NUFFIELD COLLEGE
Academic Officer
JOB DESCRIPTION
Job Title:
Academic Officer
Place of Work:
Nuffield College, New Road, Oxford
Department:
Academic Administration
Responsible to:
Senior Tutor / College Registrar
Liaison and
Co-operation with: Other Departments
Grade:
Grade C/D: £20,138 - £27,598 pa
Hours of Work:
Full-time (35 hours per week)
Purpose of the job:
The Academic Officer is a key member of the College’s Academic Administration team.
The postholder is responsible for providing support to core activities within the College,
including servicing the College’s committees; student administration; and appointment
processes for academic and research posts. He or she will also be expected to update
relevant pages of the College website and assist with the management of College
membership lists and with record-keeping more generally. The Academic Officer works
closely with the Senior Tutor and College Registrar.
NB. Unless specified otherwise in their application, candidates who apply for this post
will automatically be considered for the Nuffield College vacancy of Administrative
Assistant: Groups and Visitors. No separate application for that post is required.
Key duties in order to achieve the purpose of the job:
The duties of the Academic Officer are:
Student Administration

To assist with arrangements for the annual graduate admissions exercise, including
collating application materials; drafting correspondence; filing and record-keeping;
and collecting data.

To support induction arrangements for new students, including organising events;
preparing and collating induction materials and other paperwork; liaising with
students and academic staff.

To provide general support for the administration of current students, including
drafting correspondence; filing; arranging meetings on the Senior Tutor’s behalf; and
acting as a point of contact for students.

To coordinate arrangements for graduations and degree ceremonies, in conjunction
with the Senior Tutor, liaising with graduands, the Degrees Office and relevant
College offices as appropriate.
Committee support

To act as Secretary to some or all of the College’s Personnel and Domestic
Committee; Welfare Committee; Equality Committee; Information Systems Committee;
and Staff Council, to include in each case the production of agendas and minutes
and associated record-keeping.

To provide support for Ordinary and Stated meetings of Governing Body, the
Strategy and Resources Committee, Group Chairs Committee, and any ad hoc
working groups established by those bodies, to include the collation, copying and
distribution of agenda papers and associated administration.

To assist the College Registrar with the compilation and management of lists and
records of College membership and associated materials, including the Annual
Academic Report, the Aide Memoire and the College Remembrancer.

To assist with filing, record-keeping, and the collection and preservation of College
papers for archival purposes.
Academic appointments and elections

To provide administrative support for appointments and elections to academic and
research posts within the College, including placing adverts; collating, copying, and
distributing application materials; drafting correspondence and contract letters;
dealing with visa and right-to-work arrangements; filing and record-keeping.

To help with the maintenance of academic and research staff files; to serve as a point
of contact for academic and research staff within College.
Other

To provide administrative and organisational support for College events (or events
run by College members) as requested, including liaising with other relevant parts of
the College as appropriate.

To update the relevant pages of the College website.

To assist the Senior Tutor and College Registrar with any other duties and projects as
are reasonably required.

To deputise for the College Registrar as appropriate in his or her absence; to cover
for both Administrative Assistants as required.
Selection Criteria
Essential Criteria

Administrative experience, as a result of work or study, preferably within the Higher
Education sector.

The ability to work successfully as part of a small team and to act as an approachable
point of contact and advice for students and staff.

Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to interact effectively and in a
confident and professional manner with people at all levels; strong written
communication skills, including the ability to draft formal correspondence, committee
papers and other written materials.

Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail; experience of working to
deadlines.

A flexible and proactive approach to work; the ability to respond efficiently to
changing operational needs while also dealing effectively with routine tasks.

Experience of working independently, using initiative where required and consulting
as appropriate; the ability to exercise sound judgement under pressure.

The ability and willingness to undertake training in order to learn new skills.

Excellent IT skills; the successful candidate must be highly proficient in the use of
standard Microsoft Office applications, and must be able to adapt quickly to new and
bespoke systems (such as databases).
Desirable Criteria

Educated to first degree-level or equivalent.

Experience of supporting student administration within the University of Oxford.

Experience of servicing committees.

Experience of updating and managing websites.