Academic Administrator in London

Company: Victoria College of Arts and Design

Salary Range: £30,000 to £35,000 per annum

Employment Type: Full-Time

Work Schedule: Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm

Location: ON-SITE, London, England, United Kingdom

About Victoria College of Arts and Design (VCAD): VCAD is a dynamic and innovative higher education institution, with campuses at London Canary Wharf, London Borough and Manchester City Centre.

Role Overview: The Academic Administrator provides support to academic and senior administrative staff, playing a key role in the efficient administrative delivery of VCAD’s academic programmes. The role involves managing daily administrative tasks, including the input, organisation, and dissemination of relevant data. It requires assisting with various academic schedules and promoting effective communication among departments, academic staff, and students. The position demands exceptional organisational skills, a proactive approach, and the ability to work effectively in a dynamic student-centred environment.

Key Responsibilities:

• Academic Support Services: Provide administrative support for academic management staff, including arranging and managing meetings, liaising with external partners and stakeholders, and ensuring VCAD academic operations are efficiently kept up to date.
• Assist the academic department with the recording, coordination and dissemination of teaching schedules and academic calendar events.
• Support the management of various Human Resources related tasks, including recruitment, onboarding and payroll.
• Recruitment: Regularly communicate with potential candidates, coordinate interview schedules and participate in interviews, ensuring alignment with staffing needs.
• Onboarding: Conduct induction sessions with new hires, coordinate with HR for IT/system access, and allocate classes, ensuring the appropriate setup of academic materials.
• Contracts: Assist senior academic managers and VCAD Human Resources in the development, processing and management of a variety of Academic Department employment contracts.
• Payroll: Assist in the preparation, management and distribution of payroll data relevant to the Academic Department.
• Where appropriate, facilitate the recording and maintenance of student information and data, including the submission of assignments, grade marks, attendance records, engagement metrics, and other insights as reasonably requested by Academic Staff.
• Support the maintenance and distribution of academic course documentation, including programme and module specifications, reading lists, and programme handbooks.
• Student Records and Data Management: Maintain accurate and confidential student records, ensuring compliance with VCAD and our Partner’s policies and GDPR requirements.
• Use data management systems to generate and manage insights regarding timetables, staff reports and other appropriate coordination metrics.
• Communication and Liaison: Be available as a regular point of contact for academic staff regarding basic academic queries and information.
• Liaise between departments, faculty members, and students to facilitate the exchange of information and updates on academic matters.
• Assist in the accurate and timely communication of academic policies, deadlines, and announcements to students and staff.
• Event Coordination: Assist in organising and delivering academic-related events such as induction sessions, open days, graduation ceremonies, and academic workshops.
• Coordinate operational aspects of VCAD’s academic delivery, such as room bookings, audio-visual requirements and resource management.
• Policy and Compliance: Assist Academic Management colleagues in ensuring compliance with VCAD and our Partners’ policies and procedures, particularly regarding academic regulations and other essential regulatory responsibilities.
• Support and advise academic staff in implementing and adhering to quality assurance processes.
• Daily General Administrative Support: Handle day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining office systems, management of lecturer availability, assist with timetable and classroom provision, and liaising with VCAD IT colleagues for technical needs.
• Undertake other administrative duties as reasonably requested by Academic Management colleagues.

Qualifications & Experience:

• Essential: Experience in an administrative role, ideally within higher education.
• Confidence and ability to manage and communicate complex written information.
• Proficiency in the use of appropriate data management systems such as Excel for scheduling, formatting, and report generation.
• Ability to utilise a range of digital programmes, particularly Moodle and similar VLE platforms, and Microsoft Office / 365.
• A willingness to engage in Higher Education focused Professional Development.
• Desirable: Basic familiarity with GDPR and other regulatory and quality assurance policies as they apply to the Higher Education sector.
• Knowledge of the Higher Education sector.

Benefits:

• Annual leave (7.2 weeks)
• Workplace pension scheme
• Company Sick Policy
• Statutory maternity/paternity pays
• Career development opportunities
• Training and self-development opportunities
• Gym membership discounts
• Retail discount schemes
• Cinema discounts
• Grocery discounts
• Cycle to work
• Investing and savings opportunities
• Financial wellbeing – personal debt advice
• Financial wellbeing education
• My Mind Pal (mental fitness)