University of the Built Environment
Academic Operations Administrator
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Please note that whilst this vacancy has been advertised as Academic Operations Administrator, the contractual job title will be Operations Administrator.
JOB DESCRIPTION
Employment status and working hours
Permanent, full time.
Full time hours at the University are 35 per week with the standard working pattern Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 17:00, with some flexibility in start/finish times.
Organisation structure
Education and Students, Academic Operations.
Your line manager will be Kendra Waite, Academic Operations Manager.
Place of work flexibility
Your time will be split between the Horizons, Reading office and your home. The exact split of days/hours is negotiable but must include a minimum of two working days each week in Horizons only on the core days (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday).
Working from home is only possible if your environment is suitable – please see the ‘Working from home’ section on our Careers Site for further information.
High level summary of job role
The Academic Operations team works closely with the University’s Academic team to manage academic resourcing, allocation, and operational logistics, ensuring programmes are delivered effectively and efficiently.
As an Academic Operations Administrator, you will play a key role in planning and coordinating lecturer resourcing across the University’s programmes. You will prepare and issue contracts, support onboarding activities, monitor mandatory training compliance, and ensure lecturers are appropriately assigned to programmes in line with operational requirements.
Specific job role accountabilities and responsibilities
- Assist the Head of Academic Planning and Operations, the Academic Operations Manager and other Operations Administrators in the planning and preparation of semester resourcing for all the University’s academic programmes.
- Arrange contracts, issue these via DocuSign and log signed copies for a variety of roles including module leaders, module tutors, module markers, project supervisors and assessment authors in accordance with the relevant job descriptions. Liaise with HR as appropriate.
- Support the assessment authoring process by attending process meetings; issuing authoring and internal reviewing instructions and guidance; tracking and chasing assessment items that are due back from authoring; carrying out the necessary administrative checks; reporting on all steps in the process and responding to queries about the process.
- Liaise with and notify the relevant teams about the lecturer arrangements for all modules.
- Track, chase and report on the completion of the relevant mandatory training modules, including the tutor certification modules for both lecturers and associate lecturers. Flag any issues with the relevant academics.
- Ensure that where the following aspects of the module delivery and study resources are required, these are carried out by lecturers who possess the required academic credentials. This will include but is not limited to:
- Coursework and Computer Marked Assessments (CMA) authorship
- Study materials – new or revised
- Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) monitoring
- Webinars
- Assessment marking
- Apprenticeship-related roles
- Other academic functions and resources as required
- As part of the resourcing and contracting process, be a key point of contact for Academics; provide advice, guidance and information as required.
- In consultation with the Academic Operations Manager, liaise with the relevant lecturers to ensure the timely delivery of all required materials, such as authored coursework.
- Administer the process for payment of all contracts and commissioned work in liaison with the other Operations Administrators and HR team.
- Ensure all contracted Associate Lecturers have everything they need in order to carry out their role; this includes a University email and the appropriate VLE access.
- Assist with any Associate Lecturer performance related or engagement activities, including the preparation of the Associate Lecturer newsletter, collating data and reporting on surveys, improving engagement and participating in events including conferences and Associate Lecturer training days.
- Assist in the preparation and dissemination of module statistical information and analysis as requested, for the purpose of module evaluation and reporting.
- Provide general administrative support as required, which may include but is not limited to, arranging and attending meetings such as module resourcing meetings and team meetings, and supporting the module and programme review processes.
- Actively participate in Academic Operations process reviews and assist with enhancement activities where required. The processes include, but are not limited to, resourcing, academic recruitment, contracting, payroll, assessment authoring and module evaluation.
- Undertake other reasonable duties assigned by the line manager which are relevant to the role.
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Other important features of the job role
Line management responsibilities: None.
Budget responsibility: None.
In this role you will liaise with the following: Academic Operations Manager, Head of Academic Planning and Operations, Associate Lecturer community, Academics in the School of Built Environment, University departments/teams including Assessments team, Finance team, Technology team, HR & Payroll team.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
E = Essential person requirement; D = Desirable person requirement
How the person requirement will be assessed: This is not a heading
A = Application; I = Interview; T = Test or other assessment
Please be aware that as part of safer recruitment and onboarding processes, we will seek original documentary evidence of the relevant academic and/or professional qualifications which you include within your job application. This is all part of our comprehensive pre-employment screening which also includes checking your identity, right to work, criminal record history (basic disclosure unless specified otherwise), and three years employment history. This is all part of our commitment to safeguarding our students. Keeping our students safe is a responsibility shared by everyone within the University.
Qualifications and training
- GCSE Maths and English language Grade C or 4 or above (E, A).
- Further education level qualifications (D, A).
Previous experience
- Within an administrative role, ideally within an educational environment (D, A).
- Working across multiple teams with competing priorities (E, A, I)
- Experience within the higher education sector (D, A, I).
- Working with databases (D, A, I).
Behaviours and attitudes
- Alignment to the University’s core values and growth mindset approach, which reflect our culture. Refer to the specific behaviours within the Competency Framework (E, I) – summarised within the careers site.
Skills, knowledge, other requirements
- Strong organisational skills including attention to detail and multi-tasking skills (E, I).
- Ability to use own initiative to overcome barriers (E, I).
- Ability to plan ahead to achieve agreed deadlines (E, A, I).
- Positive, engaging attitude and demeanour (E, I).
- Strong communication skills (both verbal and written) (E, I).
- Ability to work under pressure, to use initiative, and to adapt readily to changing circumstances (E, I, T).
- Ability to work independently and maintain self-motivation (E, I).
- High level of accuracy and consistent attention to detail (E, I, T).
- Understanding of DocuSign (D, A, I).
- Digital skills confidence: We use MS Office which includes Teams, Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and several other systems/technology (E, I, T).
- Commitment to delivering positive outcomes for our students regardless of your area of work within the University; we want our students to be successful (E, I).
- You must be prepared to undertake mandatory online training should you be appointed. The University is regulated by the Office for Students and Ofsted, and we have specific requirements and expectations around safeguarding, Prevent, and anti-harassment and bullying. This is all part of our Competency Framework requirements (E, I).
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PAY AND BENEFITS
Salary: Salary range £25,000 to £27,000 per annum.
Holiday: 26 days paid holiday (rising to 28 with service) plus paid bank/public holidays plus up to five paid closure days (typically between Christmas and New Year); all per holiday year Full Time Equivalent. Our holiday year runs from 1 August to 31 July. We also have a holiday buy and sell scheme in place. Sometimes the University does not need to close for five days per year and any balance (for example one day), can be used as a paid Wellbeing Day to take time out for your own physical or mental health.
Pension and life assurance: Pensions auto-enrolment to the People’s Pension which is a default salary sacrifice scheme. You may opt out of salary sacrifice but remain in the scheme, or you may choose to opt out altogether. We provide life assurance (death in service) cover as standard to all employees.
Family-friendly policies: Policies in place for all types of family-friendly statutory leave with enhanced pay available from day one of employment for some leave types. Access to Tax-Free Childcare (Government scheme).
Wellbeing: Full access to the Employee Assistance Programme as well as the Thrive Mental Wellbeing app. Several employees are trained Mental Health First Aiders and can support staff. We have a wellbeing policy and we focus on five pillars of wellbeing.
Sustainable travel: Cycle to Work and Electric Vehicle salary sacrifice schemes.
Parking: We have locked sheds for bicycles. For cars, for Horizons based roles, we may in the future be able to offer parking on site however you must not assume this will be possible. Every now and then we may have a spare parking space become available and you can ask to join the waiting list. The University is keen wherever possible, to encourage staff to commute as sustainably as possible.
Other health related benefits: Employer-funded Health Cash Plan (Simplyhealth) and voluntary dental insurance (Unum).
Other valuable benefits:
- Charity giving options available including one voluntary paid day, per annum.
- You will have access to Microsoft Office 365 applications for personal use.
- You will have access to range of lifestyle discounts and everyday savings.
- We offer learning platforms including LinkedIn learning.
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