Executive Assistant and Project Support Officer College of Engineering and Physical Sciences 102064S25- Grade 6

Position Details

College of Engineering and Physical Sciences

Location: University of Birmingham Edgbaston Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range 33002 to 35608 with potential progression once in post to 39906

Grade: 6

Full Time 12 month Fixed Term contract up to March 2027

Closing date: 11th March 2026

This role is also open as an internal secondment opportunity which would need to be agreed by your current line manager.

This post was previously advertised. Previous applicants need not apply.

Our offer to you

People are at the heart of what we are and do.

The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years andweare equally proud to be recognised as a leading global want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond support them to succeed and celebrate their success.

We are committed to helping the people who work here todevelopthrough our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programmewhichprovides allprofessionalservices staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full almost 5000professionalservices jobs in a wide-range of functionsin Edgbaston andin our campus inDubai there are plenty of opportunities foryou to be able to develop yourcareer at the University.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas innovation and warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we areand how we work.

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees andtothe success of the University and depending on the role we offer avarietyof flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible addition you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 dayspaid holidaya year one paid day a year for volunteering occupational sick pay and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus including main bus routes and a train station on campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool shopsplaces to eat and drinkour own art gallery museum and botanical gardens.

Find out more about thebenefits of working for the Universityof Birmingham

Background

We are looking for an Executive Assistant (EA) and Project Support Officer to join our friendly team in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences (EPS) Executive Office.

The team works together to provide exemplary professional administrative and project support to members of the Colleges senior management team. We pride ourselves on our collaborative approach and customer focus and are looking to recruit an individual who has values in line with ours: Ambitious Open Responsible Collaborative and Innovative. We are open and welcoming to people from all walks of life and believe that a diverse team with a mix of perspectives and experiences provides the best environment for success.

We are looking for a highly motivated individual with a can-do attitude and outstanding interpersonal and organisational exchange the right candidate will benefit from a flexible working environment and will be able to access lots of opportunities for learning and development.

Role Summary

This is an exciting opportunity to join the EPS Executive Office playing a critical role in supporting the work of the leadership of the College.

We are currently recruiting to an EA and Project Support Officer post to provide exemplary professional administrative and project support to members of the Colleges senior management team.

The Executive Office provides support to the Colleges senior leadership team through dedicated EA PA and office support provision of secretarial support to committees and groups as well as through ownership and co-ordination of College-wide initiatives and projects preparation of briefings and organisation of events.

This is a busy dynamic and challenging post working at the heart of the College. The role will suit a highly motivated individual with outstanding interpersonal and organisational skills who relishes the opportunity to take on a range of different types of work.

The post holder will develop and maintain an understanding of an area of work of the Colleges senior management team using this knowledge to make effective decisions on their behalf. They will work without direct supervision and exercise a high level of discretion and self-motivation working simultaneously on multiple tasks and projects whilst maintaining a clear focus on the key issues that need to be addressed. They will act as a conduit between the senior management team and other internal and external stakeholders and their approach will be collaborative and founded on real empathy with the academic endeavour of the University.

The post will report to the College Executive Officer.

Administrative and diary support

As Executive Assistant you will provide high-quality and timely administrative and organisational support through a broad range of duties including complex email and diary management organising meetings and events undertaking complex travel arrangements liaising with a range of internal and external stakeholders and leading and supporting projects. You will also compile reports papers briefings and analyse management information for a range of internal and external audiences.

You will use your excellent organisational skills and attention to detail to ensure the colleagues you support are well prepared; your outstanding communication skills to represent the senior team; and you will enjoy navigating a large complex organisation in order to get things done.

Projects

You will support College-wide initiatives and projects that will be defined on a continuing basis and may include priorities such as governance change initiatives development and talent management and staff engagement. You will arrange and support high profile events (visits conferences etc.) when needed liaising effectively with a range of departments within the University and externally. You will use your excellent communication skills to build a network of contacts to support this work.

Main Duties

Executive Assistant duties:

• Effective management of a complex and challenging diary for College business and business related to the senior teams roles in other external organisations with an ability to prioritise and plan the diary at least 12 months in advance.
• Dealing with a wide range of enquiries independently exercising good judgement when acting as the interface between the senior team and senior figures within the University and externally.
• Proactive preparation and collation of meeting-related papers and the production of documents presentations and briefings in relation to the work undertaken by the senior team including undertaking desk research and sourcing information from internal and external stakeholders.
• Planning and arranging complex UK and overseas travel ensuring the best use of time and taking into account budgetary constraints.
• Planning and arranging events and organising high profile visits by senior external stakeholders requiring close liaison with a range of departments.
• Provision of high-quality committee support taking minutes and ensuring that any action points are followed up in a timely manner.
• Monitoring and processing financial information in accordance with the Universitys policies.
• Coordinating College Senior Leadership Team activities with University Leadership Group (ULG) activities and across other executive offices and teams.

Project Support Officer duties:

• Supporting the delivery of projects from project initiation through to implementation and evaluation ensuring that projects are supporting the Universitys Strategic Framework and delivering measurable benefits and improvements.
• Monitoring and coordinating progress through the development and maintenance of project and communication plans.
• Responsibility for planning organising and running events including those run virtually in-person and in a hybrid fashion and leading initiatives as directed by the senior team.
• Leading on communications for major projects which will require close working with stakeholders across the University and a clear and engaging writing style.
• Maintaining oversight of a calendar of events and college activity and taking responsibility for assessing their effectiveness.
• Provide administrative support including raising requisitions and purchase orders organising meetings and workshops which may include delegates from across the University maintaining records of spend against budget.
• Maintaining the webpages owned by the Executive Office taking a proactive approach to ensure they are accurate and up-to-date.

As a member of the Executive Office you will:

• Contribute proactively in a senior capacity including active participation at team meetings and events and covering for others where necessary promoting and adhering to the values of the University.
• Work flexibly to provide support to cross-divisional and University initiatives.
• Promote equality and value diversity acting as a role model and fostering an inclusive work culture.

The post holder is required to be flexible in developing their role and will from time to time be required to undertake any other duties commensurate with the grading of the post.

Person Specification

• A first degree or equivalent work experience with a proven ability to grasp complex issues.
• Outstanding organisational administrative and IT skills including diaries emails and MS Office suite of programmes.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure prioritising appropriately in order to meet multiple deadlines with excellent attention to detail and high standards of accuracy.
• Experience of producing and analysing complex source material information and data.
• Ability to bring personal ideas enthusiasm and creativity to projects and to use own initiative and self-motivation when undertaking tasks.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and a customer focused approach with the ability to inspire confidence and command authority with a range of colleagues and external contacts.
• Ability to build networks to facilitate cross-institutional collaboration promote knowledge sharing provide constructive challenge as appropriate and gain commitment to action or change.
• Outstanding written communication skills including the ability to write on behalf of the senior team for different audiences and to required deadlines.
• A high degree of resourcefulness flexibility a self-motivating approach and personal judgement including the ability to exercise discretion regarding the handling and management of sensitive information/issues.
• Enthusiasm and willingness to learn meet challenging demands work to different people and deadlines and the resilience to manage changing priorities.
• An interest in and knowledge of the higher education sector and an understanding of how sector or institutional changes may impact on their work or the work of the senior team.
• A commitment to promote and adhere to the agreed values of the University and the College Executive Office.

Informal enquiries to Sophie Kilmartin College Executive Officer email:

View our staff values and behaviours here

Use of AI in applications:We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will unlikely be progressed to interview.

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 everyoneon our website.