Senior Administrator - Internal Candidates only in London

About usUCL Advancement is a dynamic and collaborative team, responsible for engaging our alumni and supporter community, and developing philanthropic partnerships to support UCL’s objectives. UCL has launchedHere, it will happen, our biggest philanthropic and engagement campaign yet, in our bicentennial year, that sets out our ambitions to solve global health, societal, climate and education challenges in UCL’s next century.Here, we have the determination to double down on our discoveries, translate our innovations into impact and inspire the citizens of the future. The campaign will unite some of the world’s best researchers, with a committed donor and alumni community, to fuel the next 200 years of societal impact at UCL.This role sits within the Executive Support function of the Advancement Planning & Performance (APP) team in UCL Advancement. The APP team oversees the implementation of Advancement's strategic plan, including the launch and delivery of the philanthropic campaign, through coordinated and high-level strategic and operational support in line with the department's priorities and institutional relationships.The Executive Support team supports the Vice-President (Advancement) (VPA) across the full range of their activities as a senior leader of the university. The team consists of a Senior Executive Officer (SEO), Senior Administrator and Diary Manager. Led by the SEO, the team provides strategic, logistical and administrative support to the VPA to ensure they can lead on all areas of Advancement activity. The team works closely with other parts of UCL, including the President & Provost’s (P&P) Office and Executive Assistants across the university, to ensure effective briefing and support in many aspects of the VPA role.The Executive Support remit is fast-moving and high-profile, managing both internal and external engagements. The post will suit an experienced administrator and/or project coordinator with a positive and professional attitude, a willingness to help and confidence to manage effective relationships with key stakeholders. The ideal candidate will demonstrate excellent team working and collaboration skills and an ability to remain calm and logical under pressure. The APP team is evolving, along with wider growth across Advancement, so a willingness to come on this journey with us is key.As London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong. We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce.Job purposeThe Senior Administrator will play an important role in bringing robust support to the Executive office of the Vice-President (Advancement) and Executive team.Support the delivery of Advancement’s strategic objectives by effectively coordinating meetings, briefings and key activities ensuring leaders are equipped to make informed and timely decisions.Anticipate requirements, exercise sound judgment and contribute to continuous improvement of processes and ways of working, enhancing the effectiveness of administrative support across Advancement.Due to the nature and scale of our office and the role, direction of work may come from outside of the APP team, such as the Associate Director of Operations.About the roleDuties & ResponsibilitiesBriefings & Document ManagementAs a critical priority, ensure all briefings, papers and speaking notes for the VPA are filed in the correct daily folders and work proactively with stakeholders to chase any missing or partial documentation, with a clear understanding of how the VPA prepares for meetings and accesses information so that she can use her time most effectively.Develop and continuously improve processes to ensure that briefings and documents are managed accurately and consistently, using feedback to drive enhancements and increase effectiveness.Executive Operations and Diary Management Under the guidance of the Senior Executive Officer and in close partnership with the Diary Manager, carry out high-quality operations, administrative and project coordination tasks to underpin the activities of the Office of the Vice-President (Advancement).Provide cover for the Diary Manager when they are on leave and manage VPA’s internal and external diary appointments.Stakeholder Engagement & Data ManagementDevelop and maintain a strong understanding of the VPA’s key stakeholder landscape and relationships, including the critical role of the President and Provost’s Office in advancing institutional objectives across the institution.Maintain and update all VPA contact records and interactions within the institutional CRM, maintaining data integrity.Travel & Event LogisticsArrange and book comprehensive travel logistics, including flights, hotels and local transport for VPA conferences and training trips.Coordinate domestic travel arrangements for VPA development trips in close collaboration with the Global Visits Manager.Over time, develop a strong understanding of the VPA’s extensive travel schedule and her travel preferences and requirements, proactively providing informed advice and recommendations to support effective travel planning and decision-making.Research and manage room bookings, catering and logistics for departmental and Executive meetings and away days.Financial & Compliance AdministrationProcess VPA expenses accurately and efficiently, using correct budget codes and investigating any anomalies in a timely manner.Process and manage all administration related to gift and hospitality declarations for VPA, ensuring strict alignment with institutional policy.Office Administration & Process ImprovementCarry out other general administrative duties for VPA such as ordering updated business cards and maintaining stock of OVPA-branded stationary for written correspondence.Use appropriate tools, techniques and software to stay on top of priorities and keep track of progress to ensure all requests are managed, with a focus on pre-empting needs so they can be addressed accordingly.Build strong working relationships with peers across the department, with an eye for continuous improvements to administrative systems and processes that help colleagues work as effectively as possible with the VPA and the Executive Support team.Some out-of-hours working may be required to support the VPA while travelling. Time off in lieu (TOIL) will be considered where appropriate.About youQualifications, experience and knowledgeExperience in a senior administrative or project coordination role, ideally within a complex and fast-paced environment such as higher education, government or large organisations.High degree of proficiency in Microsoft Office products, especially Excel.Experience in administering and optimising overall functionality of office processes and digital platforms and tools to enhance cross-team collaboration and operational efficiency.Experience coordinating high-level meetings, and away days, ensuring all logistical elements are taken care of, from venue arrangements to catering and guest management.Skills and abilitiesAn excellent team player, with a proactive, service-oriented mindset and can-do approach, comfortable working across multiple functions in a matrix structure, and adaptable to diverse ways of working.Able to work independently and take ownership of tasks, with a demonstrated capacity to support high-level, multi-faceted institutional projects, demonstrating an understanding of how administrative work supports strategic objectives.Highly organised with the ability to manage multiple priorities and to balance diverse tasks while maintaining a high level of efficiency.Strong attention to detail, identifying discrepancies and ensuing no details are overlookedA high degree of professionalism and discretion in managing sensitive information, maintaining confidentiality and having the confidence to engage with senior and high-profile stakeholders.Ability to respond to verbal and written queries in a concise and logical way, ensuring critical information is clearly and accurately communicated to support decision-making.Good interpersonal skills to tactfully and assertively communicate with others, and to develop effective, professional working relationships across UCL and externally. What we offerAs well as the exciting opportunities this role presents we also offer some great benefits some of which are below:41 Days holiday (including 27 days annual leave 8 bank holiday and 6 closure days)Defined benefit career average revalued earnings pension scheme (CARE)Cycle to work scheme and season ticket loanOn-Site nurseryOn-site gymEnhanced maternity, paternity and adoption payEmployee assistance programme: Staff Support ServiceDiscounted medical insuranceOur commitment to Equality, Diversity and InclusionAs London’s Global University, we know diversity fosters creativity and innovation, and we want our community to represent the diversity of the world’s talent. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong.We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in UCL’s workforce.These include people from Black, Asian and ethnic minority backgrounds; disabled people; LGBTQI+ people; and for our Grade 9 and 10 roles, women.You can read more about our commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion here :