Job Description
– AS13074
Post Title: PA to the Director and Office Manager
Grade: Grade 5
Faculty/Department: Student & Academic Services/Reading International Office
Reports to: Deputy Director, Reading International Office (RIO)
Responsible for: Regional Administrators
Purpose
To support the Director of RIO as a personal assistant.
With support from Deputy Director of RIO to provide overall management and co-ordination of International Office’s administrative activities, systems, guidelines and procedures to strengthen the external and internal perception of the Reading
International Office.
To take responsibility for all purchasing and finance issues for RIO.
Main duties and responsibilities
As the Office Manager, manage the office effectively and efficiently to provide quality and cost-effective administrative services and business processes.
To act as a personal assistant of the Director of RIO (50%) including diary
management, support with managing Director’s inbox, contact information entry to in house contact management system, filing etc.
To manage the international enquiries’ process and assure quality handling of
enquiries coming into the general international office email account. This part of the work will be managed together with the regional administrators.
To work with the Director of RIO and Deputy Director in setting up guidelines and policies in office management processes including Health and Safety and finance. To be the RIO point of contact for health & safety issues within the building, which includes acting as deputy to the Building Manager.
To support the office in co-ordinating the arrangements for the recruitment of new staff. Supervising and managing the induction and training of members of the Team,
©University of Reading 2013 Wednesday, 12 June 2013 Page 2
including awareness of all office activities and ability to train new staff in office systems, health and safety issues etc.
Working with the Deputy Director, to contribute to the success of the Representative Strategy by managing the commission payment process.
To take responsibility for all purchasing and finance issues for RIO, from ordering, through to invoice payment and reviewing the accounts on a monthly basis, following up queries and providing summary reports to the Director of RIO.
To arrange appointments to campus for visitors where required and deliver campus tours.
For those exhibitions and missions where the Director of RIO is undertaking the activity, manage all logistics including freight, travel arrangements, follow up and filing.
To work with the regional administrators to support and maintain the mailing lists for despatch of prospectuses, mailing shots and other materials.
To manage/oversee the work of the Regional Administrators.
To manage and assess the success of activities through rigorous monitoring mechanisms and to make proposals that will ensure the success of administrative activities that are undertaken by the administrators (e.g. filing, purchasing and finance issues, agents’ commission payments, support for the network of agents, holiday and toil calendars, office systems etc).
To undertake any other activities that may be required by the Director of RIO to support the job and departmental aims.
To manage RIOs contribution to the University’s welcome week with specific responsibility for the International welcome programme.
Supervision received
Day-to-day line management will be given from the Deputy Director, with overall guidance from the Director of Reading International Office.
Supervision given
Supervision will be given to Regional Administrators
Contact
Internal International students
International Office staff Faculty Office staff
Other staff within the Student Services Directorate Academic Staff
Finance Staff
Departmental Administrative Staff Halls of Residence Staff
PAs of senior management
External Prospective International Students plus their parents/families
Other external visitors to campus including School visits Recruitment Agents
Institutions
Terms and conditions
36 hours per week. Occasional requirement for out-of-hours and weekends at peak times of the year.
This document outlines the duties required for the time being of the post to indicate the level of responsibility. It is not a comprehensive or exhaustive list and the line manager may vary duties from time to time which do not change the general character of the job or the level of responsibility entailed.
©University of Reading 2013 Wednesday, 12 June 2013 Page 4
Person Specification
– AS13074
Job Title: PA to the Director RIO and Office Manager
School/Department: International Office
Criteria Essential Desirable Skills Required Computer literacy
including databases & spreadsheets
Excellent
communication skills both written & verbal with strong interpersonal skills Excellent attention to detail Excellent customer facing skills
Ability to organise & prioritise own workload in order to deliver an efficient service Excellent telephone manner Experience of forging successful relationships with a range of contacts
Experience in carrying out desk based research and report writing
Attainment University degree or equivalent work experience
Knowledge Knowledge of the Higher Education system Knowledge of the International Education market Understanding of Customer Relationship Management processes
Relevant Experience Administrative
experience gained from working in a customer focused environment in support of a senior manager or director Experience of effective people management and development Experience of managing finance systems and processes
Experience of working as a Personal Assistant including diary & deadline management
Experience of working with young people or contacts from different cultures
Disposition Able to maintain confidentiality at all
Willingness to learn new skills
times
Enthusiasm &
commitment to the role
Flexibility & ability to work well under pressure
Able to work effectively as part of a team
Sensitivity to cultural issues & needs
Diplomatic but assertive when required
Other
Completed by: Sirin Myles Date: 4 June 2013
