Operations Coordinator - Schools of Psychology and Biosciences - 105872 - Grade 5 in Birmingham

As an Operations Coordinator within the Schools of Psychology and Biosciences you will provide support for a broad range of administrative duties, some of which may be complex. You will use your excellent organisational skills and attention to detail to ensure the people you support are well prepared, and that the tasks you carry out are completed to a high quality in a timely manner. The role will involve liaison with the School Head of Operations, School Operations Officer and members of staff from the School, College and wider University. The working relationship between the Operations Coordinator and the Head of School is of paramount importance to the success of the School and its efficient operation.

Role Summary

As an Operations Coordinator to the Head of School within a team/department you will provide support for a broad range of administrative duties, some of which may be complex. You may also be responsible for managing other staff or for supporting colleagues and sharing knowledge. You will use your excellent organisational skills and attention to detail to ensure the people you support are well prepared, and that the tasks you carry out are completed to a high quality in a timely manner.

Main Duties

• Undertake complex diary management and meeting planning, usually 6‑12 months ahead, making decisions on the best use of time.
• Proactive inbox management, with confidence to make decisions on behalf of others where appropriate.
• Deal with a wide range of more complex enquiries and correspondence independently or exercising judgement to redirect them to senior colleagues or other departments within the University.
• If in a supervisory role, you will line manage all staff and take responsibility for co‑ordinating and prioritising the work of others.
• Maintain high profile working relationships with key stakeholders, fielding enquiries and ensuring that appropriate information is disseminated to stakeholders as appropriate.
• Proactively prepare and collate meeting‑related papers, working collaboratively to determine what information might be required in advance of a meeting.
• Arrange complex UK and overseas travel, including booking flights, hotels, transfers, and organisation and planning of itineraries.
• Organisation of events including booking a venue, sending invitations, arranging refreshments, liaising with speakers, managing bookings, co‑ordination of colleagues, advertising, collating feedback and reporting back.
• Collate, analyse and interpret data.
• Manage some smaller projects on own initiative, but also carry out desk research and source data from internal and external sources.
• Support the management, development and implementation of operational processes and systems.
• Take responsibility for monitoring budgets including processing payments, authorising expenditure, raising concerns where finances are not in line with the budget.
• Procuring goods and services through the University system.
• Updating and writing content for the department’s communications.
• Dealing with health and safety and facilities issues.
• HR‑related tasks such as managing staff absence, induction, or dealing with leavers.
• Dealing with arrangements for international visitors.
• Monitoring internal procedures/compliance and ensuring these are followed and disseminated as appropriate.

Supports equality and values diversity, moderating own behaviour to avoid unfair discriminatory impact or bias on others.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• Educated to A Level standard, or equivalent level 3 qualification.
• Minimum of grade C/4 in Mathematics and English at GCSE or equivalent level 2 qualification.
• Highly proficient IT skills, particularly in handling complex electronic diaries and emails, the wider MS Office suite of programmes including Excel and PowerPoint.
• Proven ability to plan ahead and anticipate requirements.
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to write for different audiences.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• A high degree of professionalism, tact, and diplomacy.
• A high degree of initiative, personal judgement, resourcefulness, flexibility, and a self‑motivating approach.
• Ability to work effectively in a large, complex organisation.
• Ability to understand policy and procedures and how to apply these.
• PA experience (e.g. diary management, events organisation) desirable.

Dimensions

This role will require you to exercise personal initiative within and beyond the department. You may manage a team or budgets.

Planning and organising

This role will require you to work independently on daily, weekly and monthly tasks but also on projects with medium‑to‑longer‑term horizons without daily supervision.

Problem solving and decision making

You will work under the direction of the senior manager you support, but you will have a significant degree of autonomy.

Internal and external relationships

You will be liaising with a wide range of internal colleagues and stakeholders, likely to be University‑wide and with external stakeholders.