Job Specification
Support Team Assistant
(Registry Operations)
Salary Scale: £16, 577 – £18,549 per annum
Vice-Chancellor & Principal
Professor Peter Rolf Lutzeier Dipl–Math M Litt. Dr phil. Dr phil. habil FHEA
FRSA
Newman University
Newman University
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Newman was founded in 1968 by the Catholic Education Service to train teachers in the Midlands,
gained taught degree awarding power in 2007 and was awarded university status in February 2013.
Newman University is one of three Catholic universities in the UK.
Our vision is ‘to be a student centred university firmly rooted in the community providing a formative
education informed by the Catholic ethos’. The motto ‘ex umbris in veritatem’ (out of the shadows into
truth) expresses our passion for education and our mission is centred around the Catholic values
‘respect for others’, ‘social justice’ and ‘equity’ and we aim in all we do to ensure that human beings
reach their potential and have a sense of vocation.
We are a niche institution, distinctive by name and by nature. Newman University is named after
Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman (1801-90), one of the intellectual giants of the 19th century. His
life was marked by a constant struggle for integrity and truth at considerable cost to himself. His
explorations of the human intellectual and spiritual journey anticipate much of the contemporary work
on multiple modes of intelligence and understanding that underpin the way we learn and teach at
Newman University. In his famous lectures ‘The Idea of the University Defined and Illustrated’ he
emphasised the main role of the university to be there for the students and to train the mind rather
than to diffuse useful knowledge. To this end he developed the tutorial system and the concept of a
learning community which again we use to good effect here at Newman University. A deeply spiritual
man, he was always available to the people of Birmingham, rich and poor, who came to him for
advice and instruction. He died a Cardinal of the Catholic Church, honoured internationally, but it is his
ability to touch and enlighten the hearts of so many, from so many different walks of life, that make
him such a fitting patron for our University and its mission in contemporary British society.
We are distinctive by nature in the way as to how we do things: we are values-driven, class sizes are
relatively small, lecturers are able to give students individual challenge and support and we offer
excellent general student support services. Our National Student Survey score for ‘Student
Satisfaction’ in 2012 was two percentage points above the national average and Which? Magazine in
its comparison of 181 institutions with Higher Education provision in May 2013 rated us with a ‘High’
in Student Score and a ‘High’ in Graduate Employment as No1 University in Birmingham.
Situated on the outskirts of South West Birmingham, Newman University’s campus is based in Bartley
Green, some 8 miles from the city centre, and overlooks Bartley Green reservoir and the
Worcestershire countryside beyond. Its location makes it convenient for access to both the M5 and
M42 motorways.
Being founded as recently as 1968, the buildings are modern and purpose-built. The campus is
arranged around a series of inner quadrangles of lawns and trees with the attractive octagonal chapel
at its centre. Halls of residence provide single study-bedrooms for some 250 students. Newman
University invested 20M in a new, iconic entry and library building with a huge atrium as general
meeting point, extended and refurbished the sports studies facilities and created some relevant
artwork on campus.
Newman University welcomes staff and students of all faiths and none and from a wide variety of
backgrounds. Diversity is seen as a strength and an asset.
Support Team Assistant (Registry Operations)
October 2015
Newman University
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Job Description
Job Title:
Support Team Assistant, Registry Operations
Grade:
3
Salary
£16, 577 – £18,549 per annum
Hours:
Full time
Reporting to:
Registry Support Team Leader
Purpose of post:
To act as a member of the Registry Support Team, to
service the Registry Counter and to provide a high quality
customer service to students. To be able to respond to
all routine enquiries from students and to support other
Registry work as required.
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Main Responsibilities:
a) As a member of Registry Support Team, to work on the Registry Counter and
ensure that students receive an effective and timely response to their queries.
b) To respond to and undertake all routine requests from students. This will
include letter requests, module registration, receipt of course work, completion
of Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) forms.
c) To arrange for students with more complex queries to speak to the appropriate
member of staff.
d) To assist with the maintenance of the news service and the posting of news on
the digital screens around the University.
e) To book rooms within the University under the guidance of the Deputy Head of
Operations (Student Records and Support Team)
f) Enrolment and tracking of students using the student records system, the
recording of withdrawals, suspensions, internal course transfers and change of
modules.
g) To provide back up for other areas of the Registry during busy times or where
staff are absent due to illness or holiday.
h) Other duties as required by the Team Leader and Deputy Head of Operations
(Student Records and Support).
Support Team Assistant (Registry Operations)
October 2015
Newman University
2.
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Health & Safety:
 Under the H&SAWA 1974 the post holder must take reasonable care of their
own health and safety and that of any other person who may be affected by
their acts or omissions. The post holder must also co-operate with the
University on all matters concerning health and safety and not interfere with,
or misuse, anything provided for the purpose of health, safety or welfare.
3.
General

This job description summarises the main duties and accountabilities of the
post and is not exclusive. The post holder is required to undertake other
duties of similar level of responsibility.

It is anticipated that this job description will change over time in accordance
with the needs of the role. The role holder will be consulted on any proposed
amendments.

It is a condition of employment that staff will not disclose any information
obtained in the course of their duties other than to those entitled to receive it.
The postholder must ensure that the confidentiality of personal data remains
secure and the terms of the Data Protection Act and relevant University
policies are met in respect of information held on the University’s
computerised systems.

The University is committed to equality of opportunity. All staff are required
to comply with current legislation, University policies and good practice
guidance.

All staff are required to participate in the University appraisal process and
undertake in any necessary training and development, to keep up to date with
the requirements of the job.

The University acknowledges its responsibility to provide a safe, smoke free
environment, to its employees, service users and visitors. The University
therefore actively discourages smoking on University property.
Support Team Assistant (Registry Operations)
October 2015
Newman University
4.
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Person Specification
Criteria
Educational
Qualifications and
Training
Essential
Desirable
An honours degree or equivalent
qualifications/experience
Experience of administrative work
Relevant work
experience and/or
knowledge
Form of
Assessment
 Application form
 Interview
Experience of administrative
work in a customer focused
or educational context
 Application form
 Interview
Good oral communication skills
Relevant and/or
Specific skills
required
Desire to give excellent customer
service to students
 Application form
 Interview
Good IT skills including entering
data into systems, using
spreadsheets and other Microsoft
Office packages.
Personal qualities
and attributes
Able to work well as a member of
a team
Support Team Assistant (Registry Operations)
 Application form
 Interview
October 2015
Newman University
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General Terms & Conditions of Employment
This post is a full time appointment, offered on a permanent basis. It will be remunerated on the
single pay spine, at Grade 3 at £16, 577 – £18,549 per annum per annum. The appointment is
subject to meeting all pre-employment clearances and requirements of the Person Specification.
All new employees undergo a period of probation in accordance with the University Probationary
Scheme and confirmation of employment is dependent on the satisfactory completion of that
probationary period.
The standard hours of work are based on 37 hours per week for Professional and Support Staff and
35 hours per week for Academic Staff. Your line manager will discuss with you the required working
hours.
The University holiday year runs from January to December for Professional and Support Staff and
from September to August for Academic Staff. In addition to Statutory Bank Holidays and local
discretionary holidays, the post carries an entitlement to 35 working days of paid leave during the
course of the holiday year (pro rata if the appointment is made during the holiday year).
It is a condition of employment that all relevant posts are vetted by the Disclosure Barring Service
(DBS) and if it applies to this appointment you will be required to undertake a DBS check. The
University will pay the fee for this service. Any false declarations or any findings from the Disclosure
could affect the suitability for employment.
Pension and Auto Enrolment
If you meet the criteria set out below, and are not already an active member of any of our pension
schemes, the University is required to auto-enrol you into a suitable pension scheme.
The criteria for auto-enrolment is:



Age - if you are 22 or over but no more than State Pension Age
Earnings - a minimum of £10,000 per year
Working in the UK
The pension schemes supported by Newman University are:



http://tps.co.uk - Teachers’ Pension Scheme for academic staff
http://aviva.co.uk - Aviva Scheme for professional and support staff
http://www.nestpensions.org.uk - National Employment Savings Trust, NEST for staff not
eligible to join either of the above schemes
You will be auto-enrolled into the National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) unless you are an
academic and eligible to contribute to TPS, or other member of professional and support staff
employed on a substantive contract of employment, in which case you will be auto-enrolled into Aviva,
our defined contributory scheme. You will receive a notice from the University telling you that you
have been auto-enrolled and advising you of your options, including the right to opt out. This will
normally be sent as an email - so it is important that you provide us with an email address and let us
know if it changes (contact your HR team with any changes in your contact details) Once you have
been auto-enrolled, you will have an option to opt-out of the pension scheme and receive a refund of
your first contribution. There is a time limit of one month in which to do this, and you will have to
contact your pension scheme to make this happen; the University is prohibited, by law, from
helping you to opt-out.
Support Team Assistant (Registry Operations)
October 2015
Newman University
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Staff Benefits
We offer a range of Staff Benefits including Staff Membership for all Sports/Leisure Facilities, along
with Chaplaincy and Spiritual Care, Catering Facilities, Library Services, Occupational Health Service,
Child Care Vouchers, Cycling to Work, Travel Discount Cards, Staff Development opportunities and a
Staff Common Room Further details of the range of staff benefits available can be found on our
website (www.newman.ac.uk).
Procedure for Application
Applications should be submitted by post or e-mail on the University Application Form and should be
completed in black ink or typescript so as to facilitate photocopying. We only accept a CV as
supplementary part of the application process. Considerable emphasis is placed in the selection
process on Section 5 of the application form. This should set out the qualifications, experience skills
and qualities, which you would bring to the post and should refer explicitly to the essential and
desirable qualities for the post as detailed above.
The University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and we operate the Two Ticks Positive about
Disability Standard which amongst other things guarantees an interview to disabled applicants who
meet the essential criteria of the job specification.
Two referees should be identified who must be people who can comment authoritatively on you as a
person and as an employee in relation to the level of the post, and must include your current or most
recent employer or his/her representative. You must disclose whether you are related to any
employee of the University, or to any member of the Council. Canvassing for appointment
disqualifies.
Please note that we reserve the right to remove this advert prior to the advertised date,
dependent on the level of response received. You are therefore advised to apply at your
earliest convenience.
Should you be selected for interview please be aware that we are unable to reimburse interview
expenses. If you have not heard from us within four weeks of the advertised closing date, please
assume that you have not been shortlisted.
Closing date for applications: Monday 26th October 2015
Support Team Assistant (Registry Operations)
October 2015