Operations Coordinator

Newcastle University; Newcastle upon Tyne; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 31,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous holiday package

Health and wellbeing initiatives

Pension schemes

Opportunity to buy more holidays

Job summary

Newcastle University is seeking an experienced administrative professional to join the Operations Community within the Faculty of Medical Sciences. The role provides comprehensive support across business functions and leads in coordinating key processes for the Dean of Research and Innovation.

The post is full-time on a fixed-term two-year contract (also possible as a secondment). Informal enquiries can be directed to Claire Drummond.

Qualifications

• Working knowledge of standard software packages and systems.
• Understanding policies and procedures affecting the role.
• Excellent IT skills with proficiency in Microsoft Office; SAP experience preferred.
• Experience handling confidential information with tact and GDPR awareness.
• Strong organisational, interpersonal and communication abilities.
• Experience coordinating meetings and taking minutes.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate events, meetings, committees and papers; draft agendas and take minutes.
• Represent the Faculty at meetings and external events as required.
• Develop, implement and maintain office procedures for efficient support.
• Manage records and generate reports while ensuring data integrity.
• Provide travel arrangements and admin support to the Management Team.
• Support recruitment, onboarding and HR-related tasks where needed.
• Assist procurement processes and resolve related queries.

Skills

Systems knowledge

Policy knowledge

Problem solving

Prioritisation

Data handling

Education

GCSE English & Maths A-C

Tools

SAP

Microsoft Office

Job description

Salary: £29,588 with progression to £31,236 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: 30 August 2026

The Role

The University’s Vision and Strategy sets out an ambitious and exciting journey, to be a people focused, world-leading university that harnesses academic excellence, innovation and creativity to advance knowledge and provide benefits to individuals, to organisations and to society as a whole.

You will join the Operations Community within Professional Services in the Faculty of Medical Sciences, providing comprehensive administrative support across a range of business functions. Working collaboratively as part of a dedicated team, you will take a lead role in coordinating key administrative processes that support the effective delivery of Faculty activities.

A key aspect of the role will be providing dedicated operational support to the Dean of Research and Innovation, contributing to the delivery of key Faculty research priorities and initiatives.

This post available on a full-time basis as a fixed term contract for two years. This post is also available as a secondment opportunity.

For informal enquiries regarding the role, please contact Claire Drummond ([e-mail]).

More information about the Faculty of Medical Science is available here: Faculty of Medical Sciences

Key Accountabilities

• Support the Operations Manager and Operations Leads in the delivery of administrative activity across the Operations team
• Responsible for coordinating and supporting designated events, selection panels, committees, sub-committee or working groups, including arranging meeting and room bookings etc., coordinating papers, drafting agendas; taking minutes; maintaining and proactively managing the actions
• To represent the Faculty at meetings and internal/external events, as appropriate
• Lead the administration of designated processes in the Unit/Faculty, including receiving initial enquiries/requests/applications; application of agreed operating procedures (escalating as appropriate) and monitoring progress. Taking responsibility for determining the appropriate mode of communication and accuracy of the content when conveying information
• Proactively receive, resolve and respond to enquiries received into the designated office to ensure that an effective service and clear advice is provided to colleagues and customers
• Develop, implement and maintain effective office procedures and systems to ensure that support is efficient, timely and accurate
• Review information received in the designated office and disseminate appropriately to colleagues on behalf of the management team
• Manage records relating to the functions of the designated office, to include taking responsibility for maintaining database(s) of information; gathering data from multiple sources, extracting reports on data as required and ensuring the integrity of data entered/recorded
• Provide administrative support to the designated Management Team as required, including (but not exclusively) in relation to travel arrangements (which may be complex regional, national and international), booking accommodation, conducting initial investigations/research or drafting correspondence as required. Correspondence may be complex reports, letters, proposals and presentations
• In relation to the procurement of goods and services and/or the making of payments, for the designated office. To ensure that the receipt of goods and/or services is confirmed, and assist in the resolution of invoice, coding or expenses queries, to provide an efficient service to colleagues in the office and assist the office in adhering to the University’s Procurement Regulations. To act as expenses proxy
• Where appropriate, to act as first point of contact for general HR issues, liaising with FMS HR Team where necessary. To assist in co-ordinating recruitment activity in designated office: advertising, interviewing, appointment processing and paperwork. To assist co-ordination of new People induction, leaver processes, PDR co-ordination (tracking progress and input data to SAP) and sickness recordings and returns
• Undertake an active role in the health and safety management of the designated office, contributing to the maintenance of a safe working environment for colleagues and visitors, and in particular undertaking the role of a Display Screen Equipment (DSE) assessor or Fire Warden
• Contribute to the effective and efficient running of the designated office through a team approach, providing supervision and assistance to colleagues as appropriate
• Any other duties within the scope and general nature of the grade as required by the line manager

The Person

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Working knowledge of relevant systems, equipment, processes and procedures including standard software packages
• Understanding of relevant policies and procedures, as they affect the role, and the quality standards and outputs required
• Familiarity with using initiative and judgement to resolve problems independently
• Familiarity with work priorities and those of colleagues
• Excellent IT skills with proficiency in the use of Microsoft Office products and aptitude for development in and use of core software and data systems (preferably SAP)
• Experience of managing confidential and/or sensitive information with tact and discretion, and a working knowledge of GDPR
• Excellent organisational, interpersonal and communication skills, including the ability to triage queries and issues
• Experience of prioritising workload and handling conflicting priorities
• Experience of working in a diverse team and with senior managers in a large organisation
• Experience of acting as a secretary in meetings, producing agendas, minutes and following up actions
• Where relevant, ability to train/develop and manage other staff

Attributes and Behaviour

• Understands the University values and guiding principles
• People orientated, is approachable and willing to help others and share workloads
• Sees other areas and people as ‘customers’ and follows through on enquiries and requests
• Has a positive ‘can do’ attitude towards continuous process improvement
• Able to manage conflicting priorities
• Works in partnership with others and has excellent communication, interpersonal and collaboration skills
• Demonstrates resilience to the demands of the role and pace of change
• Promotes a culture of mutual respect
• Able to work in a matrix organisational model

Qualifications

• Grades A-C in English Language and Mathematics GCSE (or equivalent) or vocational qualifications, plus work experience in a relevant role; or substantial relevant work experience in the unit or a comparable setting

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 Gold 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.