Internal Applicants Only - Widening Participation Administrator

This position is currently open to Cardiff University employees only. Please do not apply if you do not have a valid employment contract with the university.

The Widening Participation team, part of the UK Student Recruitment and Outreach team at the University, is looking to appoint a Widening Participation Administrator. The successful candidate will provide effective and efficient administrative support and contribute to the success of the team and its related projects. The Widening Participation team primarily works with groups or students facing specific barriers to higher education, who are underrepresented in universities. It is a dynamic team, and the postholder will have the opportunity to support a wide range of events and programmes for young people and adults living in areas of high deprivation or belonging to vulnerable groups or those who are underrepresented.

The postholder will provide general administrative support to the team, including scheduling rooms, managing event resources, and providing administrative support for events. The successful candidate will handle a wide range of inquiries from key widening participation groups, thus requiring excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

In line with our commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion, we will consider applications to share jobs/work fewer hours. Please indicate this in your application.

This is a full-time position (35 hours per week) for a fixed term until 5 March 2027. The role is available immediately.

Salary: £25,249 - £26,093 per year (Grade 3)

If you would like to discuss this position, please contact Sian Catley, Widening Participation Manager (catleys@cardiff.ac.uk).

Closing date: Thursday, 21 May 2026

External applications are not being considered for this position at this time. If it is decided to open the position to external applicants, the subheading at the top will be removed, and sufficient time will be given for you to apply - keep an eye on the page for details.

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

We will also consider proposals for job sharing or flexible working to support our employees in achieving a balance between their work and personal lives.

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

Main Duties:

• Dealing with a variety of inquiries from internal and external customers professionally, understanding their requirements and adapting standard responses accordingly.
• Providing administrative support for organising events and programmes held on and off campus.
• Collaborating with others to formulate recommendations for refining current processes and procedures.
• Building working relationships with key contacts to help improve service delivery.
• Contributing to the success of the Widening Participation Team and the wider Communications and Marketing department by participating in events including Summer Schools, Open Days, evening events, and Clearing.

Specific Duties:

• Representing the University at campus events such as taster days, workshops, open days, and summer schools.
• Undertaking administrative tasks for the team, such as receiving delivered goods, liaising with the portering team, booking rooms, and ordering catering services.
• Assisting in the organisation and delivery of Widening Participation Team events.

General Duties:

• Ensuring you understand the importance of confidentiality when undertaking all duties.
• Adhering to the University’s policies regarding Health and Safety and Equality and Diversity.
• Carrying out other duties from time to time that are not included above but are consistent with the role.

Flexible working is essential for this role, as events are often held in the evenings and at weekends, and the postholder will need to support them. Occasionally, overnight stays may be required as part of this role when supporting residential summer schools.

Additional Information:

The purpose of Widening Participation is to assist those students who belong to groups that are not usually adequately represented in higher education to attend university, succeed, and support them while they are students at the university. Through a range of activities, the Widening Participation Team and colleagues from across the University support over 30,000 learners across the UK to remove barriers to higher education and help them realise their potential.

Please visit our website for more information.

A satisfactory disclosure check from the Disclosure and Barring Service will be required before you are appointed.

The role is based at Spark, Maindy Road, Cardiff. The team works in the office on Mondays and Tuesdays at least and has the option to work from home for the rest of the week. There are regular occasions when the team is required to be on campus from Wednesday to Friday (e.g., to help run events or attend meetings or training), so the postholder needs to be flexible. The role will involve working evenings, weekends, and overnight (for residential Summer Schools). Please note that annual leave cannot usually be taken during the Summer School period (late June/early July), on undergraduate and postgraduate open days, and during Clearing week in mid-August.

Information about the Department:

The Communications and Marketing Department is responsible for the reputation and branding of the University as well as student recruitment activities in the UK and internationally. It covers six areas: communications and public affairs, marketing, student recruitment and outreach in the UK, digital communications, international students, and student admissions. The Communications Team plays a vital role in developing and maintaining the University’s reputation through effective communication with the public and external and internal stakeholders. It provides information about the University’s successes and ambitions using a range of media, and the department has a filming unit. It represents the University at a corporate level. The Public Affairs Team leads on stakeholder relations locally, nationally, and internationally. Digital Communications is responsible for drafting, developing, and maintaining the external website and intranet. The Marketing Team is responsible for developing a strong corporate brand identity for the University, emphasising improved visual branding and market research. UK student recruitment and outreach play a crucial role in attracting undergraduate and postgraduate students to the University from all corners of the UK, as well as managing the University’s widening participation activities. The International Office is responsible for the University’s international recruitment strategy, advising on all matters related to international recruitment and development. The Admissions Team is responsible for managing thousands of applications each year from UK and international students, as well as leading on developing and implementing our admissions policies.

IMPORTANT: PLEASE ENSURE YOU READ THE SECTION REGARDING COMPLETING A STATEMENT TO SUPPORT YOUR APPLICATION – THE DETAILS ARE IN THE INDIVIDUAL PERSON SPECIFICATION SECTION.

Applicants should demonstrate evidence that they meet ALL essential criteria, as well as desirable criteria where applicable. As part of your application, you will be asked to provide this evidence in the form of a Supporting Statement.

When attaching it to your application profile, please remember that the job reference is the name of the document. For this position, the reference is 21638BR.

Essential Criteria:

• Qualifications and Education: NVQ 2/GCSE A-C or equivalent qualification.
• Knowledge, Skills, and Experience: Significant experience of working in an administrative or office environment using common IT packages (e.g., MS Office, Excel).
• Unquestionable organisational skills and a high level of attention to detail.
• Able to establish standard administrative systems and procedures.
• Customer Service, Communication, and Teamwork: The ability to communicate effectively and professionally with a wide range of people, particularly individuals from underrepresented groups (e.g., care leavers, asylum seekers, or young carers).
• Able to work effectively in a team and provide advice and guidance to other team members where necessary.
• Unquestionable ability to cope with requests for information or service and resolve customer problems where appropriate.
• Planning, Analysis, and Problem Solving: Willingness to undertake training and further development.
• Able to use common sense when solving problems and responding to inquiries.
• Other: Willingness to undertake training and further development.

Desirable Criteria:

• Advanced Level qualifications or equivalent.
• Experience of working in Higher Education.
• Fluent in Welsh, both written and spoken.