LINCOLN COLLEGE, OXFORD
FURTHER PARTICULARS: CONFERENCE AND EVENTS OFFICER
Job Title:
Conference and Events Officer (full-time, 12 months fixed term)
Department:
Domestic Bursary
Responsible to:
The Domestic Bursar
Job Purpose:
To administer the College’s conference and events activities,
from initial enquiries through to liaison with relevant
departments in college, and preparation of invoices for the
Accounts department.
Lincoln College invites applications for the full-time, 12 months fixed-term, post of
Conference and Events Officer, available from 21 September 2015 or as soon as
possible thereafter. The post-holder will administer most aspects of conference and
events activity, and assist in the marketing of the College facilities. He or she will be
responsible for many of the day-to-day contacts with potential conference and events
clients, as well as for public room bookings and events for College Fellows, staff, and
students. The post-holder will also have responsibility for issuing security fobs to
residential conference delegates, summer schools, and new Fellows, staff, and
students.
The Conference and Events Officer will be located in the Domestic Bursary, in a
small, friendly and busy team of four who handle the College’s accommodation,
catering, and conference operations.
Background information on the College and Domestic Bursary
Lincoln College was founded in 1427 in the University of Oxford and is a selfgoverning institution in which the ultimate authority for all decisions rests with the
Rector and Fellows. Lincoln has 600 students in residence, of which approximately
300 are graduates. It enjoys an excellent reputation for its undergraduate education
and has been among the top third of colleges academically for the past several years.
The College is also a popular choice for graduate applicants to the University.
Lincoln College is located on an attractive historic site in the centre of Oxford, with
excellent access to university libraries and the university’s departments and faculty
buildings. More information on the College can be found on its website,
www.lincoln.ox.ac.uk.
The Domestic Bursary has responsibility for the provision of all domestic services in
College, including catering, accommodation, conference and external business, and
maintenance and refurbishment projects. The office is situated in the heart of the
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college, and consists of the Domestic Bursar a part-time Assistant to the Domestic
Bursar, a full-time Conference and Events Officer (duties outlined below), a full-time
Accommodation Manager and a part-time Domestic Bursary Assistant.
The Domestic Bursary works closely with all departments across the College, and the
Conference and Events Officer will in particular be required to liaise frequently with
the Bursary and Accounts team, the Development Office (responsible for alumni
relations and fund-raising), the Senior Tutor’s Office (responsible for academic policy
and activities such as schools liaison and access events), Housekeeping, the Kitchen,
the Buttery, the Lodge staff, and the Bar Manager. The role will also involve day-today contact with academic Fellows and students of the College. The development of
good working relationships both within the College and with outside clients and
Conference Oxford will be essential.
The Domestic Bursary reports to the Domestic Committee and to the Governing Body
of the College via the Domestic Bursar and the Bursar.
Job Description: Conference and Events Officer
Duties and Accountabilities
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To manage the College’s conference, summer school, and events activity,
including responding to initial queries concerning availability, preparing and
issuing contracts and invoices, and collecting deposits.
To respond to enquiries received from Conference Oxford and other clients in
a timely manner.
To show facilities to potential clients, and build a database for marketing
purposes.
To maintain all records in an accurate manner, and to ensure that all confirmed
bookings are entered onto the College’s online room booking system.
To issue booking contracts and quotes to customers, and to ensure timely
return of signed contracts and initial and (where appropriate) second deposits.
To liaise with the conference and events organizers to ensure that the College
has up-to-date and accurate information about the needs of the conference. To
liaise with appropriate members of the College staff team (e.g. Lodge,
Housekeeping, Kitchen, Buttery) to ensure that the conference’s requirements
are met.
To liaise with the Domestic Bursar in the allocation of accommodation to
residential conferences and to College activities such as Open Days.
To meet conference organizers when they arrive at the College, and ensure
they have copies of all relevant paperwork.
To assist and deal with any queries raised by conference delegates, such as
accommodation problems.
To allocate rooms and collect payment for bed-and-breakfast bookings
through the vacations, liaising with College staff (e.g. Lodge, Housekeeping,
Accounts) as necessary.
To be responsible for all room bookings in College, including teaching space
for Fellows and lecturers, and bookings for students, clubs / societies, events,
etc. To plan room allocations in such a way as to ensure no double-bookings
occur.
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To issue invoices where appropriate to those clubs / societies / individuals who
wish to book rooms.
To liaise with the College maintenance team regarding provision of chairs,
tables, flip charts, etc, in public rooms, and to identify the IT requirements of
those using College rooms and to liaise with the IT manager to ensure that the
correct equipment is supplied.
To process the paperwork and issue invoices for bookings of the College
sports ground, pavilion, and Boat House.
To produce menus, seating plans, and name places for both College and
conference dinners.
To assist the Domestic Bursar in preparing forecasts and reports for review
and budgeting purposes.
To assist the Domestic Bursar in the preparation of promotional material and
web-based information related to conference activities.
To code and issue security fobs to all residential conference delegates, summer
schools, staff, new Fellows and lecturers, and new students.
To provide general support to the Domestic Bursar and the Domestic Bursar’s
Assistant when the needs of the College require it.
To undertake any other duties, consistent with the purpose of the job, as may
be assigned from time to time by the Domestic Bursar
Person specification
The successful candidate will be able to demonstrate that they have:
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Excellent written and oral communication skills ideally to A-level standard or
equivalent, and a good level of numeracy.
A confident and friendly approach, and the ability to build relationships with
people at all levels, both internally (Fellows, staff and students) and externally
(prospective clients, Conference Oxford, conference and events organizers).
An ability to work calmly under pressure, to manage several projects at any
one time, to prioritise work and meet tight deadlines.
Strong organizational skills and scrupulous attention to detail.
Excellent IT skills appropriate to a Windows-based office, including wordprocessing, manipulating spreadsheets, handling databases, and preparedness
to learn new applications as required.
The ability to work independently and flexibly as a member of a small team.
The following criteria are also desirable:
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Experience in organizing conferences and events
Familiarity with Oxford colleges
Applicants will be expected to demonstrate how their experience equips them to meet
these requirements.
Terms and Conditions
Appointment:
This is a fixed –term post for 12 months. The appointment will be
conditional on verification of the successful candidate’s availability
for employment in this country. The initial period of appointment is
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probationary, for six two months.
Salary:
Equivalent to Grade 5of the Oxford University Pay Scale, in the
range £24,057 to £28,695, depending on experience.
Pension rights: Oxford Staff Pension Scheme (OSPS)
Meals:
Free lunch is provided in College when on duty
Hours of
working:
Full time. Standard office hours are 8.45am to 5:00 pm each day
(36.25 hour week)
Annual leave
entitlement:
The post-holder will be entitled to six weeks’ paid leave in each year
on the basis of one week at Christmas and the remainder to be taken
at such time or times as shall be mutually convenient, and agreed in
advance with the Domestic Bursar. There are specific periods
during the year when the presence of the Conference & Events
Officer is essential, notably during the early part of the summer. In
addition there may be occasions when the post-holder will be
required to work on weekends and evenings to cover events, for
which days in lieu will be given.
Notice period:
During the initial probationary period, notice will be one week on
either side. Subsequent to satisfactory review and confirmation in
the post the notice period will be one month on either side.
Application process
Prospective candidates should send the following items to the College:
1. A completed application form (available at www.lincoln.ox.ac.uk/vacancies)
2. A thoughtfully-written covering letter of no more than 300 words stating how
their skills, experiences, and interests equip them to undertake this role
3. This post is subject to recruitment monitoring to ensure that the selection process
is consistent with the law and the College’s Equal Opportunity Policy and Code of
Practice. To this end, applicants are asked to complete a Recruitment Monitoring
Form, this too is available on the website. This should be returned with your
application, but should be placed in a separate sealed envelope addressed to
the Human Resources Manager. The information supplied on the form will play
no part in the selection process, and will not be seen by any member of the
selection panel.
This material should be sent to:
The Bursar’s Secretary
Lincoln College
Turl Street
Oxford
OX1 3DR
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Applications may be sent by e-mail to: bursarsec@lincoln.ox.ac.uk
Closing date for applications is 12.00 noon on Monday 14 September.
Interviews will be held at Lincoln College on Tuesday 22 September 2015. The
selection process will consist of a practical test and an interview.
Data Protection. All data supplied by applicants will be used only for the purposes of
determining their suitability for the post and will be held in accordance with the
principles of the Data Protection Act 1998.
Other Information
The successful candidate will be required to complete a confidential medical
questionnaire which will be forwarded to our Occupational Health Department who
will assess their fitness to perform this role
Lincoln College is an Equal Opportunities Employer. Conduct against fellow
employees and College members which is offensive or detrimental to them on
grounds of age, colour, disability, ethnic origin, marital status, nationality, national
origin, parental status, race, religion or belief, gender, or sexual orientation will not be
tolerated.
Any enquiries related to these Further Particulars should be directed in the first
instance to the Domestic Bursar, Mr Jim Mirabal: james.mirabal@lincoln.ox.ac.uk
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