Attendance will occasionally be required at weekends to support Professional Doctoral Residentials at the Milton Keynes campus. This is currently 4 times per year and overtime will be paid as appropriate in line with terms and conditions.

Change your career, change lives

The Open University is the UK’s largest university, a world leader in flexible part-time education combining a mission to widen access to higher education with research excellence, transforming lives through education.

The Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies works across a range of disciplines including education, childhood and youth, health and social care, youth work, social work, languages and applied linguistics, nursing, and sport and fitness; organised as three schools. We work proactively, taking an innovative approach to teaching and learning; develop collaborative and effective partnerships with employers and other institutions; and engage in cutting edge, action oriented and internationally recognised research.

The role

You will provide administrative support as part of the Research Excellence and Support Team in the Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies (WELS).

You will working as part of a team of Research Admin Assistants to support research activity in the Faculty. Team members may be required to provide admin support to Research Managers and Senior Managers, as well as the Associate Dean for Research Excellence, the Director of Postgraduate Research Studies, the professional doctorate leads and academic colleagues.

Skills and experience

• You will have excellent organisational skills, with experience of secretarial or administrative support including complex diary management.
• Highly skilled IT ability within word-processing, Excel, PowerPoint, electronic diaries, spreadsheets, databases, MS Teams, using the internet and Outlook.
• Previous experience of taking notes and action points with an understanding of budget and project management.
• Experienced in providing excellent services to internal and external customers.
• Ability to work well within a team or independently.

More information can be provided via a link to the Job Description

If you would like to discuss the particulars of this post before making an application, please email Resourcing-Hub@open.ac.uk quoting the job reference and job title.

What you get in return

We have a strong commitment to providing training and development in and beyond your current role. This includes thorough induction into the organisation and regular reviews of your training and development needs.

We also offer a great range of benefits that support our employees and their families for the long term. Benefits include an attractive pension proposition and 30 days holiday per annum pro rata, plus Bank Holidays and Christmas closure days.

How to apply

Unless otherwise stated in the advert, all applications are completed online via the OU Job’s page and following the instructions below and clicking the “APPLY NOW” link below. Applications submitted via 3rd party websites will not be considered.

Access details for disabled applicants are available from the Resourcing Hub, telephone: 01908 655544, quoting the vacancy reference above.

To apply for this role please submit the following;

• CV
• Personal statement, up to 1,000 words, you should set out in your statement why you’re interested in this role and provide examples of where your skills and experience meet the required competencies for this role as detailed in the job and person specification.

The above documents will need to be submitted as one attachment during the application process, please include the personal statement followed by the CV in this document.

To ensure your file is uploaded to our system correctly, please make sure your document is saved with the following file name as appropriate to the vacancy you are applying for: 20753, surname, first initial.

You will need to have your documents ready ahead of submitting the electronic application.

APPLY NOW

Remember to attach your CV and Personal statement as ONE DOCUMENT.

You will receive updates regarding your application from resourcing-applications@open.ac.uk. Please ensure this email address is added to your list of trusted senders. Please also keep an eye on your junk folder to ensure you do not miss any important updates regarding this role.

You can view your application communications on the Candidate portal.

Please note: If you have not heard from us within 2 weeks of the application closing date, please assume that on this occasion you have not been selected for interview, however we thank you for your interest in The Open University and encourage you to apply for future positions.

Find out more about us and our mission by watching this short video (you will be taken to YouTube by clicking this link).

Closing date: 27th February 2023, 12 noon

The Open University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion which is reflected in our mission to be open to people, places, methods and ideas. We aim to foster a diverse and inclusive environment so that all in our OU community can reach their potential. We recognise that different people bring different perspectives, ideas, knowledge, and culture, and that this difference brings great strength. We strive to recruit, retain and develop the careers of a diverse pool of students and staff, and particularly encourage applications from all underrepresented groups. We also aspire to make The Open University a supportive workplace for all through our policies, services and staff networks.