General Administrator

Department of English Studies

Grade 4: - £24,834 - £25,733 per annum

Fixed Term - Full Time

Contract Duration: 36 months

Contracted Hours per Week: 35

Working Arrangements: In the office and from home.

Closing Date: 12-Jun-2025, 10:59:00 PM

Disclosure and Barring Service Requirement: Not Applicable.

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 Discovery Research Platform for Medical Humanities (DRP-MH) at Durham University aims to empower health and wellbeing researchers from different sectors and disciplines to co-develop new and experimental approaches to tackling health challenges, including mental health and health inequalities. It is a £9m award which aims to transform the way research is undertaken in the field of Medical Humanities. The Platform involves researchers from departments across the Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences and Sciences. It will also engage with and support international research networks, and a wide range of voluntary and health sector partnerships. The DRP-MH is hosted by the Institute for Medical Humanities (IMH) which is focused on improving health by understanding hidden experiences. The Institute and Platform are currently located at the Confluence building on Durham University’s Science Site.

The Discovery Research Platform for Medical Humanities (DRP-MH) seeks to appoint a General Administrative Assistant to join our operations team, reporting to the Operations Manager. This is a 3-year fixed term post, with the potential for an extension. The position offers an exciting opportunity for an experienced administrator to join a dynamic and friendly team. Under the supervision of the Operations Manager, the General Administrative Assistant will work with key academic Lab and Site Leads in the Platform; Institute for Medical Humanities staff and a variety of administrative teams across the University, to deliver excellent operational and administrative support. They will work flexibly to ensure the operations team functions effectively in meeting priorities, working in accordance with University and Departmental policies and procedures, demonstrating a commitment to customer service excellence.

The role will provide a diverse range of tasks and responsibilities: including supporting the leads across the platform; purchasing goods and services, as required; assisting with the administration of events; servicing management group meetings and ensuring DRP-MH administrative processes and systems give efficient and effective support, recommending changes when appropriate.

The Discovery Research Platform is an exciting place to work. Our offices in the Confluence building on Durham University’s Science site offer a friendly and pleasant environment in which to work with the flexibility of having quiet dedicated office space alongside an open plan area, meeting rooms and a well-equipped staff room. This post will be office based, but with an element of flexibility. We are also open to requests for reduced work hours to fit around family, childcare or life commitments from 0.7 FTE upwards.

Working at Durham

A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University: you will also receive access to the following fantastic benefits:

• 27 Days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year – a total of 39 days per year. 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.
• Lots of support for health and wellbeing including discounted membership for our state of the art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme.
• On site nursery is available plus access to holiday camps for children aged 5-16.
• Family friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, which are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers).
• There is a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally. There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University.
• All staff have dedicated annual time to concentrate on their personal development opportunities.
• The opportunity to take part in staff volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community.
• Discounts are available via our benefits portal including; money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, the cinema and days out at various attractions.
• We offer generous pension schemes.

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 workforce 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

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. Please provide a table in your covering letter providing evidence and examples against each criteria to allow shortlisting to take place. Further information about the role and responsibilities is at the end of this job description. Where a criterion has an asterisk* next to it, it may be given additional weighting when your application is considered.

To be considered for this role, here are the skills/experience we’re looking for:

• Qualifications/Experience

• Five GCSE’s at least Grade C or level four (or equivalent) including English Language and Mathematics or equivalent experience.
• Experience of working in a busy office environment delivering front line administrative services or having relevant qualifications for the role.
• Experience of managing time to meet deadlines and working under pressure without compromising on quality.

• Good spoken and written communication skills.
• Good digital skills including experience in using digital devices and apps including the internet, email, digital communications tools, Microsoft 365 applications, and digital booking system.
• Good numeracy skills and ability to work maintaining a high level of accuracy.
• Committed to continuing professional development.
• Ability to solve problems and resolve straightforward issues yourself and as part of a team.*
• Ability to provide advice and guidance to a range of colleagues and customers.*

• Three A-Levels Grade C or level 5 (or equivalent)
• Professional experience of working within a higher education setting
• Experience of taking meeting minutes
• Previous experience of diary management.

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 covering letter, which includes: examples of how you satisfy the selection criteria (above). Please ensure you give relevant examples of how you meet these criteria (maximum of 1200 words per criterion) a brief outline of why you are interested in this role.

Contact details

For further information about the role, please email Carolyn Blake (Operations Manager) at Carolyn.J.Blake@Durham.ac.uk.

Typical Role Requirements

Here are the kind of activities that you’ll be asked to undertake and ways in which you’ll be expected to operate.

Service Delivery

• Show a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and the University’s values
• Provide an excellent and timely service to our Platform leads and colleagues, academic Lab and Site Leads and other University Professional Services including, but not restricted to HR, Finance and Estates, and the Wellcome Trust.
• Use your experience and problem-solving skills to resolve routine issues with things relevant to your role such as payment queries, room booking queries, and meeting queries providing information and updates to help your team find solutions.
• Collect, organise and record data and information accurately and provide reports as required.
• Promote positive wellbeing arrangements which benefit you and your team.
• When carrying out your role, use and apply relevant professional and regulatory standards e.g. data protection when managing data.
• Use standard office-based devices and applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Teams and SharePoint to deliver services.
• Update guidance on standard operating procedures followed by the team.
• Arrange meeting and event venues, catering and travel arrangements for the Event Delegates, External Collaborators, Platform Leads and for other team members.
• Support Platform management group meetings to include minute taking, arranging meetings and supporting hybrid technologies.

Teamwork

• Resolve queries and respond to requests for information and advice and bring any complex issues to the attention of more experienced team members
• Help your team organise and provide administrative services that support key activities undertaken within the Platform and contribute to team planning activities.
• Help your team ensure that products and services are adapted in response to feedback and to meet changing demands.
• Flexible in approach to accommodate the needs of team members and/or service users.

Communication/Liaison

• Seek feedback from Platform members and collaborators and anyone else you come across as part of your role on their requirements from your service to ensure that their reasonable expectations are being met.
• Record information e.g. Platform Leads availability for meetings, events information and activities, purchases and bookings and respond to queries which you receive.
• Liaise with staff in other areas, professional organisations and agencies to ensure that services are being delivered in an efficient and collaborative way.
• Liaise with external suppliers, contractors, specialists and service providers to plan the delivery of services and events.
• Provide support for meetings, working groups and committees, such as preparing and sending documents for meetings, drafting reports and taking minutes, preparing table layouts and refreshments and cleaning up after meetings and events.
• Any other reasonable duties.

Useful links

If you would like further information you may find the following will help:

• Discovery Research Platform for Medical Humanities at Durham University: https://medhumsplatform.org//
• Institute for Medical Humanities at Durham University: https://www.durham.ac.uk/research/institutes-and-centres/medical-humanities/

Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement Privacy Notices - Durham University which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.

When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas.