time off and support for fertility treatment
  • and more

More details can be found on our benefits page: sheffield.ac.uk/jobs/benefits (opens in a new window).

We are a Disability Confident Leader (opens in a new window). If you have a disability and meet the essential criteria for this job you will be invited to take part in the next stage of the selection process.

Closing Date :27/09/2026

We are a research university with a global reputation for excellence. Our ideas and expertise change the world for the better, making a real difference to society. We know that when people come together with different views, approaches and insights it can lead to richer, more creative and innovative teaching and research and the highest levels of student experience. Our University Vision ( www.sheffield.ac.uk/vision ) outlines our commitment to building a diverse community of staff and students that recognises and values the abilities, backgrounds, beliefs and ways of living for everyone.