Faculty Global Opportunities Coordinator in Durham

The University At Durham University we are proud of our people. A globally outstanding centre of educational excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, a unique and historic setting - Durham is a university like no other. Across the University we have a huge variety of roles and career opportunities, which together make us a large and successful community, which is a key hub of activity within our region and nationally. Whether you are at the very start, middle or end of your career, there is a role for you. We believe everyone has their own unique skills to offer. We would be thrilled if you would consider joining our thriving University.

The Role and the Department The Arts and Humanities Faculty Global Opportunities Coordinator role is an excellent opportunity to work as part of a cross-departmental team providing support to the staff and students of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. Our Professional Services teams place a strong emphasis on professional development and team members are encouraged and supported to identify and take forward process improvements, specific projects and other initiatives appropriate to their grade.

In particular this role, with close supervision from the Deputy Faculty Manager, and via collaboration with the International Office's Global Opportunities team, involves ensuring the best possible experience for students preparing for and engaged on travel abroad as a constituent part of one of the Faculty's degree programmes, or participating on a Durham degree programme as an exchange student. This newly-established role is an excellent development opportunity for an individual with the confidence, resilience and dynamism to support academic colleagues in reinforcing the Faculty's commitment to internationalisation in education, as well as skills required to support students to take full advantage of the opportunities and challenges of residence abroad.

On a day-to-day basis, this will include:

• Providing support, advice and guidance for students preparing for or embarked on their year abroad, and for those exchange students participating in Durham degree programmes.
• With appropriate support, establishing and coordinating a faculty-wide Year Abroad student engagement programme.
• Coordinating the annual nominations and applications processes for partner Universities and external organisations (e.g. the British Council).
• As a Department Travel approver, and following appropriate training, assessing and approving students' insurance and risk assessment documentation, escalating higher-risk cases as appropriate.
• Regularly reviewing the Faculty's student-facing information and communications platforms, including the establishment and maintenance of appropriate social media channels, to ensure that they remain up to date and compliant.
• In collaboration with academic colleagues, coordinating the monitoring and recording of placement activity to ensure that students can travel abroad safely and in accordance with relevant policy and legislation.
• Establishing and maintaining excellent relationships with key University stakeholders responsible for year abroad provision, as well as external stakeholders in partner institutions.

The Faculty of Arts and Humanities is committed to professional development, and colleagues are encouraged and supported to identify and take forward independent projects within the scope of their role.

Working at Durham A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University: You'll receive 27 days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year - a total of 39 days. The University closes between Christmas and New Year. No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered. We have parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies. You can access exclusive discounts via our benefits portal including money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, eating out and days out at various attractions. Our on-site nursery is rated Outstanding by Ofsted, and you can access holiday camps for children aged 5-16. We provide wide-ranging health and wellbeing support including discounted membership for our state-of-the-art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme. We offer all staff the opportunity to take part in volunteering activities to make a difference to the local community. Our family friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers). If you are keen on advancing in your role or career, we have a genuine passion for developing our colleagues from qualifications to IT skills, courses and apprenticeships. We offer generous pension schemes with varying contribution amounts to help you plan for your future.

Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion Our collective aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and we believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work. As a University equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key part of the University's Strategy and a central part of everything we do. We also live by our values and our Staff Code of Conduct. At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive. It's important to us that all of our colleagues are aligned to both our values and commitment to EDI. We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. If you have taken time out of your career, and you feel it relevant, let us know about it in your application. If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role.

What you need to demonstrate when you apply/Person Specification When you apply it is important that you let us know what skills/experience you have from a similar role and/or what skills/experience you have which would make you right for this role. Further information about the role and responsibilities is at the end of this job description. Where a criteria has an asterisk* next to it, it may be given additional weighting when your application is considered. Your application should cover the following criteria:

• Essential Criteria Qualifications/Experience

• Five GCSEs at least Grade C or level four (or equivalent) including English Language and Mathematics or a Post-16 qualification or equivalent experience.
• Experience of working in a busy office environment delivering front line administrative services to a high standard.
• Experience of managing time to meet deadlines and working under pressure without compromising on quality.
• Experience of providing advice, guidance and support to a range of customers and colleagues, including students.

• Excellent spoken and written communication skills.
• Experience of developing effective relationships with a broad range of stakeholders.
• Strong digital competence across a range of digital devices and apps, and experience of using Blackboard or a similar Virtual Learning Environment.
• Ability to use your initiative to solve problems yourself and as part of a team and resolve issues, plan solutions and make pragmatic decisions, including when and how to escalate appropriately.
• The ability to work within and across teams and adapt to rapidly-changing ways of working to meet business need.

How to apply To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification above. Where there are desirable criteria we would also urge you to provide any relevant evidence. Please don't forget to check if there is any weighted criteria (see above). While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview.

Submitting your application We prefer to receive applications online. We will update you about your application at various points during the process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to ensure you receive all emails.

What you are required to submit:

• A CV
• A supporting statement which shows examples of how you meet all of the criteria within the Person Specification

Contact details If you would like to have a chat or ask any questions about the role, Phil Bolton, Deputy Faculty Manager, would be happy to speak to you. Email philip.bolton@durham.ac.uk to arrange a convenient time.

Typical Role Requirements Service Delivery Show a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, and the University's values. Ensure that relevant regulatory and professional standards are being used within services being delivered by your team. Help to develop and implement policies and procedures relating to your service area. Respond to queries and provide information/advice, while raising more specialist or complex queries with more experienced team members. Use your experience and problem-solving skills to investigate and resolve issues relevant to your role and make recommendations based on your findings. Continually review what is required from staff, students and others who you work with to make sure the best possible service is provided. Ensure that processes and business systems effectively support the services being delivered by the team Monitor and analyse the use of equipment and resources to ensure efficiency and report your findings to senior colleagues. Ensure that data is accurate and provide reports and analysis of patterns and trends to senior colleagues. Capture and share information and data that needs to be shared with relevant networks and committees. Use digital media [e.g. SharePoint, Social Media] to update team members and colleagues, students and external contacts. Prepare reports for senior managers.

Planning and Organising Plan and organise own workload to deliver the role. Organise and schedule assigned resources, activities and events. Monitor processes and activities to ensure team priorities are met.

Teamwork Provide specialist support and advice to team members on areas of expertise. Explain and provide instruction to other team members on how to correctly record and manage data. Make changes to the services provided by your team in discussion with other team members. Identify opportunities and contribute to decisions on how to improve services being delivered by the team. Seek feedback from students, staff and anyone else that you come across as part of your role on their requirements from your service and recommend improvements to senior colleagues.

Communications/Liaison Use your knowledge and expertise to provide advice and guidance to resolve problems and respond to a wide range of queries. Provide instruction and demonstrations to others within area of working beyond immediate team. Create good working relationships with other team members and anyone else that you come across as part of your role to work together on joint activities. Liaise with staff in other areas, professional organisations and agencies to ensure that services are being delivered in an efficient and collaborative way. Create good working relationships with internal and external partners and suppliers to work together on joint activities. Build relationships with contacts and contribute to internal and external networks to share good practice and exchange information. Liaise with external suppliers, contractors, specialists and service providers to plan the delivery of services and events.

Any other reasonable duties.