MASTER’S ASSISTANT (part-time)

General Background (see also www.fitz.cam.ac.uk)

Fitzwilliam College is a dynamic, welcoming, international community committed to developing the talents of all its students, the support of young academics and the training and professional development of its staff. It is one of the 31 colleges of the University and is a large community with around 450 undergraduates and 350 full- and part-time graduate students, 55 Fellows and more than 100 staff.

The College is first and foremost an educational establishment. It recruits and teaches undergraduate and post-graduate students from all over the world, holds open days for schools and prospective applicants and arranges subject conferences for teachers. It also keeps in touch with an alumni base of over 8000, arranging events and reunions, and runs a thriving conference and catering business with an annual turnover of approximately £1.3m, hosting over 150 conferences a year, many of which are residential.

The ’s Office

The Mastership of Fitzwilliam College is a part-time position (the current Master, Nicola Padfield, is a in Criminal and Penal Justice, in the University’s Law Faculty). The Master provides strategic leadership and motivation to the Fellowship and has the duty, under the College’s Statutes, to exercise a general superintendence over the affairs of the College, as well as overseeing the day- to-day running of the College, with the support of a strong academic and administrative team. The Master is assisted and supported by the Master’s Secretary and the Assistant Secretary to the Governing Body, both of whom work part-time and report directly to the Master. The Assistant Secretary to the Governing Body is responsible for assisting with College governance matters and administers the Governing Body and College Committee.

The role

The Master’s Assistant is a personal and confidential secretary to the Master and deals with diary management, managing the Master’s Office, Fellows’ administration, correspondence and filing. He/she also provides secretarial support to the President (the Vice-Master) as required. He/she liaises on behalf of the Master with contacts within the College, across the University and external to the College, and works closely with the Development Office and President over events and invitations.

Although the two roles have their own set of responsibilities, close collaboration with the Assistant Secretary to the Governing Body is key to building a successful proactive office. The Master’s Assistant provides assistance and secretarial support to his/her colleague, ensuring full cover of the Master’s office and functions, both during absence and workload peaks, and vice versa. It is therefore essential to have an open-minded and flexible approach.

The successful candidate will possess tact, discretion and confidentiality, and will be able to act independently as well as part of a small team. As well as excellent communication and IT skills, previous experience in a similar senior PA role is essential.

A full job description and person specification is attached.

Conditions of appointment

This is a part-time position working around 20 to 22.5 hours per week. Although there is a preference for these hours to be worked over at least four days a week, there is flexibility as to when and how they are worked (including the possibility of reduced hours out of term). The working pattern will therefore be negotiated and agreed with the successful candidate.

The annual salary will be £30,871 FTE pro rata. The College also offers annual leave entitlement of 33 days including public holidays (pro-rata for part-time staff), enrolment into a contributory Group Personal Pension scheme, a discretionary bonus scheme, free lunch on duty and car parking on site subject to availability.

Application Procedure

An application form is available to download from www.fitz.cam.ac.uk/vacancies or by contacting Sarah Rowland Jones, HR Officer: [email protected] or telephone 01223 761050.

Applications should reach Mrs Sarah Rowland-Jones, HR Officer, Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge CB3 ODG or e-mail [email protected] by Tuesday 4 September 2018.

Applicants must provide a covering letter and a completed application form. Please ensure you indicate your preferred work pattern on your application.

Interviews are planned to take place on Monday 17 September 2018.

For specific queries about the position, please send an email to [email protected]. There may be a small delay before you receive a response, due to summer holidays.

The College values diversity and is committed to equal opportunities in the recruitment of its Fellows, students and staff.

In applying for this role, you will provide personal data which the College will process in accordance with its data protection obligations and its Data Protection Policy which can be found here: https://www.fitz.cam.ac.uk/about/official-information/data-protection

Job description

Job Title: Master’s Assistant

Reporting to: The Master

Job Purpose

The Master’s Assistant works closely with the Assistant Secretary to the Governing Body to ensure the smooth running of the Master’s Office. These two post holders work closely together to ensure not only that the Master’s Office, but also the Fellowship and College governance processes work efficiently and effectively.

PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES

1. SECRETARY TO THE MASTER a. Carry out the duties of a personal and confidential secretary to the Master (or in her/his absence the President) as follows:

 deal with day-to-day correspondence, distributing to other departments as necessary, and presenting to the Master only that which is relevant to her/him, with background information where appropriate;

 prepare letters for signature;

 independently follow up action on pending matters; prompt Master when necessary;

 answer all telephone queries unless the Master is specifically asked for;

 manage and maintain the Master’s electronic diary, including updating the diary with the schedule of all Committee meetings for each academic year

 maintain office files and records;

 arrange meetings and appointments by negotiating dates with those concerned, booking rooms and refreshments where applicable (e.g. V-C’s rep, Crane Charity & Kurt Hahn Trust);

 provide Master with all papers and background information necessary for meetings;

 oversee the organisation of the Foundation Lecture, Commemoration Dinner and other occasional College events;

 manage the Master’s Office in her/his absence, acting on own initiative to establish priorities necessary to the smooth running of the office

b. Other duties:

 provide assistance/secretarial support to the Assistant Secretary to the Governing Body as required, ensuring full cover of the Master’s office and functions, including cover for sickness and holidays, peaks in workload etc.

 administer the Rice Research Fund and the Master’s Gift Fund, liaising with the Accounts Department, ensuring all awards are kept within budget;

 liaison with Development Office on alumni issues;

 intercollegiate liaison - Colleges’ Committee;

 prepare annual lists to Clerk of the Roll of ;

2. FELLOWSHIP APPOINTMENTS Manage appointment processes for academic posts, particularly College Teaching Officers, College Officers (Senior Tutor, Development Director etc), Research Fellows etc:

a. Liaison with the administrators of the joint appointment schemes. Internal administration for the appointment of Research Fellows

b. All administration for recruitment and elections to College Teaching Officer posts, Fellowships, College Officers and Visiting Fellowships and Scholarships, liaising with the HR Officer where appropriate. In the case of College Teaching Officers and College Officers, this includes placing advertisements, processing applications, arranging shortlisting and interviews, and ensuring compliance with the requirements of the immigration system, and providing appropriate support to overseas Fellows with their visa applications.

c. Co-ordination of the overall process for the introduction and departure of all new Visiting Fellows to the College.

3. FELLOWSHIP ADMINISTRATION

 manage appraisal processes: Bursar, Senior Tutor, Development Director and Research Fellows;

 inform new members of committees of their appointments, providing them with the relevant terms of reference so they understand what their membership involves. Inform chairs, secretaries and minute secretaries of changes to the Fellows in their committee membership;

 keep all renewal lists of Fellowships, College Officers and members of the College up to date and placing on the relevant Agenda those who are due to be considered for further appointment; drafting letters to Fellows, requesting relevant information and curricula vitae at the appropriate time;

 provide relevant papers for the Election and Admission of new Fellows;

 draft letters following Governing Body meetings for signature by the Master and the Secretary of the Governing Body;

 inform new Fellows of the date and arrangements for their admission and induction;

 arrange announcements of elections in the Reporter;

 maintain annual lists of Fellows (including Bye- and Visiting Fellows and Scholars), Directors and Supervisors of Studies and College Officers, providing relevant information to members of staff and some Fellows and College Officers, and keep these up to date throughout the year;

 maintain accurate and up-to-date comprehensive records and files on all Fellows of the College, including updating the Fellows’ database;

 ensure Fellows complete or update the Fellows’ Register of Interests at the beginning of each academic year.

4. SECRETARY TO THE PRESIDENT  undertake confidential work for the President in her or his duties in that capacity, including the process for the election of a new Master;

 administer the Foundation Essay Prize, the committee (Arrol Adams) for which is chaired by the President;

 liaise with leaving Fellows regarding their valedictory dinners, and organise the purchase of gifts.

5. COMPLIANCE

 comply at all times with the requirements of the College Health & Safety policy and positively contribute to maintaining a safe working environment;

 comply fully with the Data Protection Policy.

Master’s Assistant

Person Specification

Essential Desirable

Qualifications,  Educated to at least A level  Relevant secretarial Education standard qualifications

 Experience as a PA/secretary at  Experience of working in Skills, Knowledge, senior level in a significant sized an academic environment Experience organisation and/or Cambridge College  Highly proficient, confident IT  Recruitment experience user (Word, Excel, email,  Use of databases electronic diaries)  High standard of written English

 Good judgement, discretion and Personal attributes diplomacy  Excellent interpersonal skills  Highly organised  Attention to detail and meticulous approach  Ability to work independently and on own initiative, as well as part of a small team  Flexible in approach  Aptitude to learn new systems