Personal Assistant & Departmental Support Officer in Sheffield

The University of Sheffield is a remarkable place to work. Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Their diverse backgrounds, abilities and beliefs make Sheffield a world‑class university. We offer a fantastic range of benefits including a highly competitive annual leave entitlement, a generous pensions scheme, flexible working opportunities, a commitment to your development and wellbeing, a wide range of retail discounts, and much more.

Overview

There are two main aspects to this role:

• Support the Assistant Director of Research, Partnerships and Innovation (RPI) / Director Regional Engagement and Innovation with diary management, organising and supporting meetings and events, coordinating with other PAs to prioritise and schedule a range of activities.
• Be a member of the RPI support team, working with others on a range of areas which support the whole department.

Examples include:

• Acting as first point of contact for operational queries and supporting our processes relating to finance, recruitment and induction, and some aspects of H&S.
• Training will be provided in how to follow University processes and use University systems.

You have excellent organisational skills and attention to detail to deliver an efficient and responsive service. You are collaborative but also willing and able to work independently and flexibly, both within the team and across the organisation. You enjoy a varied and busy workload and can prioritise across activities. You are flexible in your approach and enjoy developing an understanding of how your role supports both individuals and the wider organisation and can make connections which amplify the work of the individuals and team you work directly with and the wider department and organisation. You understand the need for confidentiality in some aspects of a PA role and work with discretion.

Main Duties And Responsibilities

• Proactively manage the diary of the Assistant Director of RPI / Director Regional Engagement and Innovation, working closely with other PAs and teams both within and external to the organisation, ensuring they are able to deliver their objectives efficiently.
• Work with discretion, respecting confidentiality, data protection and other relevant aspects of supporting senior staff.
• Organise and coordinate meetings, events, workshops, social activities for University colleagues and external stakeholders and funders, taking a measured and collaborative approach.
• Undertake full committee servicing, including scheduling, production of documentation, taking minutes and ensuring actions are followed up in an appropriate time-frame.
• Support the wider department facilities management duties, including reporting building faults, purchasing IT equipment, reviewing office space usage, and maintenance of office supplies.
• Act as DSE (Display Screen Equipment) Assessor for the team (training will be provided).
• Build strong, productive relationships with academic and professional service colleagues and external stakeholders to ensure appropriate and effective support is provided.
• Work as part of a wider team providing operational assistance for Research, Partnerships and Innovation.
• This includes financial transactions, processing corporate cards, placing orders for catering, assisting with the recruitment and induction of new staff, advising colleagues on policies for use of relevant university systems etc.
• Work flexibly when needed so that priority administration needs are met across RPI.
• Proactively develop skills, undertaking continual professional development.
• Carry out other duties, commensurate with the grade and remit of the post.

Person Specification

Our diverse community of staff and students recognises the unique abilities, backgrounds, and beliefs of all. We foster a culture where everyone feels they belong and is respected. Even if your past experience doesn’t match perfectly with this role's criteria, your contribution is valuable, and we encourage you to apply. Please ensure that you reference the application criteria in the application statement when you apply.

Criteria

• G.C.S.Es at Grade C or above; including English and Maths (or equivalent).
• Previous experience of a similar role in any workplace context.
• Managing self/leading others: Ability to plan, prioritise and deliver your own tasks, and collaborate with a small team to agree distribution of and deliver shared tasks.
• Managing self/leading others: Experience of assisting senior colleagues in planning and prioritisation of future work, making proactive decisions regarding diary management.
• Service Delivery: Experience of planning, organising and efficient delivery of meetings and events such as workshops or focus groups.
• Effective communication: Ability to proactively collaborate with colleagues within and beyond the department to plan events and meetings, to share best practice and to develop improved processes and approaches to work.
• Effective decision making: Ability to organise resources effectively for short, medium and long term plans, considering the impact that decisions may have on workload, objectives and outcomes for self and others, and remaining flexible in the face of competing plans, in order to deliver local and university objectives.
• Effective communication: Experience of responding to queries and providing advice based on information unique to each given situation by applying knowledge drawn from similar situations in order to resolve queries from all stakeholders.
• Citizenship: Experience of contributing to the work of an organisation beyond your own role.

Further Information

• Grade: 5
• Salary: £27,319 to £31,236 (potential to progress to £33,951)
• Work arrangement: Full‑time
• Line manager: Team Support Manager
• Direct reports: N/A

For informal enquiries about this job contact Alison Hunt, PA to the Director of RPI: a.m.hunt@sheffield.ac.uk.

Next steps in the recruitment process

It is anticipated that the selection process will take place week commencing 20th April 2026. This will consist of a test and interview. We plan to let candidates know if they have progressed to the selection stage on the week commencing 13th April 2026. If you need any support, equipment or adjustments to enable you to participate in any element of the recruitment process you can contact Stephanie Riley at stephanie.riley@sheffield.ac.uk. We are a Disability Confident Employer. If you have a disability and meet the essential criteria for this job you will be invited to take part in the next stage of the selection process.

What We Offer

• A minimum of 38 days annual leave including bank holiday and closure days (pro rata) with the ability to purchase more.
• Flexible working opportunities, including hybrid working for some roles.
• Generous pension scheme.
• A wide range of discounts and rewards on shopping, eating out and travel.
• A variety of staff networks, providing opportunities for social interaction, peer support and personal development.
• Recognition Awards to reward staff who go above and beyond in their role.
• A commitment to your development access to learning and mentoring schemes.
• A range of generous family‑friendly policies.

More details can be found on our benefits page.

We are a research university with a global reputation for excellence. Our ideas and expertise change the world for the better, making a real difference to society. We know that when people come together with different views, approaches and insights it can lead to richer, more creative and innovative teaching and research and the highest levels of student experience.