Administrative Co-ordinator

15174BR

School of Medicine

Managerial, Professional and Specialist Staff – MPSS

Advert

Administrative Co-ordinator
Division of Infection and Immunity
School of Medicine
College of Biomedical and Life Sciences

We are seeking an experienced Administrative Co-ordinator to provide comprehensive administrative support to a group of research teams in the Division of Infection and Immunity.

The Administrative Co-ordinator will support the Division Manager with the effective management of the Division’s research projects, including the financial, regulatory and other management aspects of projects, as well as the core funding allocation from the School. This requires regular interaction with a range of professional service groups across the university, as well as with external grant funding bodies. 

The successful candidate will be a member of the Division Operation Group and will work with the Division Manager and other team members, to continually improve the service provided to researchers in the Division. S/he will manage a team of 2 administrative staff and assist with a range of operational management activities in the Division, including project administration, project and other finance, and general research support.

This is a full-time permanent position, of 35 hours per week and available immediately.

Salary: £28,762 – £33,314 per annum (Grade 5).

Date advert posted: Wednesday, 28 September 2022

Closing date: Wednesday, 12 October 2022

Cardiff University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds who have the ambition to create a University which seeks to fulfil our social, cultural and economic obligation to Cardiff, Wales, and the world.  In supporting our employees to achieve a balance between their work and their personal lives, we will also consider proposals for flexible working or job share arrangements.

Job Description

Job Purpose

Responsible to the Division Manager for the effective overall management of grants/projects in one of the Division’s research themes. To participate in the maintenance of sound divisional finances, including the core allocation from the School. To support individual researchers (PIs) to manage their external grant funding and other running costs, by providing them with advice, guidance and support across a range of functional areas, including grant/university financial regulations, and HR issues relevant to research teams. The postholder may, from time to time, lead other activities in the Division that have theme-wide and/or Division-wide relevance.

Duties and Responsibilities

Key Duties
•    To provide professional advice and guidance, to both internal and external colleagues, on a wide range of processes and procedures relevant to the effective management of individual grants/projects in one of the Division’s research themes, using judgement and creativity to recommend the most appropriate course of action and to ensure that complex and conceptual issues are explained and understood;
•    To supervise specific members of the divisional support team to accomplish their objectives, and to develop and deliver training for them to fulfil their roles, as required;
•    To investigate, analyse, and resolve specific financial, regulatory or management issues within one or more individual grants/projects, by recommending solutions that are supported by appropriate evidence;
•    To ensure that all aspects of the Division’s support service function are available to, and delivered to, both individual researchers and the Division as a whole, as required, by proactively responding to colleagues’ requirements;
•    To ensure that the Division’s established processes and procedures are applied and, where necessary, collaborate with colleagues to make recommendations for improvements to systems;
•    To establish and sustain effective working relationships (a) with researchers/PIs in the theme; (b) with key contacts across the University’s College/School/Directorate structure, as well as (c) with external bodies (e.g. grant funders, other universities, etc.), as required by the role;
•    To participate, as required, in working groups involving colleagues from across the University to achieve organisational objectives that have Division-, School-, or College-wide impact; and
•    To deputise for the Division Manager as may, from time to time, be required.

Person Specification

Essential Criteria 

Qualifications and Education
1.    Degree/NVQ 4 or equivalent Professional membership/experience

Knowledge, Skills and Experience
2.    Substantial experience of working at a supervisory level within a research grant/project environment;
3.    Able to demonstrate a breadth of relevant knowledge, acquired within a research grant/project environment, including the provision of advice and guidance to internal and external customers in relation to financial, regulatory and/or management issues;
4.    Experience of using computer systems and packages relevant to the role (including MS Office suite, database and reporting software);

Customer Service, Communication and Team Working
5.    Demonstrable experience in communicating conceptually detailed and/or complex information effectively to a wide range of stakeholders;
6.    Evidence of ability to explore customers’ needs and to adapt the service accordingly, to ensure a quality service is routinely delivered;
7.    Demonstrable experience of planning, organising and delegating appropriate work to junior team members, and in monitoring their performance;

Planning, Analysis and Problem solving
8.    Evidence of experience in solving expansive problems using initiative and creativity, by identifying a range of potential outcomes and proposing practical solutions to resolve problems;
9.    Evidence of ability to work unsupervised while meeting deadlines, by planning and setting priorities for self and others.

Other
10.    Evidence of personal commitment to ongoing training and development.

Desirable Criteria 

11.    Postgraduate/Professional qualification in a related field
12.    Experience of working in a medical school/research-intensive environment
13.    Fluency in Welsh, written and oral

Additional Information

Specific Duties
•    To instruct and guide colleagues in the effective and timely application of financial, operational and other university processes/procedures to individual projects/grants, as required;
•    To gather and analyse, in conjunction with Research Finance, all relevant financial data to properly inform management decisions relating to research grant/project expenditure, and to prepare financial forecasts on individual research accounts as required by internal and external stakeholders;
•    To manage all aspects of the purchase ordering system, both for the research theme and the Division, including approving and reconciling all related expenditure.;
•    To manage the financial reporting of individual grants/projects in one of the Division’s research themes in accordance with the terms of the grant/project and the university’s accounting/auditing requirements;
•    To contribute to the maintenance of sound divisional finances, including the core allocation from the School, by monitoring budget and actual performance and explaining any variances promptly; and
•    To plan, organise and delegate appropriate work to junior team members, monitoring their performance, and supporting/intervening as and when required.

General Duties
•    Ensure that the university’s confidentiality requirements are applied when undertaking all duties;
•    Abide by all relevant Cardiff University policies (e.g. Health & Safety, and Equality, Diversity & Inclusivity) and undertake all periodic mandatory training; and
•    Perform any other duties, appropriate to the role/grade as may, from time to time, be required.

IMPORTANT: Evidencing Criteria
It is the School of Medicine’s policy to use the person specification as a key tool for short-listing. Candidates should evidence that they meet ALL of the essential criteria as well as, where relevant, the desirable. As part of the application process you will be asked to provide this evidence via a supporting statement.

Please ensure when submitting this document / attaching it to your application profile you name it with the vacancy reference number, in this instance for this post, 15174BR

If candidates do not provide written evidence of meeting all of the essential criteria then their application will not be progressed. The School of Medicine welcome the submission of CVs to accompany evidence of the job-based criteria.

Job Category

Admin / Clerical, Medical & Dental