ADMINISTRATOR (0.8 FTE)

The John Smith Centre exists to make the positive case for politics and public service; promote civilised debate and defend representative democracy; and support people with talent but not the means to access politics and public life. We do this through advocacy and events, academic and think tank-style research, and paid internships and development opportunities.

The John Smith Centre Administrator will provide efficient, proactive and flexible administrative support to the Director, Centre Development Manager, and John Smith Centre staff across all the Centre’s activities.

As a core member of the team, the post holder will undertake a wide range of administrative duties including supporting the delivery of the Centre’s development programmes, events and research activities; acting as a point of contact for enquiries to the Centre; and maintaining the John Smith Centre office.

The Centre offers hybrid working, with staff splitting their time between attending work on campus and working remotely.

1.  Provide efficient, proactive and flexible administrative support to the Director, Centre Development Manager, and John Smith Centre staff to support the delivery of the Centre’s portfolio of work.

2.  Support the delivery of our portfolio of development programmes, including assisting with recruitment, training, and evaluation activities; creating communications for participants and partners; answering queries; and monitoring timesheets.

3.  Support the delivery of the Centre’s online and physical events, lectures and seminars, including monitoring registrations; creating marketing assets; liaising with suppliers; attendance at events; note taking; and captioning event recordings.

4.  Act as a point of contact dealing with internal and external enquiries from programme participants and partners, university staff, the public, supporters, the media, and related organisations, providing advice and guidance related to the work of the Centre and ensuring more in-depth enquiries are referred to the appropriate person.

5.  Active management of correspondence [email, mail, phone calls, social media], ensuring all communications are logged appropriately in the Centre’s CRM system. Deal efficiently with high-volume inboxes, prioritising emails, and dealing independently with those which can be actioned/progressed.

6.  Support the maintenance of the Centre’s website, social media accounts and other forms of publicity, including the online Research Hub.

7.  Facilitate and co-ordinate meetings ensuring all necessary pre-meeting arrangements are in place, for example, booking of appropriate room; preparation and distribution of agenda and associated papers; post-meeting actions; preparation of Minutes etc, as appropriate.

8.  Provide diary management support and organise travel and relevant insurances, visas, etc. for staff, board members, programme participants and partners, liaising as necessary with travel agents, internal colleagues and external institutions/companies. Prepare comprehensive itineraries in advance of travel and process expense claims in a timely manner.

9.  Support the induction of new members of staff including producing induction packs, arranging equipment, and setting up meetings with key stakeholders.

10. Maintain the John Smith Centre office including organising the installation of equipment, raising IT and estates requests for staff and ensuring they are resolved appropriately. Liaise with internal colleagues and external suppliers to purchase equipment, stationery and other supplies as required, raising purchase orders and following processes.

11. Liaise with the Development & Alumni Office to deliver the Centre’s fundraising and alumni-engagement strategies and plans.

12. Contribute to a culture of continuous improvement by suggesting service improvements and implementing new processes to enhance quality of service.

13. Draft reports, letters and emails as required.

14. Undertake any other reasonable duties as required by the team.

A1 Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework Level 7 [Advanced Higher / Scottish Vocational Qualification Level 3, Higher National Certificate] or equivalent, and experience of personal development in a similar role.

A2 Excellent working knowledge of Microsoft packages, including Excel, Outlook, Word, Power Point and Teams.

B1 Knowledge of the University’s various systems, processes, and departments.

B2 Familiarity with the John Smith Centre, our mission, and activities.

B3 Knowledge of British and Scottish politics.

C1 Meticulousness, excellent planning and organisational skills and the ability to work to tight deadlines.

C2 Ability to use initiative and judgement to resolve issues independently and make informed decisions effectively.

C3 Ability to prioritise and respond effectively to planned and reactive work requests

C4 Proven interpersonal, communication (oral and written) and customer service skills, and an open and friendly manner.

C5 Ability to work both independently and flexibly as part of a high performing team.

C6 Excellent attention to detail and to production of accurate, high-quality outputs.

C7 Tact, diplomacy, discretion, and ability to maintain confidentiality.

C8 Excellent IT skills consistent with the needs of the role.

E1 Demonstrable relevant work experience with qualifications above or evidence of progression and development gained through working in a similar role

E2 Experience of creating external and internal communications.

E3 Experience of applying judgement, policies, and procedures.

F1 Experience within a higher education setting, including knowledge of administrative and organisational systems.

F2 Experience of website management and social media.

F3 Experience of using Canva, HubSpot and/or JotForm.

F4 Experience of managing events.

Salary will be Grade 5, £25,138 – £29,605 per annum pro rata.

This post is part time (28 hours per week) and fixed term for up to 2 years.

As part of Team UofG you will be a member of a world changing, inclusive community, which values ambition, excellence, integrity and curiosity.

As a valued member of our team, you can expect:

1 A warm welcoming and engaging organisational culture, where your talents are developed and nurtured, and success is celebrated and shared.

2 An excellent employment package with generous terms and conditions including 41 days of leave for full time staff, pension – pensions handbook https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/payandpensions/pensions/, benefits and discount packages.

3 A flexible approach to working.

4 A commitment to support your health and wellbeing, including a free 6-month UofG Sport membership for all new staff joining the University  https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/staff/healthwellbeing/.

We believe that we can only reach our full potential through the talents of all. Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our values. Applications are particularly welcome from across our communities and in particular people from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community, and other protected characteristics who are under-represented within the University. Read more on how the University promotes and embeds all aspects of equality and diversity within our community https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/humanresources/equalitydiversity/.

We endorse the principles of Athena Swan https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/humanresources/equalitydiversity/athenaswan/ and hold bronze, silver and gold awards across the University.

We are investing in our organisation, and we will invest in you too. Please visit our website https://www.gla.ac.uk/explore/jobs/ for more information.