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Position Details

Executive and Corporate Office

University of Birmingham, Dubai campus

Salary: Competitive

Grade: 5

No. of positions: 1

Full time

Location: Dubai, UAE

Closing date: 20th March 2024

University of Birmingham Dubai

Having established ourselves in Dubai International Academic City in 2018 we have now moved to our new state-of-the-art campus which opened in Sept 2021. These posts represent an excellent opportunity to join an ambitious World Top 100 University as we continue to grow our long-term strategic mission in Dubai, the UAE and the wider region. Our campus reflects the very best of Birmingham through our presence in Dubai.

Background

Professional Services Ethos

Our ethos as a Professional Services team has been developed in line with the principles of being a Birmingham Professional. Here in Dubai this means that all Professional Services colleagues seek to collaborate effectively to ensure the needs of the whole campus community and our stakeholders are met. It also means that we work constructively together to provide a flexible range of service and support that adapt to the changing needs of the Campus as we grow. There are specific focal points in the academic cycle when all Professional Services team members will be expected to contribute regardless of their primary role, for example Welcome or Graduation.

In addition, the duties listed below are illustrative of the general nature and level of responsibility of this post which is likely to change over time in response to the needs of the Campus and as you develop your experience and skills. You will have the opportunity to develop and may also need to specialise your duties further, over time, in agreement with your manager.

In order to contribute to the success of the team and the University\'s vision for the Dubai Campus the Professional Services team will be seeking to continue to recruit and develop colleagues who display:

• a high level of intellectual aptitude;
• strong agility and a portfolio of skills that can adapt to meet changing circumstances;
• an innovative and creative mindset; and
• both an enterprising and entrepreneurial nature to support our growth and pursuit of excellence.

Department Overview

The Executive and Corporate Office represent the Senior leadership of the University of Birmingham, Dubai and support the delivery of central corporate services as well as administering outstanding student-centred customer service.

All members of the office work to execute the mission set out by the University\'s Executive Board and Council and are required to work closely with colleagues from the Edgbaston campus to ensure that governance, policy and processes are effective and meet the needs of the wider university.

Main Duties

Executive Office

• Undertake complex diary management and meeting planning, usually 6-12 months ahead, making decisions on the best use of time. Proactive inbox management, with confidence to make decisions on behalf of others where appropriate.
• Dealing with a wide range of more complex enquiries and correspondence independently.
• Arranging complex overseas and UK travel, including booking cars, flights, hotels, transfers, and organisation and planning of itineraries, ensuring best use of time and taking into account budgetary constraints.
• Collate, analyse and interpret data. This may include identifying and resolving issues with the data.
• Will manage some smaller projects on own initiative but will also carry out desk research and source data from internal and external sources in order to contribute to wider projects.
• Support the management, development and implementation of operational processes and systems.

Governance

Proactive preparation and collation of meeting-related papers, working collaboratively to determine what information might be required in advance of a meeting, articulating clear deadlines for submission and proactively chasing where necessary. This may include attending meetings to provide high-quality committee support, taking minutes and following up as appropriate.

Front Desk Operations

Handling a busy front desk at the main campus reception to support the smooth running of customer interaction points within the campus supporting Business Development and Engagement and the Executive Office.

• Welcoming esteemed guests and visitors to the Executive Office.
• Answering and referring technical queries to the appropriate department when unable to provide guidance based on the information on the official website.
• Act as a first point of contact when dealing with correspondence calls.
• Manage initial requests in-person or over the phone dealing with general queries and delegate more technical queries to the appropriate teams.
• Supporting interested applicants which may include campus tours.
• Deliver outstanding customer service and support with bookings for bespoke commercial and corporate events in accordance with the clients\' vision, budget, and requirements.
• Collating feedback to ensure a continuous improvement of service and delivery.

Event Management and Business Development and Engagement

• Organisation of Corporate or VIP events which includes conferences, workshops and or visits including booking a venue, sending invitations, arranging refreshments, liaising with speakers or visitors, manage bookings, co-ordination of colleagues, advertising, collating feedback and reporting back.

You may also be involved, as required, in the following:

• Campus Operations; procuring goods and services through the university system.
• Monitoring internal procedures/compliance and ensuring these are followed and disseminated as appropriate.
• People Operations; supporting onboarding, Wellbeing and HR Administration.
• Responding to the needs of the campus as and when required as directed by the Executive Operations Manager.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• Experience of handling a busy front desk and reception with excellent customer service skills.
• Experience in Higher Education would be advantageous.
• Experience in working with Senior Executives, Senior Management and C-Suite.
• Diary and inbox management and complex international travel.
• Proven ability to plan ahead and anticipate requirements, proactively planning own (and sometimes others\' workloads) to manage time effectively, progress tasks concurrently and work to deadlines.
• Previous event experience would be an advantage.
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to write for different audiences, and to required deadlines.
• Understands the importance of equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
• Ability to identify and respond to equality and diversity and inclusion issues in line with relevant policies and procedures.
• Educated to degree level or has a significant practical work experience evidencing the skills and ability to undertake the role.
• Ability to identify and implement improvements to services and monitor performance output.
• Highly proficient IT skills, in particular the ability to handle complex electronic diaries and emails, the wider MS Office suite of programmes including excel and PowerPoint.
• Excellent interpersonal skills: you must be able to inspire confidence and command authority with a range of colleagues, including senior executives and provide excellent service at all times.
• Ability to work effectively in a large, complex organisation, and to develop a good understanding of how the University and higher education institutions work.
• Ability to understand policy and procedures and how to apply these.

Role context

Roles at this level will require a broad understanding and practical experience of an administrative or professional field which will be used to plan the running and development of services and/or lead shorter term projects or contribute to larger projects.

You will work with information which needs interpretation and analysis; you will use your judgement to identify the best solution to differing problems and issues, offering recommendations for managing more complex situations. You may also need to liaise and/or co-ordinate activities across a number of different sections within the department or possibly with wider department or external bodies as appropriate.

We believe there is no such thing as a \'typical\' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone .

University of Birmingham