FURTHER PARTICULARS (Admissions Office)

JOB TITLE: SCHOOLS LIAISON AND

ADMISSIONS SUPPORT OFFICER

Purpose of the job: This full-time Pembroke College post is to provide support to the Admissions Officer during the admissions round between mid October and earlyJanuary, and to supplement the work of our existing Schools Liaison Officer (SLO). The role of the post-holder will be to work alongside the existing SLO; both SLOs will provide mutual assistance to each other where required and as agreed by the Admissions Tutor, but will have clearly defined roles. There will be a requirement during the admissions round for the post-holder to complete some of the responsibilities attached to the schools liaison component of the role. The post will be for three years, with the possibility of re-appointment thereafter.

ADMISSIONS SUPPORT OFFICER, MID OCTOBER-MID JANUARY

Responsible to: Admissions Tutor

Detailed Responsibilities associated with this role.

The post-holder will:

  1. Work closely with the Admissions Officer and the Admissions Tutor in the running of our annual admissions process;
  2. Photocopy, collate and file applicant information;
  3. Dispatch interview packs to applicants;
  4. Collate information for interviewers’ packs;
  5. Input data into spreadsheets and databases;
  6. Retrieve school information from the internet and databases.

SCHOOLS LIAISON OFFICER

Responsible to: Admissions Tutor

Detailed Responsibilities associated with this role.

The post-holder will:

  1. Work closely with colleagues in Pembroke’s Admissions Office to ensure the successful running of our recruitment and outreach operation;
  2. Create and deliver presentations to school groups and teachers;
  3. Liaise with the existing SLO andwith Cambridge Admissions Office (CAO) about initiatives being pursued by the University, and promote the involvement of Pembroke College in central initiatives (e.g. Oxford and Cambridge Student Conferences, HE Fairs);
  4. Attend the University’s termly Schools Liaison Officer Group meeting on behalf of Pembroke;
  5. Review and regularly gather feedback on our College admissions webpages and implement changes and enhancements to the pages to reflect the findings;
  6. Investigate the usefulness of social media and web-based initiatives to recruitment and widening participation and, if research suggests doing so, develop our use of electronic media;
  7. Develop an HE+ Programme in one of our current Link Areas in consultation with the Admissions Tutors of Pembroke and St Catharine’s Colleges and CAO (details of HE+ can be found at
  8. Take over the organisation and running of Pembroke’s Year 12 Subject Masterclasses;
  9. Take over working with the SLO at Selwyn College to organise, advertise and attend our annual Scottish conferences in Glasgow and Edinburgh;
  10. Assist the Admissions Officer with the running of our open days and monitor the impact of open day visits on applications to the College;
  11. Assist the existing SLO with the running of our Ambitions Project in Southwark;
  12. Assist the existing SLO in developing our links with Into University who have recently begun widening participation work in Southwark;
  13. Assist the Admissions Tutor with visits to schools, both in planning and logistics, and conducting visits independently;
  14. Explore, with others, external funding options for access-/recruitment-related work;
  15. Develop a team of trained Pembroke student ambassadors to help with schools work, mainly in college;
  16. Produce reports on our outreach and recruitment activity and analyse impact.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

The following criteria are appropriate to this post:

Specialist knowledge & skills /
  • Knowledge of, and commitment to, recruitment and widening participation to HE in the UK
  • Awareness and understanding of the issues that affect recruitment, especially of non-traditional entrants, to Cambridge.
  • Knowledge of the structure and systems of UK higher education
  • Knowledge of the structure and systems of UK secondary schools and colleges
  • Knowledge of the Cambridge undergraduate system or recent teaching experience and /or experience of UCAS admissions processes
  • Excellent knowledge and experience of IT systems including word processing, MS Word, Excel, Access, Publisher and Powerpoint

Interpersonal & communication skills /
  • Excellent and highly developed communication skills (including presentational), capable of interacting with different sized groups of students of various ages from schools and colleges across the UK, as well as senior managers, tutors and other advisors
  • Good team worker
  • Excellent organisational skills including a good eye for detail
  • Strong ability to think strategically and organise and prioritise a diverse workload
  • Excellent interpersonal, listening and negotiating skills
  • Sensitivity and flexibility in working with a diverse range of client groups; awareness of their needs

Relevant experience /
  • Experience of project management
  • Experience of coordinating and running events
  • Experience of partnership work between agencies
  • Experience of widening participation/outreach/recruitment work

Additional skills /
  • Ability to self-manage workload and to meet targets and deadlines
  • Ability to produce written reports

Salary, holiday entitlement and travel

  • Salary will be in the range of points 34-44 on the University of Cambridge’s salary scale. This currently equates to £24,289-£32,590
  • The package also includes a bonus payable after one year in post and other benefits
  • Holiday entitlement is 25 days per year plus Bank Holidays
  • It is unlikely that the post-holder will be able to take holiday (other than Bank Holidays) during the admissions round (15 October-24 December) or the peak recruitment season (March-mid May and late June-mid July). Any days of holiday that the post-holder wishes to request during this period must be agreed in advance with his/her line-manager
  • Candidates must be prepared to work flexible hours, since there will be a considerable amount of visiting schools and hosting school visits to the College. There may be a small amount of compulsory weekend working (for example, open days), for which time off in lieu may be taken
  • A driving licence is desirable but not essential. Mileage will be paid