Project Support Administrator

Newcastle University; Newcastle upon Tyne; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 28,000; Part time

Job summary

Join a vibrant team at a leading educational institution, where you will provide essential administrative support to the Centre for Rural Economy. This role offers a unique opportunity to engage in impactful research and contribute to sustainable development in rural areas. You will thrive in a dynamic environment, collaborating with diverse teams and honing your skills in project management and communication. With a commitment to inclusivity and professional growth, this position is perfect for those eager to make a difference while enjoying excellent benefits and a supportive workplace culture.

Benefits

Generous holiday package

Health and wellbeing initiatives

Pension schemes

Qualifications

• Experience in providing administrative support in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to manage a diverse and complex workload effectively.
• Strong communication skills for liaising with stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate project meetings and maintain accurate records.
• Provide administrative support including diary management and travel arrangements.
• Develop and implement effective project procedures.

Skills

Administrative Support

Communication Skills

Organizational Skills

Problem Solving

Teamwork

Education

Grades A-C in English Language

Grades A-C in Mathematics

Significant vocational experience

Tools

Standard Software Packages

Job description

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Salary:£26,942 to £27,644 with progression to £29,179 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.

The Role

The School of Natural & Environmental Sciences pioneers training and research which impacts society from the local area to all corners of the planet. Our School provides a distinctive breadth of subjects and specialisms, and our ground-breaking research has led to new treatments for ovarian cancer, the discovery of the world's deepest-living fish, enzymes which promote deep cleaning and the development of pest-resistant crops.

The Centre for Rural Economy is a research centre aligned to The School of Natural & Environmental Sciences. It specialises in interdisciplinary social science and applied policy research. The Centre works towards the achievement of sustainable development in rural areas. Over the past 25 years the Centre has worked on many national and international projects including, rural employment, farmer and consumer behaviour, rural tourism, environmental management and rural communities and organisations.

We have an exciting opportunity to join the Centre for Rural Economy. As a member of the School’s Professional Services, you will be working in a highly motivated and well organised team. You will deliver a comprehensive administrative service to the Duke of Northumberland working as part of the Executive Support Team to maintain and develop processes necessary to ensure the development and success of the centre.

The successful candidate will be interested in working in a fast-paced, varied environment. You must be proactive and a confident team player, with excellent communication skills and the ability to manage a diverse and complex workload. You will have a keen eye for detail and look to identify and implement improvements in processes and procedures. Excellent planning and organisational skills are essential.

The role is focused on providing comprehensive administrative support to the Duke of Northumberland Chair of Rural Economy it is part- time, 3 days per week and is fixed-term until 31st December 2029.We are committed to building and maintaining a fair and inclusive working environment and we would be happy to discuss arrangements for flexible and/or blended working.

To apply, please complete an online application form and upload your CV and cover letter. In your cover letter, please state how you are a good fit for this role. Please outline how you meet or exceed the essential requirements of the role as outlined in the Job Description; we recommend that you provide examples to best demonstrate how you meet the essential requirements.

For more information about the School of Natural and Environmental Sciences clickhere .For more information about the Centre for Rural Economies click here

Key Accountabilities

• Responsible for coordinating and supporting designated project meetings, sub-meetings or working groups, including arranging meetings and room bookings etc.; coordinating papers, drafting agendas; and taking minutes; maintaining and proactively managing actions.
• To provide administrative support to the Project Lead(s) and project team(s) as required, including (but not exclusively) in relation to meeting requests, diary management, 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 or presentations.
• To lead the administration of designated processes on the project, 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.
• To provide administrative support to the projects e.g. supporting meetings and events, monitoring and completing project plans, completing score cards on behalf of the project manager/sponsor, updating website and social media content.
• To proactively receive, resolve and respond to enquiries received into the project, to ensure that an effective service and clear advice is provided to colleagues and customers. Working closely with other members of the project team in the School, Faculty and across the University.
• To develop, implement and maintain effective project procedures and systems to ensure that support is efficient, timely and accurate.
• To manage records relating to the functions of the project, 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.
• Any other duties within the scope and general nature of the grade which may be required

The Person

Knowledge, Skills, and Experience

• Working knowledge of relevant systems, equipment, processes, and procedures including standard software packages
• Familiarity with work priorities and those of colleagues
• Good written and/or oral communication skills
• Understanding of relevant policies and procedures, as they affect the role and the quality standards and outputs required
• Ability to apply relevant health and safety and other university policies and procedures
• Familiarity with using initiative and judgement to resolve problems independently
• Experience of prioritizing workload and handling conflicting priorities
• Experience of working in a diverse team
• Experience of working with senior managers in a large organization
• Experience of acting as secretary in meetings, producing agendas, minutes and following up actions
• Where relevant, ability to train/develop and manage other colleagues

Attributes and Behaviours

Planning and organizing

• Works in a planned and structured way
• Uses own and others’ time effectively
• Sets own priorities in conjunction with team and area objectives
• Plans workload and tasks in a systematic way
• Ensures that all activities are completed on time
• Uses systems and tools to ensure records and audit trails are clear and up to date
• Keeps work systems up to date, neat and tidy
• Ensures that others know how process and systems work

Communicating

• Is factually correct and gives consistent verbal and nonverbal messages
• Clear and concise; gets the message across to others
• Chooses communication tools appropriately e.g. selective use of emails and other channels of communication
• Tailors content of communication to the audience, changing style, tone and format appropriately.
• Uses face to face communication regularly; team meetings, one to ones, informal discussions/chats, briefing sessions
• Can hold attention of others using appropriate techniques; questioning, rhetorical questions, changing tone and pace of voice and animated style

Teamworking

• Respects the expertise and contribution of others, even if own opinion if different
• Shares relevant and useful information with others
• Keeps other team members up to date with progress
• Gets involved with team tasks
• Willing to help others and share workloads
• Supportive of team decisions
• Asks others’ opinion
• Respects the value that different views bring to the team

Finding Solutions

• Uses initiative to sort things out, is enterprising in effective use of material, financial and human resources
• Looks at ways of overcoming obstacles rather than coming to a standstill
• Confidently deals with a broad range of information
• Keeps an open mind to alternative ways of doing things
• Proactively anticipates and plans for likely problem areas or obstacles by assessing and managing risks

Qualifications

• Grades A-C in English Language and Mathematics (or equivalent)
• Significant vocational experience in a relevant role; or substantial relevant work experience within 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 silverAthena 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.