job related information 10887 - open university · experience of developing and maintaining...

Open University Students Association, Charity Commission Registration Number in England & Wales: 1144251; in Scotland SC042840

Further Particulars

This document includes information about the role for which you are applying and the information you will need to provide with the application. It also includes details of the application and selection process.

1. Role details

Vacancy reference: 10887

Job title: Administration Assistant

Reports to: Beth Metcalf, Head of Student Volunteering

Salary: £22,214 to £24,983

Terms and conditions: OUSA Support Staff

Grade: Grade 5

Duration of post: 6 month contract (with possible extension)

Working hours: 21 hours per week, plus some occasional evenings and weekends in line with the nature of the role

Location: OU Students Association Office, OU Walton Hall Campus, Milton Keynes

Closing date: 12 noon, Monday 18 December 2017 Type of application form accepted: OU Students Association Application Form (no CVs

or OU forms)

Applications to be sent to: [email protected] Number of referees required: 2

Recruitment contact: Beth Metcalf, Head of Student Volunteering

Interview date: Friday 5 January 2017


January 2016 of 9

2. The Open University Students Association

The Open University Students Association was established by the University Charter and is a registered charity. Its current membership is around 200,000 students spread across the UK, Europe and beyond. The overwhelming majority of our students study part time and at a distance. We are the recognised, credible voice of OU students and we seek to develop a vibrant student community for all.

Generally the Association is an organisation of students, run by students, operating through a democratic structure. It is headed by our Student President who chairs our Board of Trustees and our Central Executive Committee.

As a registered charity, ultimate authority and responsibility for all of the Association’s activities is vested in the Board of Trustees, which currently comprises 8 elected student positions and a further two external trustees.

The General Manager is a permanent member of staff appointed by the Board of Trustees and is responsible for advising the President, Board of Trustees and the Central Executive Committee. The General Manager is also responsible for managing the Association’s staff team and services.

2. The OU Students Association Office

We are based on the University’s campus in Milton Keynes. Our staff team works closely with our elected student representatives and is responsible for delivering the wide range of services, activities and functions undertaken by the Association.

Currently we have seven specialised teams and a short (but far from comprehensive overview) is provided below:

The Student Volunteering Team is dedicated to supporting current student volunteers and creating new opportunities to volunteer and get involved with the Students Association to not only provide vital support services but to also offer opportunities for students to increase their employability as well as gaining all the benefits volunteering has to offer.

The Student Voice team focus on our work in the areas of education policy, including the recruitment and support of our team of Central Representatives, student consultation, representation and research.

The Student Community team undertake projects to engage students in their Association and University community which includes supporting student societies and groups and the planning and delivery of online events such as Freshers.

The Digital Communications team manage our website, branding, social media platforms, radio and magazine in addition to improving the Association’s ability to adopt and utilise new technology and digital tools.

The Student Support Team works to ensure that all OU students get access to the appropriate support services and that there is a level playing field available to all students regardless of the different challenges they face.

The Operations team provide the first point of contact for students and manage our grant-giving Educational Trust (the OU Students Educational Trust) and our OU Students Shop, including our web store and our marketing presence at events such as degree ceremonies. They also manage our suite of online forums.

Resources handle all elements of financial processing and monitoring, support annual budget setting and subvention negotiations with the University and oversee purchasing and general maintenance and administration of the office.


January 2016 of 9

4. OUSA (Services) Ltd

The OU Students Association has a private, Limited Company that is wholly owned by the Association. The Board of Directors is made up of members of the Central Executive Committee plus the General Manager, who also acts as Company Secretary.

The Company markets various study aids, memorabilia, gifts etc. and a range of past examination papers. It operates via the Web, an automated telephone line and by mail order, but these are supplemented by important opportunities to market goods at events such as Degree Ceremonies and Residential Schools – which take place all over the UK and sometimes beyond.

The OU Students Association uses its Company to achieve one of its key objectives in fostering a corporate identity for students of the University; to promote the existence of the Association to students and encourage their active participation; and to raise funds for OUSET.

5. OUSET (Open University Students Educational Trust)

The Open University Students Educational Trust (OUSET) is currently a separate registered charity established by the Association to help students of the University in financial need. Its Board of Trustees is made up of Officers of the Association, the General Manager, a Trustee nominated by the University’s Vice Chancellor and up to 2 co-opted members.

The OU Students Association both raises the funds on behalf of this charity, primarily from its own members, and administers the Trust on behalf of the Trustees.

6. The Post

Purpose of the role of Administration Assistant

Offering students a range of opportunities to develop and meet others, is part of our core mission and the Student Volunteer team are dedicated to creating and supporting a range of quality roles for students to ehance their university experience. We are also moving towards promoting relevant roles in other charititable organisations and offering students the chance to promote their own ‘student led projects’.

As a team we are passionate about the difference volunteering can make for individuals and we enjoy thinking creatively to recruit, retain and recognise our very dedicated team of student volunteers. We are looking for an individual with the desire to work to the benefit of our students, to foster a sense of community and to offer relevant, exciting opportunities to students.

This role will provide high quality administrative support to the Head of Student Volunteering and the rest of the team. One of the main reasons for this new role is to provide administrative support for our new volunteer management system. We are moving to collecting online registration details for engaged members, and this new database needs to be maintained and orgnaised to enable it to be used efficiently by all Association staff.

Within this role, the successful applicant will have experience working with online databases or customer management systems, and have a history of updating website or intranet content.

Broadly, this role will support the team in its work to deliver on current work and emerging and future projects that arise from the current OU Students Association strategy.


January 2016 of 9

Main Responsibilities:

• To assist the Student Volunteering team with administrative tasks that support the work of the team. This will include working with fellow team members on current OU Students Association key projects. As a team we often work closely with others in the office and have to be ready to support a range of new initiatives and projects.

• To take responsibility for the administration of the online Volunteer Management System, updating volunteer records and providing support with data sorting and data input tasks as directed.

• To assist with arrangements for training seminars and workshops including; booking venues, sourcing catering and accommodation, registering students, providing assistance in the production of related materials and providing support to students with additional requirements for attendance.

• To provide excellent customer service, responding to student calls, emails and other correspondence. Drafting replies to enquiries and providing admin for the shared volunteer inbox, referring to the team as necessary.

• To support with gathering feedback, content and data for our website and monthly volunteer newsletter.

• To schedule and attend internal meetings, creating agendas, taking and producing notes or minutes. This may also include observing Central Executive Committee meetings where appropriate.

• To make arrangements for online meetings with students and staff from both inside and outside of the UK, via telephone, Skype, Adobe Connect or video conference calls.

• To type and proof read documents including reports, papers, handbooks, training materials etc. This will also include adding copy to our website.

• Preparing mail merges from our database to send out communications and mailings to specific student groups as required.

• To work closely with the Digital Communications team to undertake administrative tasks linked to the website maintenance.

• To assist with the organisation and delivery of occasional weekend student seminars and training events throughout the year.

• To maintain professional working relationships both internally and externally, including with the Student Leadership Team, key OU contacts and the wider charity/student sectors.

• To work with colleagues to support delivery of the biennial student conference. This will take place 22-24 June 2018.

• To undertake any training relevant to the role and implementing the learning as appropriate.


January 2016 of 9

7. The Person

Note: Applicants who have not clearly demonstrated in their application that they possess the essential elements will not be short-listed. Desirable elements are those that it would be useful for the post holder to possess, and will be used to assist the short-listing process where we receive a high volume of good applications. In your personal statement, it is important that you draw on examples to provide evidence of how you meet the criteria.

Essential Desirable

Education, qualifications and training

Educated to GCSE/’O’-level standard, including English and Maths at Grade C or equivalent

Evidence of commitment to ongoing personal development

Knowledge, work and other relevant experience

Experience in a role of a similar nature: office administration, customer services, data input, content writer

Experience working with volunteers or in a charitable organisation

Experience of developing and maintaining effective office systems and procedures.

Knowledge of the work of the Open University Students Association.

Experience of working in a busy environment, often working with different teams to achieve the end goal

Experience of using online forums or a virtual learning environment.

Experience of dealing with people from a range of backgrounds and needs.

Skills, capabilities and qualities

Excellent IT skills (Microsoft Office: Word, Mail merge, Outlook, Excel, and Internet Explorer). With ability to quickly learn new IT based systems.

Events planning or events organisation skills.

Experience of using databases, including online volunteer/customer management systems.

Creativity around creating meaningful and engaging content/promotional materials.

Experience of drafting letters and emails, responding to enquiries appropriately and within a timely manner.

Experience using Social Media platforms to engage an online audience.

Experience of updating a website or intranet using a backend server.

Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to work with initiative and prioritise own workload.


January 2016 of 9

Accurate, with meticulous attention to detail.

Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.

Positive, flexible and adaptable approach to work. Displays a ‘can do’ approach to problem solving.

Able to learn and adopt new skills, feeling comfortable to use new technology.

Team player, willing to support what is needed to ‘get the job done’.

Additional requirements and special working conditions

A flexible approach to work, including an ability to work occasional evenings and weekends by prior agreement with line manager.

Able to work throughout our biennial Conference, 22 – 24 June 2018.

Fully commited to equality and diversity.

Commitment to own continued professional development.


January 2016 of 9

8. General Information

Terms and Conditions The terms and conditions which apply are similar to those applying to Support Staff of the Open University. More detail will be provided to short-listed candidates prior to interview.

Hours of Work

This appointment is a part-time, temporary position for 6 months with possible extension. The working week is 21 hours with some flexibility on start and finish times around the needs of the role and the organisation. Some occasional weekend/evening working is required and is recompensed by appropriate payments and/or time off in lieu. How the 21 hours are distributed across the week will be agreed with the successful candidate.

Probation

The appointment will be subject to a one month probationary period prior to confirmation of permanent appointment.

Salary

The appointment will be made at a suitable point on the Grade 5 salary scale £22,214 – 24,983 pro rata. It is usually our intention to appoint at the lowest point of the scale to enable progression, but we will consider the circumstances and current salary of the successful candidate when making an offer. We are unable to provide any re-location payments for this role.

Holiday

The appointment will carry an annual leave entitlement of 30 working days (pro-rata) in addition to Bank and other public holidays and days on which the Open University is closed at Christmas. Development Opportunities The OU Students Association is committed to developing its staff and provides appropriate training opportunities. In addition to any training that is required for this post, OU Students Association staff are currently able to study OU modules of their choice at no cost.

9. How to Obtain More Information about the Role or Application Process

The details provided here are intended to be a comprehensive overview of the role and our organisation.

There is a considerable amount of information about the OU Students Association on our website: www.oustudents.com .

If you have a specific question that is not covered here and you wish to ask it before making an application then please contact Beth Metcalf, Head of Student Volunteering on [email protected].

10. The Application Process and Where to Send Completed Applications

Applications will only be accepted in the OU Students Association application form. No CVs or applications on other forms will be accepted.


January 2016 of 9

Please ensure that your application reaches us by: 12pm on Monday 18 December 2017

Please email your application form to: [email protected] with the job title included in the subject line.

Applications received after the deadline will not be accepted.

11. Selection Process and Date of Interview

Candidates should use the descriptions above of the Post and the Person required to complete and submit the OU Students Association Application form. You will receive an automated response to acknowledge receipt of your application. All applications will be reviewed following receipt and candidates will be long-listed if they have effectively demonstrated that they meet or exceed our criteria.

Following a review of all the information provided by candidates, we will invite short-listed candidates to interviews at our office in Milton Keynes on Friday 5 January 2018. The interviews will include a practical exercise and further details of this will be sent to short-listed candidates.

PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS AN APPOINTMENT TO THE OU STUDENTS ASSOCIATION AND NOT THE OPEN UNIVERSIT

12. Organisation Chart


job related information 10887 - open university · experience of developing and maintaining...

Documents