PGR Administrative Assistant

Role: Administration Assistant – EGIS PGR Support

Directorate: The School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society

Salary: Grade 4 (£23,581-£26,038)

Contract Type: Part Time (0.5FTE), Open Ended

Rewards and Benefits: 28 days annual leave, increasing to 33 days per year after 5 years service, plus 9 buildings closed days for all full time staff (Part time workers should pro rata this by their FTE). Use our total rewards calculator: https://www.hw.ac.uk/about/work/total-rewards-calculator.htm to see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University.

Purpose of the Role

We are seeking to appoint an Administrative Assistant in the School of EGIS to support the coordinated operation of postgraduate student research activities across the School. 

The School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society (EGIS) is one of the UK’s leading institutions for multidisciplinary research and teaching in areas critical to economic development and societal equity. 

Our postgraduate research student community plays a central role in the research life of the School. Postgraduate research students (PGRs) undertake their own programme of research, supervised by an academic team, and also contribute to the wider research culture, output and impact of their group, academic discipline and department. The Administrative Assistant (Research Support) works closely with PGR applicants and current students, with the academic colleagues within the school and other key Professional Services colleagues throughout the University. The post is key to ensuring that PGRs have access to first-class support, excellent academic provision and that processes and procedures enable them to progress through their programme of research. 

This role sits in a small team of dedicated staff and much of the support for students and staff is provided remotely via email and MS Teams. 

Working hours and days are flexible and can be mutually agreed upon. We offer a hybrid work model, which requires a minimum of two days per week on campus. 

Detailed Description  

The post holder will support the Postgraduate Research Team (both administrative and academic), with a focus on recruitment and progression, to ensure the student experience is a positive one. 

The role holder must have effective organisational, interpersonal, and communication skills which are vital to this role, as are numeracy and IT (Microsoft Office) skills. This post will suit a self-motivated individual who is able to work flexibly as one of a team, as well as working independently. 

The work will be varied and will require the successful candidate to provide a fair, friendly and timely service to staff and students to meet our commitment to pursuing service excellence. 

Key Duties and Responsibilities 

• Responsible for providing administrative support for all postgraduate research activities within the PGR Office in the areas of application and recruitment, admission, enrolment, annual appraisal and general student support. 
• Acting as the first point of contact for visitors, students and staff entering the office; this will also include applicants who contact us electronically, by telephone and in person. 
• Assisting with the postgraduate recruitment process; this will include contacting students upon application, requesting evidence from them to support their application, working on the student database (Banner) and internal monitoring systems. 
• Co-ordinating the Annual Appraisal Process, including issuing the appraisal timetable and forms to staff and students, providing staff with detailed information regarding the requirements for their students, recording receipt of documentation, and entering progression codes to the relevant databases. 
• Managing the process for payments of external examiners, including ensuring paperwork has been issued, completed and liaising with finance regarding payments. 
• Liaising with the Research Co-ordinators, Academics and other Service Teams to ensure that applications, student appraisals and external examiner payments are dealt with in a timely manner. 
• Assisting students upon arrival, ensuring that their registration and induction is undertaken smoothly. 
• Management of student records, issuing certification letters, filing thesis-related forms, archiving of student records appropriately 
• Monitoring attendance of foreign national postgraduate research students in line with student visa requirements 
• Providing cover for the PGR Administrator and Senior Administrative Assistant in the taking of minutes at meetings, as necessary 
• Undertaking any other duties appropriate to the grade of the post as and when required including support/cover for other administrative colleagues in EGIS 

Please note that this job description is not exhaustive, and the role holder may be required to undertake other relevant duties commensurate with the grading of the post. Activities may be subject to amendment over time as the role develops and/or priorities and requirements evolve. 

Education, Qualifications and Experience 

Essential 

• Literacy and numeracy skills equivalent to SCQF Level 5 (Standard Grade Intermediate/Credit, Nat4-5 or equivalent) 
• Competent in the use of relevant IT packages 
• Well-developed interpersonal skills 
• Demonstrable professional and proactive approach
• Demonstrable ability to work quickly, flexibly and accurately in a dynamic, changing and pressured environment 
• Demonstrable provision of excellent customer service 

Desirable 

• Educated to SCQF Level 6 (Highers) or equivalent qualification 
• Experience of working within a similar environment as outlined above 
• Knowledge of the postgraduate research student lifecycle 
• Be cognate of the issues affecting the student population 

How to Apply

Please must submit via the Heriot-Watt on-line recruitment system (1) Cover letter describing their interest and suitability for the post; (2) Full CV 

Applications can be submitted until midnight on Sunday 5th January 2024.

Interviews are expected to take place on 15th & 16th of January 2024.

For informal discussions about the position, please contact Susan Smith, [email protected]. 

At Heriot Watt we are passionate about our values and look to them to connect our people globally and to help us collaborate and celebrate our success through working together. Our research programmes can deliver real world impact which is achieved through the diversity of our international community and the recognition of creative talent that connects our global team.

Our flourishing community will give you the freedom to challenge and to bring your enterprising mind and to help our partners with solutions that can be applied now and in the future. Join us and Heriot Watt will provide you with a platform to thrive and work in a way that also helps you live your life in balance with well-being and inclusiveness at the heart of our global community. 

Heriot-Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities. Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all.

Heriot-Watt University values diversity across our University community and welcomes applications from all sectors of society, particularly from underrepresented groups. For more information, please see our website https://www.hw.ac.uk/uk/services/equality-diversity.htm and also our award-winning work in Disability Inclusive Science Careers https://disc.hw.ac.uk/ . 

We welcome and will consider flexible working patterns e.g. part-time working and job share options. 

Use our total rewards calculator: https://www.hw.ac.uk/about/work/total-rewards-calculator.htm to see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University. 

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