Internal Redeployment Only

Please note that this job is open only to current members of staff of Cardiff University who are eligible for redeployment.

We are looking for a Postgraduate Research Officer to join the School of English, Communication and Philosophy (ENCAP), a dynamic and successful multi-disciplinary School within the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences College at Cardiff University.

In this role, you will:

• Work closely with the education team and other professional services staff in the School and University to co-ordinate and support the processes relating to postgraduate research and taught administration.
• Develop and maintain a detailed knowledge of regulations and procedures relating to postgraduate programmes of study in the School.
• Provide a high-quality administrative service to meet the needs of students, whilst also providing effective support to academic staff.

We'd like to hear from you if you:

• Are able to communicate effectively and professionally with a wide range of people, exercising independent judgement and initiative within a varied role.
• Have strong administrative and interpersonal skills.
• Are proficient in the use of office IT packages (e.g. MS Office).
• Enjoy contributing to a positive working environment.

As part of this role, we can explore the possibility of the successful candidate accessing further training and development through an on-the-job apprenticeship. The appropriate level and type of apprenticeship training will be discussed with the successful applicant.

This role is eligible to be offered on a blended working basis, meaning that as well as spending time working on campus it may be possible to spend some time working from another location, e.g. your home. The University is committed to offering this flexibility, wherever the role and business need allows, supporting work-life balance. Please note it would be expected that initially the role will be office based on campus whilst settling into the role for training purposes.

This post is full-time (35 hours per week) and fixed-term until 31 July 2026. Salary: £28,031 - £31,236 per annum (Grade 4). New appointments are usually made at the bottom of the salary scale. Closing date: Tuesday, 25 November 2025.

Cardiff University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds. We therefore welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of sex, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, trans identity, relationship status, religion or belief, caring responsibilities, or age.

Applications may be submitted in Welsh, and an application submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application submitted in English.

JOB PURPOSE

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Postgraduate Research Officer to join the School of English, Communication and Philosophy. You will provide comprehensive, professional administrative support to staff and students within the School, with a particular focus on activities associated with postgraduate research programmes and students. This will include postgraduate student admission processing, monitoring of students through their PhD, providing advice and guidance, administration of student vivas and managing all associated processes, documentation and communication with postgraduate research students.

As the biggest university in Wales – and a major employer, with more than 7,000 staff – we are an ambitious and innovative university located in a beautiful and thriving capital city. We can offer you the chance to work in a vibrant organisation, with great benefits and opportunities for progression.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Key Duties

• Provide detailed advice and guidance on postgraduate research processes and procedures to internal and external customers (staff, students or members of the public), using judgement and creativity to suggest the most appropriate course of action, and contributing to the solving of more complex issues.
• Work with others to make recommendations to improve our ways of working.
• Establish productive relationships with key individuals (University colleagues and external contacts) to help improve the level of service the team provides to its customers.
• Perform a variety of administrative duties to support the team and department achieve its objectives.
• Gather and analyse data on postgraduate research so that informed decisions can be made, establishing basic trends and patterns in the data and providing reports and recommendations for management.
• Instruct and guide colleagues across the University within postgraduate research administration as required.
• Organise and deliver events for postgraduate research students (e.g. vivas, student experience events).

General Duties

• Abide by all University policies and undergo appropriate personal and professional development.
• Perform other duties which are not included above, but which will be consistent with the role.
• Uphold the Professional Services Values & Behaviours or local equivalent.

HOW WE WILL SUPPORT YOU IN PERFORMING THIS ROLE

We want to support and develop you in the role, using a combination of the following to help you reach your full potential:

• Regular one-to-one meetings with your team leader.
• An experienced and supportive team around you.
• Support to undertake job-relevant training and development, as identified by your Line Manager. This could be informal or could be an apprenticeship leading to a formal qualification, such as Business administration NVQ.
• A staff mentoring scheme.

Person Specification

We want to employ people with a wide variety of experiences. We welcome applications from all sections of the community regardless of sex, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, trans identity, relationship status, religion or belief, caring responsibilities, or age. We are particularly seeking applications from candidates who come from backgrounds that are underrepresented at the University, including people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities.

We are looking for a team player who will work with colleagues to provide a great service to staff and students. You don't need to have worked for a University before; this is an opportunity to show your potential and start or continue your career at Cardiff University.

This role may be an opportunity for you to build on your experience from working in a previous administrative role or environment with particular interest in research and/or student administration, showing your transferable skills and aptitude to be successful in the role. You should be enthusiastic about developing your knowledge and skills to become a valued member of the team.

Your application will be assessed against the following essential and desirable criteria for the role. Please copy and paste this section into a new document and give clear examples of how you can evidence meeting each criteria by writing under each one. You can draw on elements from any aspect of your life (e.g. work, home, education/qualifications or community life) as long as you focus on their relevance to the role.

Essential Criteria

• Ability to communicate in writing clearly, concisely, and effectively to provide detailed advice and guidance on postgraduate research.
• Evidence of a good standard of numeracy and IT literacy.
• Experience of working in an administrative role or environment and ability to set up standard office systems and procedures, making improvements to these as appropriate.
• Specialist knowledge of postgraduate research.
• Ability to communicate specialist and complex information effectively and professionally to a range of customers with varying levels of understanding.
• Ability to advise and influence key stakeholders in your area of work.
• Ability to explore customers' needs and adapt the service you provide accordingly to ensure a quality service is delivered.
• Ability to use your initiative and creativity to solve problems, respond to queries and make recommendations, identifying and proposing practical solutions.
• Ability to work unsupervised to deadlines, planning, setting and monitoring your priorities and those of the team.

Desirable Criteria

• Experience of working in a similar role or environment, e.g. Higher Education.
• Ability to speak/understand Welsh or a willingness to learn.