Postgraduate Research Administrator

Newcastle University; Newcastle upon Tyne; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 32,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous holiday entitlement

Excellent pension scheme

Health and wellbeing initiatives

Job summary

Newcastle University is seeking a part-time Postgraduate Research Administrator to provide comprehensive administrative support to the Dean, Deputy Deans of Postgraduate Research, and the Graduate School Manager. The role covers admissions, student records, progression, extensions, stipends and examination logistics across faculties and research institutes.

The post is 29.6 hours per week (80% FTE), fixed term until 1 October 2027.

Qualifications

• Excellent communication skills with the ability to tailor communication style to the audience.

Responsibilities

• Administration of Postgraduate Research admissions in line with standards and procedures.
• Be the main contact for Postgraduate Research enquiries ensuring efficient and timely responses.
• Maintain student records and ensure access in line with retention policies and sponsor funding arrangements.
• Coordinate and organise registration, induction and welcome events for students.
• Support student progression processes and deadlines for progression, submission and completion.
• Administer extensions and interruptions to studies, providing guidance to students and staff.
• Manage stipend and fee payments for sponsored students and communicate with sponsors.
• Assist with the research degree examination process and viva arrangements.
• Contribute to management reporting and quality assurance processes.

Skills

Excellent communication

Planning & organising

Attention to detail

Teamwork

Analytical thinking

Proactive attitude

IT skills

Education

GCSE English & Maths (grades A-C) or equivalent

Tools

NUReflect

SAP

Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint)

Job description

Salary: £30,180 with progression to £31,861 per annum (pro rata)

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: 9 October 2026

The Role

To provide comprehensive administrative support for the Dean and Deputy Deans of Postgraduate Research, the Graduate School Manager and associated staff, including all areas of Postgraduate Research (PGR) studies to ensure that Faculty and University policies, deadlines and standards are met.

Postgraduate Research Administrators work across the Faculty to support Postgraduate Co-ordinators and Postgraduate Research students based in our Research Institutes and Schools.

The post is part time at 29.6 hours per week (80% FTE) and fixed term until 1 October 2027.

For informal enquiries please contact Abby Davies, [e-mail]

Key Accountabilities

1. Administration of the Faculty’s Postgraduate Research admissions in accordance with service standards and procedures. This will involve ensuring effective communication with academics, the local Postgraduate Co-ordinators, the University Admissions Office and colleagues across the Graduate School.
2. To act as the main point of contact for all Postgraduate Research enquiries, dealing with queries in an efficient and timely manner, and referring onwards where appropriate, in order to maintain good support mechanisms within the Faculty, and to ensure that processes adhere to both University and Sponsor regulations.
3. To manage and maintain records for students, ensuring that all current and archived documents can be accessed in an efficient manner and in line with University retention policies. This includes ensuring learning agreements, research project approval forms, progression and attendance records, are all submitted in a timely fashion, and that the University’s corporate databases are accurate. The post holder will be asked to develop specialist knowledge of University systems and procedures, as well as support the maintenance of detailed student records, including but not limited to, information on sponsors, assessors, supervisors and the funding arrangements for postgraduate students.
4. Ensure attendance and supervisory meetings are recorded on NUReflect, as required by University policy, through regular monitoring processes and liaison with relevant colleagues.
5. To coordinate and organise registration, induction and welcome events for students, working in close partnership with events staff in the academic unit and the wider Postgraduate Administration team. This will include any postgraduate research days and other student-focused events as appropriate.
6. To provide administrative support for the student progression cycle to ensure deadlines for progression, submission and completion are met and recorded by both staff and students
7. To administer requests for extensions and interruption to studies, providing support and advice for students and academic staff
8. To ensure stipend and fee payment arrangements are in place for sponsored students, and that these have been implemented; providing information to sponsors as appropriate
9. To administer the research degree examination process, making local arrangements with the examiners for the conduct of the viva, ensuring all relevant documentation is received and approved before informing staff and students of the outcome, this includes ensuring compliance with University Regulations.
10. To support the Graduate School Manager with information:
    1. In order to inform the internal and external quality assurance and accreditation processes for research students on an annual basis
    2. support the production of management reports and statistics to monitor and manage Faculty performance and student performance
11. Where appropriate to act as secretary to meetings, including agenda preparation and circulation, minute taking and monitoring progress of actions
12. Any other duties within the scope and general nature of the grade which may be required

The Person (Essential)

Knowledge, Skills and Experience

• Excellent communication skills with the ability to tailor communication style to the audience
• Excellent planning and organising skills with the ability to manage conflicting priorities
• Ability to work accurately with attention to detail
• Ability to work well within a team and develop effective working relationships with a wide range of colleagues
• An ability to assess and analyse problems and suggest solutions; make informed decisions and take responsibility, be innovative, use initiative and work independently
• Must be pro-active and have a ‘can-do’ approach with the ability to be decisive and take action when required
• Excellent IT skills. Ability to use Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint, and ability to type documents with both reasonable speed and accuracy and the ability to manipulate and analyse information for management purposes

Desirable

• Experience of SAP and NUReflect
• Experience of coordinating and managing meetings with a wide range of stakeholders
• Knowledge and understanding of the University’s Policies, Procedures and Regulations
• Knowledge and understanding of Quality Assurance and Enhancement standards and practices in HEIs

Attributes and Behaviour

• Communicates effectively and builds positive working relationships with a range of stakeholders
• Organises and prioritises workloads to deliver high-quality outcomes in a busy and changing environment
• Works collaboratively, sharing knowledge and supporting colleagues to achieve team objectives
• Delivers an excellent customer-focused service with a commitment to continuous improvement
• Uses sound judgement to gather, analyse and interpret information, ensuring accuracy and informed decision-making
• Demonstrates flexibility, initiative and accountability in achieving results

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 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.