PA to THE president OF WOLFSON COLLEGE

Further Particulars of the role

Wolfson College is one of the largest graduate colleges in the University of Oxford, with over 600 students. It has a strongegalitarian and democratic ethos and is increasingly known as one of the most energetic, innovative, and welcoming scholarly communities in Oxford.

The College has recently appointed its 7th President, Mr Tim Hitchens, who will be joining in May 2018, which coincides with the retirement of the current PA. The new PA should therefore be aware of the transitional character of this period and also of the ebbs and flows of the college life. He or she will appreciate that the role is likely to evolve in response to the needs of the new President. The ideal candidate willtherefore be able and happy to adapt their start and finish times, and adapt the overall number of working hours as required to meet the needs of the new President.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title: PA to the President

Department:President’s Office

Main Purpose of Job:

To provide secretarial and administrative clerical assistance to the President,and take responsibility for the administrative work of the Fellowships and Membership Committee.

Relationships:

  1. Responsible to: The President
  2. Liaison with: The Bursar, College Secretary, Senior Tutor, the Bursar’s PA, and most other Departments, Staff, Fellows, Students and Common Room members.

Main Tasks of Job:

  1. To act as Personal Assistant to the President covering a wide and varied range of duties, including:
  1. Managing the President’s diary and coordinating meetings betweenhis diary and those of other officers, Fellows and members of the College, as well as colleaguesacross the University, donors and key stakeholders external to the University;
  2. Writing, drafting and typing letters on behalf of the President; and managing related files to ensure prompt and accurate access to required documents;
  3. Arranging social functions hosted by the President in liaison with relevant departments within the college;
  4. Supportingthe President in preparations for public events by assisting with PowerPoint presentations, sleuthing information on the web, and providing admin support.
  5. Assisting the President with complex and detailed aspects of Collegebusiness;
  6. Assisting the President in his duties as a member of the University’s Conference of Colleges;
  7. Liaising with the offices of high profile dignitaries, donors and other key people important to the life of the college;
  8. Acting as information and welcome point for Research Fellows, Junior Research Fellows, and other categories of members dealt with by the President’s PA;
  9. Protecting the President’stime and privacy and dealing sensitively and firmly with a wide range of visitors to the President;

j. Creating and maintaining, in line with the Data Protection regulations, records on the database for Fellows and other relevant members of the college;

k. Liaising with the Accounts Department in relation to Common Room subscriptions;

l. Other duties as required.

  1. To act as Secretary to the Fellowships and Membership Committee (FMC), which meets twice per term, with occasional additional meetings. Specific duties include:
  1. Correspondence, emails, dealing with general enquiries and specific enquiries about membership;
  2. Drafting and finalizing agendas for the FMC. Attending meetings and writing minutes – open and confidential, for approval by the President;
  3. Dealing with all matters relating to the elections procedure of all Fellows, Life and Honorary Members of Common Room;
  4. Responsibility for drafting advertisements for Research Fellows, Junior Research Fellowsand other Fellowship competitions, and advertising as necessary;
  5. Handling applications/references; disseminating information, lists etc., to FMC selection panels, electronically and by hard copy; setting up short-listing meetings and interviews, recruitment monitoring;
  6. Responsibility for correspondence relating to appointments/elections as a result of FMC election decisions;
  7. Managing the process for the renewal of membership for Fellowships as appropriate.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Essential / Desirable
Qualifications
Knowledge
Skills
Work Experience /
  • Very good level of general education, literacy and numeracy;
  • Extensive experience in a similar level job;
  • Ability to communicate effectively in English at all levels, both orally and in writing;
  • Excellent interpersonal and relationship building skills;
  • Ability to service committees at all levels;
  • Competent user of Microsoft Office;
  • Previous experience using databases ;
  • Excellent telephone manner and good email style;
  • Excellent secretarial skills.
/
  • Experience working in the education or third sector;
  • Knowledge and experience of the University of Oxford’s structure, policies and procedures.

Personal Qualities /
  • Pro-active approach to tasks and responsibilities;
  • Ability to deal calmly and tactfully with sensitive situations;
  • Sensitivity to and ability to handle confidential issues and documents ;
  • Ability to work effectively under pressure, juggling multiple tasks;
  • Excellent attention to detail;
  • Flexible approach to tasks to meet the needs of the job as required;
  • High levels of discretion;
  • Absolute reliability;
  • Ability to protect the President’stime and privacy and to deal sensitively and firmly with a wide range of visitors to the President;
  • Common sense and the ability to work on own initiative.

Terms and Conditions:

Appointment: / The post is available from 1 May 2018. It is part time and permanentwith a standard 3 months’ probation.
Hours: / Working hours are25 hours per week initially,which will normallybe 9.30 am to 3pm Monday to Friday, or as required by the new President. There is an unpaid 30 minutes’ lunch break. Flexibility and the willingness to work extended hours (up to full time on either a temporary or extended basis) is important. Hours of work will be developed and finalised within the first year to meet the requirements of the new President.
Training: / The PA to the President is expected to attend relevant trainingnormally during working hours.
Annual Leave Entitlement: / 39 days paincluding 8 Bank Holidays.
Salary and Benefits: / The post is Wolfson Grade 4, full time salaries range from £26,464 to £31,030 per annum. There are eight annual increments within the grade. New appointments normally start at the first increment in the grade, in which case the actual salary for the 25 hour week will be £18,126 pa. A higher starting point may be available for exceptional candidates commensurate with their qualifications and experience. Benefits include pension scheme, free lunch (within the limits of the lunch allowance), free parking.
Notice period: / 4 weeks during probation, 3 months thereafter
Other conditions / The post is subject to obtaining satisfactory references, and a satisfactory completion of the health questionnaire, the right to work check and signing a contract of employment.

Equality of opportunity

The Equal Opportunities policy of the College requires that all staff are offered equal opportunities within employment. Entry into employment will be determined only by personal merit and the application of criteria related to the post. Subject to statutory provisions, no applicant will be treated less favourably than another because of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

Data Protection

All data supplied by candidates will be used only for the purposes of determining their suitability for the post and will be held in accordance with the principles of the Data Protection Act 1998 and the College Data Protection Policy (available on the website at

Application:

Applications should include anapplication form (overleaf) completed in full and a covering letter explaining your interest in and suitability for the role and reasons why you are leaving your current employment. The letter and application should beaddressed to the President andshould be sent by post to the HR Manager, Wolfson College, Linton Road, Oxford OX2 6UD or by email (preferred) to .

The closing date is Wednesday, 15th November 2017. Interviews will be held on 12 December 2017.

APPLICATION FOR EMPLOYMENT / PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL
PLEASE COMPLETE ALL PARTS and return together with other required documents to HR Manager at Wolfson College, Linton Road, Oxford OX2 6UD or to
POSITION APPLIED FOR: PA to President / Ref. PA171115
Surname / Forename(s) / Title
Address: / e-mail:
Postcode / Telephone number:
NI No. / Are there any restrictions on you taking up employment in the UK? Please delete below as appropriate
Are you a citizen of the UK or the European Union? / Yes/No
If ‘No’ do you have a visa to work in the UK? / Yes/No

1 - EDUCATION HISTORY (Please use a separate sheet if necessary)

Schools/Colleges/Universities / Dates (from-to) / Qualifications gained
OTHER TRAINING

2 - EMPLOYMENT HISTORY (Please use a separate sheet if necessary)

Are you currently employed? Yes/No (Please delete as appropriate)
Notice required in current employment:
Name and address of employer / Dates of employment / Job title and duties / Reason for leaving
OTHER EMPLOYMENT
(please note any other employment you would like to continue with if you were to be successful in obtaining this position)

3 - REFERENCES

Please note here the names and contact details of your referees. Applicants must provide details of two referees. One must be your current or most recent employer and the other should be a previous employer. Where possible the two referees should be from separate sources and not the same organisation or employer.
Referee 1 / Referee 2
Name of referee
Referee’s relation to the applicant
Institution name
and address
Email address
Telephone number
Are you happy this referee to be contacted prior to the interview? / Yes/No (Please delete as appropriate) / Yes/No (Please delete as appropriate)

4 - CRIMINAL RECORD

Please note any criminal convictions except those 'spent' under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. If none please state. In certain circumstances employment is dependent upon obtaining a satisfactory basic disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service.

5 - DECLARATION (Please read carefully before signing this application)

  1. I confirm that the above information is complete and correct and that any untrue or misleading information will give my employer the right to terminate any employment contract offered.
  1. Should we require further information and wish to contact your doctor with a view to obtaining a medical report, the law requires us to inform you of our intention and obtain your permission prior to contacting your doctor. I agree that Wolfson College reserves the right to require me to undergo a medical examination. In addition, I agree that this information will be retained in my personnel file during employment and for up to six years thereafter and understand that information will be processed in accordance with the Data Protection Act.
  1. I agree that should I be successful in this application, I will, if required, apply to the Disclosure and BarringService for a basic disclosure. I understand that should I fail to do so, or should the disclosure not be to the satisfaction of the College any offer of employment may be withdrawn or my employment terminated.

SIGNATURE / DATE