About usUCL’s Office of the President & Provost supports the President & Provost across the full range of their responsibilities as the academic leader of the university. The team provides high-level logistical, administrative, executive and policy support, enabling the President & Provost and their leadership team to deliver strategic priorities and lead change across UCL.The office operates in a fast-paced, high-profile and highly sensitive environment, working closely with colleagues across UCL and with external stakeholders. The President & Provost represents UCL nationally and internationally and engages with governments, organisations and other stakeholders across the higher education sector.The team works collaboratively with UCL’s Business Operations Service (BOS) and the wider network of Executive and Personal Assistants. Together, they provide coordinated, professional and effective support to senior leaders across the university.The environment requires professionalism, discretion, confidentiality, flexibility and excellent relationship-building skills, particularly when working with senior colleagues and high-profile internal and external stakeholders.About the roleThis is a varied and challenging new role at the heart of the President & Provost's Team.As Senior Administrator, you will play a pivotal role in the smooth running of the team's executive support provision, providing high-level support to the Chief of Staff and Deputy Chief of Staff. You will take a strategic approach to their forward schedules. You will handle sensitive issues and correspondence, prepare briefings, and manage preparation for and follow-up from key meetings, committees and working groups. You will also coordinate their special projects and their engagement with the wider senior leadership team.You will manage projects, away days and events led by the Chief of Staff from start to finish. This includes research and horizon-scanning, stakeholder engagement, logistics (venues, catering, AV and travel), briefing papers and correspondence, agendas, records of decisions and actions, budgets, and evaluation of what worked. You will act as a conduit between the Chief of Staff and the team and maintain a forward look and yearly cycle of activity that maps governance deadlines, reporting cycles and key milestones. That way the team can anticipate peaks and clashes rather than react to them.You will also support the P&P core team's weekly meetings, the wider performance cycle (including senior leadership team objectives and appraisals), and, working with the governance team, the team's engagement with formal governance committees. You will assist the diary secretaries with strategic direction and line manage the Administrator, working in tandem with colleagues across the executive support function.This a chance to support the top level of the institution in a complex, fast-moving and highly sensitive environment, where you can make a real difference to how time and impact are used.This role is based at UCL's Bloomsbury Campus.If you have any questions about the role or the application process, please contact Passant Khalifa (Senior Recruiter) at About youYou are a pragmatic, focused and highly organised professional with a can-do attitude and a keen eye for detail. You are used to providing senior administrative and/or secretarial support to leaders in a complex organisation, and you plan ahead by anticipating needs, dependencies and next steps rather than waiting to be asked. You are comfortable challenging a request when it's the right thing to do, and you stay calm and adaptable when priorities shift or something unexpected lands at the last minute.You are confident managing a demanding workload, and you bring analytical and problem-solving skills to it. You can work independently, make sense of complex issues even when information is incomplete, and are comfortable where there is no clear precedent. You draft clear, timely and fit-for-purpose communications, briefings and reports. You are proficient with standard office and productivity tools, including PowerPoint and a project or task management tool such as Microsoft Planner, and use them to produce high-quality materials and coordinate work effectively.Discretion and diplomacy are essential, and you will be trusted with confidential and sensitive information. You communicate tactfully and assertively, build effective relationships across UCL and externally, and enjoy working as a supportive, service-minded team player across different functions and ways of working. You have some experience of, or are comfortable with, line managing and working in tandem with diary secretaries and other executive support colleagues.Experience in line managing a diary secretary or manager, optimising office processes and digital tools, or delivering a welcoming front-of-house experience would be an advantage.What we offerAs well as exciting opportunities, UCL offers a range of great benefits. Find out more: UCL Rewards and Benefits.41 days’ holiday (27 days annual leave, 8
Senior Administrator in London employer: UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON
UCL's Information Services Division (ISD) is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work environment that fosters innovation and collaboration among over 50,000 staff and students. With a commitment to employee growth, ISD provides extensive benefits including 41 days of holiday, a defined benefit pension scheme, and opportunities for professional development in cutting-edge technology areas. Located in the heart of London, UCL promotes a diverse and inclusive culture, making it an ideal place for those looking to make a meaningful impact in higher education.
