Executive Assistant and Divisional Administrator

Do you enjoy using your strong organisational skills in a busy and varied role? Are you a pro-active self-starter who enjoys working independently and as part of a team? Do you have excellent interpersonal skills, with the ability to develop good working relationships and communicate effectively with people at all levels? Do you have an interest in higher education? If so, we have an exciting opportunity for a part-time Executive Assistant and Divisional Administrator to join our team.

The mission of the Strategic Planning Divisionis to understand and appreciate the academic mission of the College and to apply this within the context of expert knowledge of the external funding and policy environment. In this role, you will be pivotal in ensuring the smooth running of the Division and ensuring that the Director’s time is managed effectively.

Imperial has a greater proportion of world-leading research than any other UK university and is consistently placed in the top ten of the world rankings. We are The Guardian University Guide University of the Year 2023, The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide (GUG) University of the Year 2022 and received the GUG award as University of the Year for Student Experience 2022.

Duties and responsibilities

You will be responsible for providing personal and team executive support and acting as the Divisional Administrator. The role is varied and includes to:

• Manage the Director’s electronic diary; book meeting rooms; provide documentation for meetings; ensure effective use is made of Director’s time
• Use judgement to prioritise the urgency of issues/meetings/requests for time, rescheduling and reorganising as necessary
• Organise internal and external meetings
• Support the Director in the preparation and monitoring of the Division’s budget and in the review and updating of the Division’s risk register when required
• Research and draft presentations, documents, e-mails etc. on behalf of the Director, as required, including proof-reading, formatting, analysing information and statistical data
• Take a proactive approach to the running of the Division, and ensure effective and efficient administrative processes
• Provide support to the Departmental Review process undertaken by the Division, including diary liaison and supporting and co-ordinating arrangements for external and internal panel members in conjunction with the Provost’s Office
• Prepare agendas, collate and circulate papers and take minutes at meetings, as required
• Act as the Division’s key contact with professional services across the College, for example HR, ICT, Finance and the Building Manager/Estates team
• Coordinate any equipment needs and moves, as needed
• Maintain and update the Division’s website
• Provide excellent administrative support to members of the Strategic Planning Division. For example, raising purchase orders, purchasing equipment and stationery
• Develop good working relationships and maintain good communication with other support staff colleagues, and other departments and services within the College

Essential requirements

To do this successfully, you will have:

• A degree and/or professional qualification
• Experience in the Higher Education sector in a similar or related role, having worked in office administration, and an interest in the sector and the key issues it faces
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage a busy and varied workload and deliver to a high standard
• Excellent and clear written, numerical and oral communication skills, with demonstration of diplomacy and ability to tailor to different audiences
• Excellent interpersonal and negotiation skills with ability to communicate effectively with staff at all levels and build strong working relationships
• Excellent IT skills including Microsoft Office, e-recruitment systems and Management Information Systems as well as a proven ability to use MS Teams, SharePoint, One Drive, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook etc. to a high level
• Ability to work on own initiative, with proven analytical and problem-solving skills, and taking responsibility for activities/processes
• An approach which is tactful and diplomatic and able to deal with confidential matters/material/information with complete discretion
• A high degree of accuracy and attention to detail in both written and numerical work
• Experience of data analysis, interpretation of data and statistics and monitoring of budgets
• Experience of servicing committees/meetings, including drafting agendas, preparing paper packs, minute taking
• A flexible and cooperative approach, and happy to work as part of a team

Further information

The post is offered as a part-time (0.5 FTE) open-ended contract. Imperial College London employees enjoy a range of benefits, including generous annual leave, subsidised leisure facilities and an excellent professional development programme.

For more information or if you wish to discuss this role informally, contact Carole Hobden at c.hobden@imperial.ac.uk

When making your application, please consider the requirements in the person specification, including those not explicitly requested on the application form.

Closing date: Sunday 26 March 2023 (midnight GMT)

Interviews will be held week commencing 17 April 2023.

The College is currently trialling a Work Location Framework until early 2023. Hybrid working may be considered for this role and the role holder may be expected to work 60% or more of their time onsite, with 40% the minimum time spent onsite. The opportunity for hybrid working will be discussed at interview.

• Executive Assistant and Divisional Administrator.pdf