About
The
Job.
Department of Psychology
Faculty of Science
Clerical Officer
About
The
Job.
Pursue the extraordinary
Overview
About the Department
The Department of Psychology has gained a rating of 5A in every Research Assessment
Exercise and it gained a rating of Excellent in the last Teaching Quality Assessment. It is a
large department with a vibrant community of postgraduate and postdoctoral researchers,
and is housed in a purpose-built five floor building which provides extensive facilities for
psychological research. The Clinical Psychology Unit is located close by. There are
approximately 40 members of academic staff in the main department and over 500
undergraduate students and over 200 postgraduate (research and taught) students. Further
information about the department and about staff research interests is available on our
website at http://www.shef.ac.uk/psychology/.
Job Role
We are looking for someone prepared to go the extra distance, have a real commitment and
who takes pride in their own role. This is a new position in a rapidly changing environment
that will require an enthusiastic and forward-thinking approach. Proven abilities to plan
ahead and work under pressure to meet strict deadlines are key as is the ability to meet the
demands of the role quickly and competently. Initiative is crucial as are the abilities to
prioritise a fluctuating and varied workload to meet tight deadlines and the facility to
respond to both new or changing operational demands. The position also requires strong IT
skills – for example, using Excel, Word, Email, and the ability to learn in-house software
packages as necessary.
Duties revolve around assisting the Technical Operations Manager who is responsible,
broadly speaking, for maintaining the Department’s estate, accommodation and finances,
and also assisting the Departmental Administrator who is responsible for the operational
infrastructure including undergraduate and postgraduate administration. For the former
you will act as the Department’s liaison with Estates & Facilities Management, reporting
faults. You will be responsible for payment to casual workers and those on Graduate
Training Contracts in line with University procedures. You will also provide advice to staff
and students on these. This role comprises many and various clerical duties to support key
processes that assist the smooth delivery of teaching and learning for the University’s
student population, and so you will work collaboratively with administrative colleagues to
provide excellent services to students and staff.
Although assigned your own discrete duties, a willingness to help colleagues and to work as
part of a team is also important to this challenging and varied role. It has been standard
practice to rotate responsibilities from time to time within the administrative team normally
in response to operational demands and for development purposes. Thus you will need to
be flexible and well organised, have good interpersonal skills to liaise confidently with all
categories of staff, students, other departments of the University and external agencies, and
to deal with confidential matters sensitively and sensibly.
Job Description
Main Duties and Responsibilities
The post will include a range of duties which may vary depending on Departmental needs
and priorities over the course of the academic year. Typically managing and prioritising your
own day-to-day workload, you will undertake a balance of duties of the type described
below (although this is not an exclusive list):

Act as departmental Estates and Facilities Management liaison, reporting faults using
Facility Net.

Arrange Ucard access, including setting up access for new members of staff and
students

Providing clerical support for the Departmental Computing Committee,
Departmental Operations Meetings, and possibly for a Faculty Working Group, by
circulating agendas and papers, and taking minutes

Maintain stationery stocks including reviewing stock levels, ordering and goods
receipting items via SAP when appropriate

Support the delivery of events including Open Days, student recruitment activities,
graduation ceremonies, Intro week events, Careers Events etc in collaboration with
colleagues.

Provide cover for other members of the administrative team as circumstances (e.g.
sickness, holiday cover, the service needs of the Department etc.) require

Make appropriate arrangements for visitors to the Department including arranging
parking

Keep the reception and public areas tidy and update information on notice boards

Provide general support to the Technical Operations Manager and Departmental
Administrator including acting as Fire Marshall and, if willing, First Aider

Assist with other projects as required and directed by the Technical Operations
Manager from time to time

Undertake training and development in areas relevant to your role

Any other duties commensurate with the grade of the post.
Person Specification
Applicants should provide evidence in their applications that they meet the following
criteria. We will use a range of selection methods to measure candidates’ abilities in these
areas including reviewing your on-line application, seeking references, inviting shortlisted
candidates to interview and other forms of assessment action relevant to the post.
Criteria
Essential Desirable
Qualifications and experience
1.
GCSE Mathematics and English (Grade C), or equivalent
X
2.
Excellent IT skills including working knowledge of Microsoft
X
Office, databases and spreadsheets
3.
Familiarity with University software packages e.g. SAP, CIS,
X
Ureports
Experience
4.
Substantial experience of working in a busy office environment
X
in a position of trust.
5.
Experience of working in an academic environment
6.
Excellent IT skills (e.g. Microsoft Word, Excel, email, internet) and
X
X
other software packages
Communication skills
7.
Effective communication skills, both written and verbal
X
8.
Excellent customer service skills, with experience of responding
X
efficiently and effectively to phone, email and face-to-face
enquiries.
9.
Ability to deal sensitively with confidential queries/material.
X
Team working
10.
Able to work collaboratively and effectively as part of a team as
X
well as independently with minimal supervision.
Personal effectiveness
11.
Ability to work with the minimum of supervision and act on own
X
initiative, seeking guidance when necessary.
12.
Able to work under pressure, to prioritise a fluctuating and
X
varied workload to meet deadlines
13.
Excellent attention to detail and produce work with a high
X
degree of accuracy
14.
Methodical approach to work
15.
Willingness to learn new skills and knowledge and undertake
X
X
training relevant to the role
16.
An ability and willingness to work within and across teams, and
X
work flexibly and adapt to new circumstances.
Organisational Skills
17.
Excellent organisational and time management skills
X
18.
Ability to assess and organise resources, plan and prioritise work
X
to meet deadlines.
Further Information
This post is part-time with a start date of 1 November 2013.
The postholder will work 17.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday.
Benefits
Terms and conditions of employment: Will be those for Grade 3 staff.
Salary for this grade: £15,303 - £17,014 per annum pro rata. Potential to progress to
£18,005 per annum pro rata through sustained exceptional contribution.
More details on salaries, terms and conditions and our wide range of benefits for staff are
available at www.sheffield.ac.uk/hr/reward/structures
Informal enquiries:
For all on-line application system queries and support, contact:
e-Recruitment@sheffield.ac.uk .
For informal enquiries about this job and department, contact: XXXX on XXXXX or by
telephone on 0114 222 XXXX.
Selection-Next Step
Following the closing date, you will be informed by email whether or not you have been
shortlisted to be invited to participate in the next stage of the selection process. Please note
that due to the large number of applications that we receive, it may take up to two working
weeks following the closing date before the recruiting department will be able to contact
you.
It is anticipated that interviews and other selection action will be held on XXX. Full details
will be provided to invited candidates.
The University of Sheffield is committed to achieving excellence through inclusion.
The University of Sheffield is proud to be a Two Ticks employer
www.sheffield.ac.uk/hr/equality/support/twoticks/
The University has achieved the Athena SWAN award for Women in Science, Engineering
and Medicine.
Pursue the extraordinary