Purchasing Administrative Assistant

Role: Administration Assistant

Grade and Salary: Grade 4, £23,881 – £26,338 per annum

FTE and working pattern: 1 FTE, 35hrs per week, Monday – Friday

Holiday Entitlement: 28 days annual leave plus 9 buildings closed days (and Christmas Eve when it falls on a weekday)

Purpose of Role

The main aim of the Purchasing Team is to provide exemplary customer support ensuring adherence to University policies and procedures and thus assist in effective budgetary control and future strategic decision making. 

The role of the Administrative Assistant is to work as part of the team to administer travel, conference and accommodation bookings, process requisitions for goods and services, provide support to ensure adherence to University policies and procedures, and undertake general purchasing administration tasks. 

The post is based full-time on the Edinburgh campus and the work will be varied, requiring the role-holder to provide a fair, friendly, and timely service to staff, students, partners and visitors. 

Key Duties & Responsibilities

1. Travel, conferences and events administration, to include; 

• Book travel, accommodation and conferences optimising value for money. 
• Process visa applications if required and ensure that risk assessment forms are completed and that personal details are updated. 
• Book catering for meetings, events, external exam boards, accreditation visits etc. 
• Ensure that HWU risk policies are adhered to when booking travel or procurement. 

2. Administer the purchasing process by; 

• Taking action on all purchase requisitions. 
• Issuing orders or arranging purchase card transactions. 
• Receipt goods and reconcile to Oracle. 
• Processing workflow completions within agreed timescales. 
• Reconcile purchasing cards within agreed timescales. 

3. Handle staff expenses claims and advances administration, to include; 

• Administer staff expenses claims and advances, including the correct allocation of expenses, reconciling purchasing cards and refundables for research travel (to reclaim expenses). 
• Review expense claims within HWU Travel and Expenses Policy guidelines, and liaise with staff when claims are disallowable. 

4. General administration, to include; 

• Requisition stationery stocks and order business cards for staff. 
• Arrange DHL pickups and finalise bills. 
• Arrange confidential waste pickups. 

5. Assist in the implementation of improved working practices and administrative systems. 

6. Work as an integral member of the Purchasing Team and be able to cover for absences. 

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. 

Essential & Desirable Criteria

Essential

1. Educated to Higher level/A-levels or equivalent
2. Experience of working to strict deadlines under pressure 
3. Experience of taking a proactive approach to administrative/financial support
4. A team player, with good oral and written communication skills
5. Good organisational skills, with the ability to work with speed and accuracy
6. Proficient in Excel, Word, Outlook
7. The ability to problem solve day to day problems by following guidelines or referring to what has been done before.
8. The ability to work both independently, flexibly and within the needs of the team as a whole

Desirable

1. Experience of working within an FE/HE institution 
2. Experience of working with a large accounting/ledger software system 
3. Experience of working with different types of budgets 
4. Experience of working in a busy finance office 
5. Understanding of accounting/financial regulations, and ability to communicate financial regulations and to others 

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

1. Ability and willingness to learn new digital skills and capabilities appropriate to your role and how it evolves
2. Understand and adhere to information security practices particularly as it relates to personal or sensitive information
3. Maintain awareness of my own digital wellbeing by being mindful of the length of time spent at a screen and the impact on mental and physical health in using digital technologies.

How to Apply

Applications can be submitted up to midnight (UK time) on Tuesday 8th April 2025.

Please submit your CV and covering letter via the Heriot-Watt on-line recruitment.

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

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/ .

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.

About Heriot-Watt University

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

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