Admissions Officer in Oxford

Brasenose College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford and a registered charity that furthers education, learning and research for the public benefit. During the academic year, there are approximately 365 undergraduates and 250 graduates in residence studying for first degrees and higher degrees. It is one of Oxford’s most popular Colleges and prioritises academic excellence within a very friendly and supportive environment.

The College Office is responsible for student administration within Brasenose. It performs a wide range of tasks including schools’ outreach and admissions (including organising interviews for prospective undergraduates), student registry administration (student enrolment, course changes and transcript production), examinations (including both University exams and internal college exams, known as collections). The office consists of the Senior Tutor, the Academic Registrar, the Deputy Academic Registrar, the Admissions Officer, the Head of Access and Retention, the Outreach and Schools Liaison Coordinator, and the Academic Assistant.

Brasenose’s core admissions objective is to recruit students with the greatest potential to benefit from an Oxford education, regardless of background. In recent years, the College has attracted a large number of applications from an increasingly diverse range of candidates seeking to become undergraduate or graduate members. On the undergraduate side, Brasenose admits 112 students a year across a balanced range of Humanities, Social Science, and Science subjects. The graduate population is strongly international and students are admitted for a wide range of Masters and Doctorate programmes across the four Divisions (Humanities, Social Sciences, MPLS, Medical Sciences). Brasenose adopts the highest professional standards in admissions administration and the Admissions Officer attends the College’s Admissions Committee and contributes to admissions planning and delivery.

Purpose and Objectives of the Post

The Admissions Officer is responsible for the practical administration of the Undergraduate and Graduate admission processes. They work closely with the Senior Tutor (who is also Tutor for Admissions), Tutor for Graduates, the Academic Registrar, and the rest of the College Office team. The Admissions Officer is supported by a share of the Academic Assistant’s time. In addition to providing support to College Tutors engaged in student selection, they also liaise with University (Departmental/Faculty) admissions coordinators and the central Admissions Office.

Main Work Duties

• Dealing with enquiries relating to admissions, in particular from prospective students, parents and schools, by letter, phone, or email.
• Organizing the Undergraduate Admissions Exercise (the peak period runs October-January), including managing communications with the University Undergraduate Admissions Office, other Oxford colleges, departments and faculties, tutors and applicants.
• Reviewing the organisation of the annual undergraduate interviews to identify improvements and maintain quality.
• Organizing the secure distribution of UCAS forms and written work, the production of timetables for interviews and the co-ordination of accommodation arrangements for candidates coming for interview.
• Promoting and tracking tutor training, including University Admissions training and knowledge of the Contextual Data included on applicant UCAS forms.
• Providing administrative support to the Senior Tutor in the production of offer or rejection letters.
• Handling the post-offer administration for undergraduate offer holders, including certifying qualifications, Financial Declarations, and letters to schools of conditional offer holders.
• Organizing the administration of the results matching process in August under the guidance of the Senior Tutor.
• Compiling and presenting statistics on admissions for report to the College Admissions Committee or for other purposes.
• Participating in the annual budget round and managing the agreed Admissions Budget under the supervision of the Senior Tutor.
• Preparing information needed for the annual review of admissions to graduate programmes and working with the Tutor for Graduates, Senior Tutor, and Finance Director on the annual allocation of graduate scholarship funding.
• Liaising with the Development Office over the introduction of new donor-funded scholarships.
• Organising the Organ Scholars admissions process, as well as providing support in the organisation of the Choral Scholars selection process.
• Providing administrative support to the College’s Admissions Committee, to include minute writing.
• Assisting the Head of Access and Retention with the organisation of Open Days, school visits, mini-conferences and other events.
• Assisting other staff in the College Office as is needed.

Person Specification

Education & Training

• Essential: Good standard of education to A-level (or equivalent)
• Desirable: Undergraduate degree

Work Experience

• Essential: Administrative experience demonstrating competence in activities comparable to those required of the post holder
• Desirable: Experience of Admissions administration or management in Higher Education

Skills & Knowledge

• Essential: Computer literacy, including fluency with databases and Microsoft Office applications (specifically Word, and Excel)
• Ability to work flexibly and logically, including the ability to prioritise tasks during the busiest periods of the Admissions process
• High standards of oral and written communication
• Ability to liaise with and coordinate information flows with other College departments
• Sympathy for the College’s academic ethos

Personal Qualities

• Essential: Excellent interpersonal skills and a high level of personal organisation and accuracy
• A high level of discretion and sensitivity to ensure confidentiality in admissions matters
• Ability to work independently

Terms & Conditions of Appointment

• Appointment: This is a permanent post.
• Salary: To be paid on the Oxford University Grade 6 scale, currently £35,851 - £41,806 pa.
• Hours of Working: Normal office hours are 9.00 am to 5.00 pm, Mondays to Fridays.
• Probation: This post is subject to a 6 month probationary period.
• Benefits: Pension eligibility, meals, annual leave entitlement, welfare support, travel pass loan, cycle to work scheme, sports facilities access, university card.

No smoking is allowed in any part of the College, except the designated smoking area.