Role Summary

As Operations Coordinator (BISCA/IDAI), you will be a key member of the institutes’ joint professional service team, located in the Elm House Hub, providing support for the Institute for Data and AI (IDAI), and the Birmingham Institute for Sustainability and Climate Action (BISCA), across a broad range of administrative duties, some of which may be complex. You will use your excellent organisational skills and attention to detail to ensure the people you support are well prepared, and that the tasks you carry out are completed to a high quality in a timely manner. The role will involve liaison with the Head of Institute Operations, operations team colleagues, and members of staff from the Institutes, associated research centres, institutes and networks, as well as Schools, Colleges and wider University. The working relationship between the Operations Coordinator and the Institute Directors is of paramount importance to the success of the Institutes and its efficient operation.

Main Duties

• Undertake complex diary management, event and meeting planning, usually 6-12 months ahead, making decisions on the best use of time. This will require you to understand the priorities and deadlines you and your manager(s) are working to and will involve developing relationships across the University and beyond.
• Proactive management of institute and operational email inboxes, Microsoft Teams sites and channels with confidence to make decisions on behalf of others where appropriate.
• Dealing with a wide range of more complex enquiries and correspondence independently or exercising judgement to redirect them to senior colleagues or other departments within the University.
• Maintain high profile working relationships with key stakeholders, fielding enquiries and ensuring that appropriate information is disseminated to stakeholders as appropriate.
• Proactive preparation and collation of meeting-related papers, working collaboratively to determine what information might be required in advance of a meeting, articulating clear deadlines for submission and proactively chasing where necessary. This may include attending meetings to provide high-quality committee support, taking minutes and following up as appropriate.
• Arranging complex UK and overseas travel, including booking flights, hotels, transfers, and organisation and planning of itineraries, ensuring best use of time and taking into account budgetary constraints.
• Organisation of events including booking a venue, sending invitations, arranging refreshments, liaising with speakers, manage bookings, co-ordination of colleagues, advertising, collating feedback and reporting back.
• Collate, analyse and interpret data. This may include identifying and resolving issues with the data.
• Will manage some smaller projects on own initiative, but will also carry out desk research and source data from internal and external sources in order to contribute to wider projects.
• If in a supervisory role, you will line manage all staff and take responsibility for co-ordinating and prioritising the work of others, normally as the head of a small team or sub-unit of a team. If not in a supervisory role, you will still be expected to act as a role model and coach members of the team. You may also be responsible for coordinating responsibilities or tasks across a wider professional service and academic team or working group.
• Support the management, development and implementation of operational processes and systems, with a particular focus on interpreting, coordinating and navigating variations in local operational processes and systems, to support the Institutes’ work across the University.
• Will be responsible for one or more of the following:
  • monitoring budgets including processing payments, authorising expenditure, raising concerns where finances are not in line with the budget.
  • procuring goods and services through the University system.
  • updating and writing contents for the department’s communications e.g. intranet pages.
  • oversee the day-to-day operations of Elm House meeting, office and collaborative spaces, including coordinating room bookings and maintaining building access records and systems.
  • dealing with health and safety and facilities issues.
  • HR-related tasks such as managing staff absence, induction, or dealing with leavers.
  • dealing with arrangements for international visitors.
  • monitoring internal procedures/compliance and ensuring these are followed and disseminated as appropriate.
• Where possible, undertake and maintain suitable training/certification to be able to act as First Aider and Fire Warden within Elm House.
• Champion non-pay efficiencies, University and Institutes’ sustainability aims, using budgets and procurement processes wisely when purchasing on behalf of the University.
• Supports equality and values diversity, moderates own behaviour to avoid unfair discriminatory impact or bias on others.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• Educated to A Level standard, or equivalent level 3 qualification such as a Level 3 NVQ, or level 3 national diploma or relevant experience evidencing the skills and ability to undertake the role.
• Minimum of grade C/4 in Mathematics and English at GCSE or equivalent level 2 qualification.
• Highly proficient IT skills, in particular the ability to handle complex electronic diaries and emails, the wider MS Office suite of programmes including excel and PowerPoint, and some experience of using an enterprise resource planning package. The post holder should also be confident and able to quickly learn new IT skills and software packages as required.
• Proven ability to plan ahead and anticipate requirements, proactively planning own (and sometimes others’ workloads) to manage time effectively, progress tasks concurrently and work to deadlines.
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to write for different audiences, and to required deadlines.
• Excellent interpersonal skills. The post holder must inspire confidence and command authority with a range of colleagues and provide excellent customer service at all times.
• A high degree of professionalism, tact, and diplomacy, and the ability to exercise discretion regarding the handling and management of sensitive information/issues.
• A high degree of initiative, personal judgement, resourcefulness, flexibility, and a self-motivating approach.
• Ability to work effectively in a large, complex organisation, and to develop a good understanding of how the University and higher education institutions work.
• Ability to