Post Details / Last Updated: 9/3/2017
Faculty/Administrative/Service Department / Library and Learning Support Services
Job Title / Personal Assistant and Administration Officer
Job Family / Professional Services / Job Level / 3
Responsible to / Director of Library and Learning Support Services
Responsible for (Staff) / Departmental Assistant and Office Coordinator
Job Purpose Statement
To provide a high level of administrative support to the Director of Library and Learning Support Services (LLSS). The post holder will manage the delivery of effective and efficient administrative support across LLSS, acting with a high degree of autonomy to develop and implement departmental processes and ensure the implementation and observation of University processes and policies. The post holder will also manage and coordinate departmental projects.
Key Responsibilities This document is not designed to be a list of all tasks undertaken but an outline record of the main responsibilities (5 to 8 maximum)
1.  Provide high level administrative support and personal assistance to the Director of Library and Learning Support Services and to other members of the Senior Management Team as agreed with the Director, with the ability to assimilate detailed information and prepare written summaries, presentations, etc.
2.  Develop and oversee all internal admin processes and manage the delivery of administrative support to the LLSS department including developing and implementing local departmental and University level policies and ensuring that all University HR processes and policies relating to recruitment, induction, appraisal and staff development are implemented and observed within the required timeframe.
3.  Manage and develop the department’s internal communication mechanisms and collaborative online working environments. This includes developing policies for appropriate use of the ‘shared drives’ and development of relevant ‘sharepoint sites’ for collaborative activities.
4.  Manage and coordinate departmental projects, developing and maintaining an effective project management framework for the department and providing high level support for projects led by the Director and other senior managers within the department. This includes supporting the development of appropriate project plans and ensuring that timelines and deadlines are achieved.
5.  Provide research assistance to business planning and project activities in the form of information seeking activities and initial collation of findings as directed by the Director.
6.  Monitor department budgets relating to administrative, staff development and travel activities and prepare reports for the Director.
7.  Oversee all financial processes (placing of orders, receipt and reconciliation) undertaken by administrative staff within the department.
8.  Line-manage the Departmental Assistant and Office Coordinator, liaise with all other administrative staff across the department to ensure consistent implementation of departmental policies and negotiate with relevant team leaders to develop approaches to sharing administrative resources across the department.
N.B. The above list is not exhaustive.
All staff are expected to:
·  Positively support equality of opportunity and equity of treatment to colleagues and students in accordance with the University of Surrey Equal Opportunities Policy.
·  Work to achieve the aims of our Environmental Policy and promote awareness to colleagues and students.
·  Follow University/departmental policies and working practices in ensuring that no breaches of information security result from their actions.
·  Ensure they are aware of and abide by all relevant University Regulations and Policies relevant to the role.
·  Undertake such other duties within the scope of the post as may be requested by your Manager.
·  Work supportively with colleagues, operating in a collegiate manner at all times.
Help maintain a safe working environment by:
·  Attending training in Health and Safety requirements as necessary, both on appointment and as changes in duties and techniques demand.
·  Following local codes of safe working practices and the University of Surrey Health and Safety Policy.
Elements of the Role
This section outlines some of the key elements of the role, which allow this role to be evaluated within the University’s structure. It provides an overview of what is expected from the post holder in the day-to-day operation of the role.
Planning and Organising
·  The post holder is responsible for managing and coordinating a number of activities on behalf of the Director of LLSS including complex diary management, liaison with senior contacts both within and external to the University, dealing with correspondence (often of a highly confidential nature) and providing oversight for a range of departmental projects and initiatives. The post holder will be expected to have an understanding of both short term priorities and of longer term plans (1 – 3 years).
·  Timescales for activities will vary from urgent, short term requirements to projects and planning activities with longer time frames. The ability to observe and adhere to deadlines is critical as is the ability to work flexibly in order to accommodate changes in plans and priorities.
·  Although much of the work will be initiated by the Director, the post-holder will have scope to define and plan their own projects and manage their own workload in line with objectives for the role. As supervision may not be close, the post holder may only report progress and objective achievement.
Problem Solving and Decision Making
·  The post-holder will be the first point of contact for other University departments and senior personnel in their dealings with LLSS. They will be expected to provide advice and solutions to routine day-to-day problems within the specialist area within which they are familiar (e.g. knowledge of projects, policies, and administrative processes of the department and awareness of departmental priorities). They will be expected to act proactively and with reasonable autonomy in resolving issues and questions, making reference to established University procedures and policies and drawing on prior experience in the role.
·  The post holder will have responsibility for managing the complex interactions of the Director of LLSS with senior colleagues across the University and will be expected to use initiative and prior awareness of priorities, to schedule meetings and activities appropriately. Where further guidance is required the post holder will refer to the Director of LLSS.
·  Although the post holder works within established procedures and processes, they are expected to operate in a proactive and independent manner, with minimum supervision, prioritising and planning their own workload. The post holder must operate flexibly and react positively to changing circumstances and requirements in all areas of this role.
Continuous Improvement
·  The post-holder will be expected to regularly review their areas of responsibility and to suggest improvements to processes and service enhancements. The role includes responsibility for departmental administrative and communication systems (including internal communications and the department’s shared online working environment) and, once endorsed by the Senior Management Team, provides opportunities for the post holder to take forward projects with significant autonomy.
Accountability
·  The post holder will have considerable autonomy to apply knowledge, experience and judgment and will be expected to act effectively and in a timely manner with minimal supervision.
·  Through their responsibility for administrative processes within the department and for adherence to University policies and through their interactions with senior colleagues across the University, the post holder plays a significant role in the smooth and effective operation of a very busy department (c. 5,000 student visitors per day) and in the perception of the department across the University.
·  The post holder will be fully accountable for designated projects for which they have direct responsibility and will ensure their own wellbeing, as well as that of those using the facilities, through compliance with standard procedures, including those governing health and safety.
Dimensions of the role
·  With responsibility for oversight of all HR related processes, the post will have an impact on all staff within the department.
·  The post holder has responsibility for budget areas of c.£100k.
·  The post holder has line-management responsibility for one member of staff (the Departmental Assistant and Office Coordinator), but will be required to work effectively with other administrative staff across the department in the implementation of administrative policies and processes.
Supplementary Information
N/A
Person Specification This section describes the sum total of knowledge, experience & competence required by the post holder that is necessary for standard acceptable performance in carrying out this role.
Qualifications and Professional Memberships
Degree, HND, NVQ4 qualified or equivalent in a relevant subject or field plus some experience in a similar role
OR
Significant vocational experience demonstrating development through progressively more demanding and relevant roles, demonstrating appropriate specialist knowledge. / E
Relevant professional qualification / D
Technical Competencies (Experience and Knowledge) This section contains the level of competency required to carry out the role (please refer to the Competency Framework for clarification where needed and the Job Matching Guidance). / Essential/
Desirable / Level
1-3
Excellent ICT skills with working experience of MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook and Powerpoint. / E / 3
Experience of servicing meetings and minute-writing. / E / 2
Significant experience in an appropriate service environment, some of which should have been gained in the HE sector. / D / n/a
Experience of supervising other staff members / D / n/a
Some experience of managing and working with budgets. / D / n/a
Special Requirements: / Essential/
Desirable
N/A
Core Competencies This section contains the level of competency required to carry out this role. (Please refer to the competency framework for clarification where needed). n/a (not applicable) should be placed, where the competency is not a requirement of the grade. / Level
1-3
Communication
Adaptability / Flexibility
Customer/Client service and support
Planning and Organising
Continuous Improvement
Problem Solving and Decision Making Skills
Managing and Developing Performance
Creative and Analytical Thinking
Influencing, Persuasion and Negotiation Skills
Strategic Thinking & Leadership / 3
3
2
3
2
2
1
1
2
n/a
This Job Purpose reflects the core activities of the post. As the Department/Faculty and the post holder develop, there will inevitably be some changes to the duties for which the post is responsible, and possibly to the emphasis of the post itself. The University expects that the post holder will recognise this and will adopt a flexible approach to work. This could include undertaking relevant training where necessary.
Should significant changes to the Job Purpose become necessary, the post holder will be consulted and the changes reflected in a revised Job Purpose.
Organisational/Departmental Information & Key Relationships
Background Information
The role is located within Library and Learning Centre (LLC) which is the physical home for the service provided by the department of Library and Learning Support Services. The Library and Learning Centre is the sole Library on campus, supporting a student population of over 15,500 and an increasingly online and international delivery. Located in the centre of the campus, it has collections on six floors and 1,300 study spaces. The collections include 600,000 printed volumes, access to more than 70,000 electronic books, 6,000 current journal subscriptions and an extensive collection of electronic journals. There are 350 university networked PCs, and wireless networking. The Library building is open 24/7/365.
The department of Library & Learning Support Services is organised into three broad divisions, ‘Client Services and Engagement’, ‘e-Strategy and Resources’ and ‘Learning and Research Support’. Client Services comprises the Customer Service and Faculty Engagement teams. E-Strategy & Resources supports the acquisition and discovery of all required content for our users alongside supporting open scholarship and library. The Learning and Research Support division comprises learning development, based in SPLASH (The Student Personal Learning and Study Hub) and includes specialist learning support and information advisors and the University’s support for students with disabilities, as well as the Researcher Development team who provide training and development for postgraduate research students and Early Career Researchers.
Department Structure Chart
Relationships
Internal
·  The post holder will have day to day contact with all members of the LLSS Senior Management and with the offices of senior staff across the University including the Vice Chancellor, the Provost, the Vice Provost (Education and Students), the Chief Information Officer and the Director of Student Services and Administration. They will also have regular contact with business partners in HR and with the Business Finance Officer for LLSS and with the Heads of DHE, TEL and Widening Participation. Contact will be principally for exchanging information, but will include seeking input and information to LLSS plans, projects and initiatives.
External
·  The post holder will have contact with University Council members, with external professional bodies (SCONUL, M25 Consortium of Academic Libraries, etc.), with senior library and learning support professionals in other Universities and with suppliers.