Job Profile (To be attached to the relevant Grade Profile document)

Core job information
Job Title / Admissions Assistant
Dept./School/Inst. / Academic Registry Council Secretariat / Section/Centre/
Unit / Admissions Office
Career Family / Professional / Grade / 3
Working hours per week / 35 / Appointment period / 6 months fixed term (1 February to 31 July 2017)
Reports to (job title) / Head of Admissions
Admissions and Recruitment / Current location / Mile End
Job purpose (Why does the job exist? What is it there to achieve or deliver?)
In its five year Strategy, published in 2014, Queen Mary’s first aim is to recruit students of the highest intrinsic talent and potential and to nurture their careers. Admissions Assistants play a key role in supporting the recruitment and admission of some 7000 undergraduate and postgraduate taught students per year, providing a customer-focused service both to applicants and to academic and administrative colleagues in the academic schools of the College.
The post holder will be a member of the Undergraduate or Taught Postgraduate Admissions team whose role is to process some 50,000 applications per year. S/he will be responsible for responding in a timely manner to a high volume e-mail enquiries from applicants before and during the application process, and will provide support to Admissions Officers in processing applications.
Knowledge, Skills & Experience (work experience, qualifications, specialist training, key skills, disposition)
Requirements / Essential/Desirable
Qualifications / A Bachelors degree or equivalent experience / Essential
RSA, ECDL or similar IT/keyboard qualification / Desirable
Experience / Recent experience of working in an administrative function supporting the admission of students in a UK higher education institution / Essential
Experience of working in a busy customer-oriented environment / Essential
Experience of working effectively in a team / Essential
Experience of using a computerised academic record keeping system, preferably SITS / Essential
Experience of using a CRM or Help Desk system / Essential
Experience of working within a complex, highly regulated environment / Desirable
Knowledge, skills & abilities / Ability to plan and manage own workload, prioritising effectively to meet agreed service levels and deadlines / Essential
Ability to work effectively under pressure, maintaining accuracy at all times / Essential
Good interpersonal skills including the ability to communicate effectively in writing and in person with applicants, their advisers and staff at all levels within the College / Essential
Good oral and written communication skills and the ability to draft his/her own correspondence in clear, grammatical English / Essential
Good level of computer literacy, including knowledge and ability to use MS Office applications to intermediate level / Essential
Basic research skills / Essential
Ability and commitment to maintaining confidentiality in respect of applicant details and admissions data / Essential
Knowledge of UCAS procedures / Desirable
Basic knowledge of UK Visas & Immigration Tier 4 student visa policy / Desirable
Attitude & disposition / Ability to work unsupervised and also as part of a team / Essential
Commitment to equality and diversity / Essential
Proven motivation to provide excellent customer service and / Essential
Flexible and adaptable approach / Essential
Pleasant, courteous manner / Essential
Other circumstances / Willingness to be flexible on hours of work on an occasional basis, when required / Essential
All Admissions team members must be available to work in August and September. No annual leave will normally be permitted during this time. Some restrictions on taking annual leave may exist at other peak times, e.g. January/February and May. / Essential
All Admissions team members must be available to work at least one Saturday in August, date to be determined in accordance with publication of A level results. / Essential
Working Environment (knowledge of special working practices, breadth of management skill required, customer impact, responsibility, efficiency)
·  To provide a welcoming and courteous response to enquiries from potential applicants and applicants
·  To respond to telephone and e-mail enquiries, following documented procedures for use of standard templates and meeting agreed service levels
·  To provide information, advice and guidance to prospective applicants, their advisers and members of academic and professional services staff on a variety of matters relating to admissions, including admissions policy and procedure, English language requirements and pre-sessional English programmes, fees, scholarships, and Tier 4 immigration requirements
·  To investigate and respond to any issues reported by enquirers as promptly as possible. This may involve liaising with colleagues from a number of professional service teams and academic departments to identify the appropriate response
·  To process applications and update computerised applicant records as directed by supervisors, ensuring that applicant records are accurate and comprehensive
·  To produce computerised documents such as offer letters for applicants
·  To assist in the annual Confirmation and Clearing period in July to September, preparing and checking documents, corresponding with applicants and handling a high volume of applicant enquiries by telephone and e-mail
·  To prepare applicant records for enrolment and to support the enrolment process by checking and verifying qualification certificates and immigration documents To assist in the annual enrolment exercise
·  To assist at University open days, both on campus and virtual events
·  To respond to enquiries received and to promote and represent the University appropriately via social media
·  To comply with Data Protection, Disability Discrimination, Equality and Diversity, and all other relevant legislation at all times
Freedom to Act & Decision Making (depth of control, supervision received, use of judgement & initiative, analytical ability)
To exercise initiative in responding to applicant enquiries about course choice, entry requirements and admissions procedures. This will require specialist knowledge of a variety of areas and an excellent understanding of established procedures and policies.
To exercise effective judgement in referring complex queries to a supervisor or manager.
To develop and maintain expertise about programmes, entry requirements, admissions policy and procedure, and relevant regulatory frameworks, e.g. relating to fee status and immigration policy.
To be proactive and identify situations where new or improved procedures could be implemented, proposing solutions for discussion with supervisors and managers.
To understand the context in which their role operates and its contribution to the achievement of the objectives of Queen Mary as defined in the QMUL Strategy and other relevant documentation.
Communication & Networking (liaison with others, type and level of communications)
To communicate effectively and appropriately with:
·  Prospective students and their advisers (teachers, families) –general advice about courses, entry requirements, admissions procedures etc
·  Applicants - admissions procedures, updates on status of application
·  Agents – as above
·  Admissions Officers and team - applicant updates and queries, planning workload
·  Academic and professional services staff in Schools – queries relating to their applicants
·  Registry/Research Degrees Office staff – occasional contact relating to applicant queries/status
Finance/Resource Management (budgeting, forecasting)
No budgetary responsibility
People Management (supervisory responsibility, human relations skills)
No supervisory responsibility
This job description sets out the duties of the post at the time it was drawn up. Such duties may vary from time to time without changing the general character of the duties or level of responsibility entailed. Such variations are a common occurrence and cannot of themselves justify a reconsideration of the grading of the post.
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