Postgraduate Research Officer

14961BR

Welsh School of Architecture

Administrative Support

Advert

Postgraduate Research Officer
Welsh School of Architecture

The Welsh School of Architecture wishes to appoint a Postgraduate Research Officer to provide comprehensive professional administrative support to the School, providing support and guidance on postgraduate research students and research administration.

Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed in September 2022, although definite dates will be provided after shortlisting.

For informal enquiries about the role and the Welsh School of Architecture, please contact: Fran Simpson, School Manager, [email protected] or Dr Tahl Kaminer ([email protected])
For further details about working in Cardiff University, please contact: Catherine Parker, HR Executive Officer, ([email protected])

This post is part time (21 hours per week) available immediately and is open ended.

Salary: £23,715 – £27,929 per annum, pro-rata for hours worked (Grade 4)

Date advert posted: Thursday, 15 September 2022

Closing date: Sunday, 2 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

Main Function: Provide a comprehensive professional administrative support to the Welsh School of Architecture, providing support and guidance on Postgraduate Research students and research administration.

Duties and Responsibilities

Key Duties
• Provide detailed advice and guidance on Postgraduate research student  processes and procedures to internal and external customers, using judgement and creativity to suggest the most appropriate course of action where appropriate, contributing to the resolution of more complex issues
• Act as a key contact for enquiries relating to the student experience, from enrolment through to graduation, providing students with an informed, professional and prompt response to their enquiry
• Collaborate with others, particularly the Research Manager and Director of PGR Studies, in order to make recommendations for developments of established processes and procedures
• Establish working relationships with key contacts to help improve service levels, developing appropriate communication links with the University’s Schools/Directorates and outside bodies as required
• Gather and analyse data to inform decisions, establishing basic trends and patterns in data and creating reports as appropriate, particularly on admissions and student numbers
• Undertake a variety of  administrative duties to support the team and department
• Gather and analyse data to inform decisions, establishing basic trends and patterns in data and creating reports as appropriate
• Instruct and guide staff and students on PGR related rules and regulations, including extenuating circumstances and irregularities in the conduct; liaising with staff/students as required
• Monitoring student attendance, engagement and progress; reporting concerns appropriately.  Arranging progress reviews and vivas, including liaison with examiners and Chairs, ensuring that correct paperwork is completed and submitted to Registry.
• Be an active member of the research and teaching administrative team, assisting colleagues at peak periods  such as enrolment, assessment processing and graduation.• Process applications for School postgraduate research programmes.
• A key contact for School events, from Summer School, to research conferences as well as assisting with the organisation of PG Open Days.
• Dealing with enrolment, maintaining PGR student records (including recording details on SIMS and maintaining internal school records) and act as first point of contact for students.  Maintain up-to-date programme documentation for postgraduate research programmes and liaise with the College Communications team regarding the School’s web pages
• Attend the staff/student panel, briefing students as required and ensuring any relevant matters are reported to the appropriate School Committee for action
• Administer programme evaluation. Liaising with academic staff on content; distribution, collection and analysis of results for reporting at the relevant Committees
• Act as Secretary to School’s Committees relating to research and programmes under the remit of the post, including Ethics Committee, monitoring the Ethics email account, preparing agendas with accompanying papers (where necessary), drafting minutes, and ensuring that action points are brought to the attention of the nominated member of staff in good time for a suitable response to be prepared.
•    Assist the Research Manager in maintaining records of research grant submissions, peer review, costings and other data related to research.

General Duties
• Ensure that an understanding of the importance of confidentiality is applied when undertaking all duties
• Abide by University policies on Health and Safety and Equality and Diversity
• Perform other duties occasionally which are not included above, but which will be consistent with the role

Person Specification

Essential Criteria

Qualifications and Education
1. NVQ 3/A-Levels or equivalent

Knowledge, Skills and Experience
2.  Substantial experience of working in an administrative role, and proficient in Microsoft particularly Excel.
3. Evidence of ability to proactively explore customers’ needs and adapt the service accordingly to ensure a quality, results focused service is delivered.
4. Ability to set up standard office systems and procedures and make improvements as appropriate

Customer Service, Communication and Team Working
5. Ability to communicate specialist and complex information effectively and professionally to a range of customers with varying levels of understanding
6. A team player, with proven ability to advise and influence key stakeholders,
7. Evidence of ability to explore customers’ needs and adapt the service accordingly to ensure a quality service is delivered.

Planning, Analysis and Problem solving
8. Evidence of ability to solve problems using initiative and creativity; identify and propose practical solutions and to resolve problems where there are a range of potential options available
9. Evidence of ability to analyse processes and procedures and advise on improvements
10. Evidence of ability to work unsupervised to deadlines, planning and setting priorities for own work

Desirable Criteria

1. Degree or an equivalent qualification or equivalent work-related experience
2. Experience of working in a Higher Education environment
3. Fluency in Welsh, written and oral

Additional Information

The Welsh School of Architecture

The Welsh School of Architecture (WSA) is consistently ranked amongst the top schools of architecture in published UK and Worldwide league tables and has been ranked within the top 50 of Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World Rankings for the past 5 consecutive years.

The WSA also achieved the highest possible score for our research environment in the 2021 REF (Research Excellence Framework) 100% of which is considered conducive to producing research of world-leading quality. Additionally, 100% of our impact case studies and 93% of our outputs were assessed as world-leading or internationally excellent, placing us 4th in the UK for Architecture, the Built Environment and Planning.

Our research underpins the BSc and MArch degree programmes as well as the specialisms we teach through advanced Masters programmes that cater to graduates across the broad spectrum of built environment professions. We set high standards for our students and expect great things from them, this is why we stand by the quality of our graduates and are proud of what they achieve.

The distinctiveness of this School lies in its tradition of combining creativity with the understanding needed to realise designs through practice, its reputation for high quality research, the calibre of its staff and in its unique location in a friendly, liveable and affordable capital city that is a gateway to the stunning landscape of Wales.

Important note: It is the University’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 that the evidence you are providing corresponds with the numbered criteria outlined below. Your application will be considered based on the information you provide under each element.

When attaching the supporting statement to your application profile, please ensure that you name it with the vacancy reference number, e.g. Supporting Statement for 14961BR.

Job Category

Admin / Clerical