Administrator (Latin American Centre) School of Interdisciplinary Area Studies. Latin American Centre, 1 Church Walk, Oxford

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1 SCHOOL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY AREA STUDIES Job title Division Department Location Grade and salary Hours Administrator (Latin American Centre) Social Sciences Division School of Interdisciplinary Area Studies Latin American Centre, 1 Church Walk, Oxford Grade 5: 24,298-28,982 per annum Full time Contract type Fixed term ( maternity cover) from October 2016 for up to 12 months Reporting to Head of Administration and Finance Vacancy reference The role This is a varied and stimulating role working as part of a friendly team in a vibrant and dynamic department. You will be responsible for the day-to-day delivery and running of the MSc and the MPhil in Latin American Studies, and for supporting academic activity in the Latin American Centre more broadly. In particular, this will include providing administrative support for the Centre s Master s programmes, including by disseminating course information, timetabling and administering assessments and assignments; servicing relevant committees based in the Centre; providing administrative support to the Centre as needed; helping in the organisation of large events; maintaining communication with the Latin American Centre s many alumni, friends and other stakeholders; and working effectively in support of School-wide objectives. The Latin American Centre runs a vibrant programme of events and activities, and it is expected that the post-holder will work effectively in support of these activities, and in liaison with colleagues from across the School and the wider University as appropriate. Responsibilities 1. Programme administration for the MSc and MPhil in Latin American Studies. This will include: - Providing course information to students, including through updating programme-specific elements of the Course Handbook and unit WebLearn site, creating induction packs and disseminating up-to-date information to students. This will include effective liaison with the

2 School s Academic Coordinator to ensure that all sources of course information are made available in the ways required by University policy - Managing the day-to-day running of the MSc and MPhil. This will include coordinating the drafting of relevant timetables and supporting the LAC-based Academic Administrative Assistant in organising room booking. You will also ensure that timetables, including any updates, are disseminated to students clearly and in a timely manner and that submitted assignments are managed effectively, using Turnitin to assess submitted work for plagiarism as appropriate - Liaising closely with the unit head/course Director in the planning of student activities, including induction - Managing and administering the exams process, including coordinating with administrative colleagues in Examination Schools and liaising closely with academic colleagues within the Centre and beyond, including academic colleagues in other departments in the University and external to the University, to ensure that the process is managed smoothly and effectively for all concerned - Managing and administering the student scholarships, bursaries and travel grants made available by the Centre, including liaison with the School Finance Team concerning available budgets, and close liaison with academic colleagues and with students based in the Centre concerning decisions reached - Managing the process for gathering and collating student feedback, including by sending, monitoring and analysing termly surveys - Liaising closely with colleagues within the School and across the collegiate University on all relevant matters (for example, fieldwork risk assessments, travel insurance, and research ethics approvals) 2. Servicing centre committees, including the Management and Teaching committees and the Joint Consultative Committee, including preparing agenda, circulating papers and taking minutes, working in consultation with the relevant Chairs 3. Managing the Centre s marketing and communications. You will ensure that the Centre s public-facing and promotional material is up-to-date and, in liaison with the School s administrator with responsibility for communications, appropriate to the relevant audience(s). This will include: - Taking responsibility for maintaining and developing the programmes WebLearn sub-site. This will include maintaining at a high standard the WebLearn site for the MSc and the MPhil, in consultation with the WebLearn team in IT Services as appropriate - Liaising closely with the School s administrator with responsibility for communications concerning website updates and changes required - Managing the Centre s social media presence (including via Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn), ensuring an effective presence is maintained and information is shared appropriate to the medium and audience - Coordinating the Centre s newsletter, Horizontes. This will require you to manage your liaison with and coordination between relevant academic staff in the Centre, the designer and the printer in an effective and efficient manner JD_LAC _maternity cover 2

3 - Managing and developing alumni relations for the Centre, including by compiling and distributing the Alumni Newsletter, maintaining and developing the Centre s alumni database and liaising with the University s Alumni Office - Supporting the creation and development of promotional materials as required 4. Taking responsibility for health and safety and security matters in the building, including serving as Fire Marshal and acting as the appointed person for Health and Safety matters in the building 5. Managing the Centre s events, including room booking for weekly seminar series and providing administrative support to medium- and large-scale events such as the Centre might choose to run and according to any annual schedule. This includes taking responsibility for booking and liasing with the venue concerning any equipment and catering required; liaising with invited speakers and other guests; organising accommodation for guests as necessary; collating the course or conference materials required; and assisting with publicity 6. Supporting the Latin American Centre in managing relations with alumni and other stakeholders (such as the CAF-Development Bank of Latin America) and assisting in the preparation of agreements with them and others 7. Liaising closely with the School s Finance team in respect of both day-to-day financial administration (including expense claims and purchase orders) and financial planning (including budgeting and forecasting) 8. Drafting narrative reports on research activity to external funders and supporters of the Centre, in close liaison with the School Finance Team concerning any financial reporting required 9. Supporting and working closely with the Administrator for the Nissan Institute, in particular to gain a good working knowledge of the MSc and MPhil in Modern Japanese Studies. This will include providing cover for the Institute as required in the absence of the Administrator 10. Any other responsibilities specified by the Head of Administration Selection criteria Essential Previous administrative experience relevant to academic and/or events administration Evidence of good written and verbal communication skills and the ability to produce high quality, accurate, independent work with little supervision Attention to detail Evidence of good organisational and time management skills Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to relate to a wide range of people JD_LAC _maternity cover 3

4 Demonstrable ability to manage competing priorities Experience of working, or the ability to work, as a member of a team that is physically dispersed across different buildings Good IT skills (Word, Outlook, Excel in particular) Good levels of numeracy Self-motivated and able to work without close supervision Enthusiastic, reliable, well-presented and flexible in approach Desirable Experience of academic administration, or of working in a higher education or related environment Demonstrable experience of communicating with people from a range of cultural backgrounds Good command of Spanish or Portuguese About the University of Oxford Welcome to the University of Oxford. We aim to lead the world in research and education for the benefit of society both in the UK and globally. Oxford s researchers engage with academic, commercial and cultural partners across the world to stimulate high-quality research and enable innovation through a broad range of social, policy and economic impacts. We believe our strengths lie both in empowering individuals and teams to address fundamental questions of global significance, and in providing all of our staff with a welcoming and inclusive workplace that supports everyone to develop and do their best work. Recognising that diversity is a great strength, and vital for innovation and creativity, we aspire to build a truly diverse community which values and respects every individual s unique contribution. While we have long traditions of scholarship, we are also forward-looking, creative and cuttingedge. Oxford is one of Europe's most entrepreneurial universities. Income from external research contracts in 2014/15 exceeded 522.9m and ranked first in the UK for university spinouts, with more than 130 spin-off companies created to date. We are also recognised as leaders in support for social enterprise. Join us and you will find a unique, democratic and international community, a great range of staff benefits and access to a vibrant array of cultural activities in the beautiful city of Oxford. For more information please visit JD_LAC _maternity cover 4

5 The School of Interdisciplinary Area Studies The School represents a commitment by the University to enhancing teaching and research in Area Studies. It brings together seven units: the African Studies Centre, the Latin American Centre (including the Brazilian Studies Programme), the Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies, the Contemporary China Studies Programme, Russian and East European Studies, the Contemporary South Asia Studies Programme and the Middle East Programme. The administration of the School is based at 12 Bevington Road, with colleagues also providing administrative support across a number of locations in which the School s constituent units are based (including the Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies at St Antony s College and the University of Oxford China Centre at St Hugh s College). The School is devoted to research and graduate teaching in academic disciplines which attempt to understand the complexity and the interrelatedness of society through anthropology, economics, politics, history, sociology and culture. Its teaching and research seek to take into account both the insights provided by the separate disciplines and the contextualisation provided by in-depth knowledge of specific regions and countries. Interdisciplinary collaboration to study specific social processes is encouraged, and a distinctive feature of the School is the number of its academic staff who hold joint appointments in the School and a disciplinary department in the Social Sciences or Humanities Divisions. In the most recent national research quality assessment exercise (REF2014), Area Studies at Oxford comprising staff in the School and the Faculty of Oriental Studies in the Humanities Division - was judged to account for more world-leading (4*) research than any other institution in the UK. The School s Master s courses admit around 120 graduate students a year, across the African Studies Centre, Latin American Centre, the Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies, Russian and East European Studies, Contemporary India and Modern Chinese Studies. Additionally, the School s academic staff supervise doctoral students and teach on a range of undergraduate programmes in other parts of the University. Further information about the School of Interdisciplinary Area Studies, its component units, its staff, courses and research activities can be found on its website at The Latin American Centre The post-holder will be based in the Latin American Centre within the School of Interdisciplinary Area Studies. The Latin American Centre (LAC) was originally established by St Antony's College in In 1965, Oxford became one of the five university centres in the United Kingdom created to further postgraduate work on Latin America and to encourage the development of Latin American studies generally at university level, and the LAC has since achieved an international reputation as one of the leading centres for the study of contemporary Latin America. The main aims of the Centre are to train graduate students in a range of disciplines applied to Latin America, to bring to Oxford academics and students from Latin America, to promote research on Latin America, to run a research library, and to organize seminars on Latin American topics. The LAC acts as a focal point in Oxford for bringing together students and academics interested in the area, and Master s programmes in Latin American Studies bring about 22 students per year to Oxford. You can find out more about the Latin American Centre at JD_LAC _maternity cover 5

6 The Social Sciences Division The School of Interdisciplinary Area Studies (SIAS) is a department in the Social Sciences Division, one of four academic divisions in the University, each with considerable devolved budgetary and financial authority; and responsibility for providing a broad strategic focus across its constituent disciplines. Thirteen departments, one faculty, and two cross-divisional research units come under the aegis of the division, which spans the full range of social science disciplines with links into the humanities and physical sciences. There are over 900 academic and research staff, and approximately 3,500 graduate students (postgraduate taught and postgraduate research), and 2,000 undergraduates working and studying in the division. The division is established as a world-leading centre for research in the social sciences and regularly sits at the highest levels of international league tables of one form or another. It is the largest grouping of social science disciplines in the UK and it is also home to several of Oxford s most widely recognised teaching programmes, such as PPE, the BCL, the MPhils in International Relations, in Economics, and in Development Studies, and the nationally regarded PGCE. We believe that excellence in teaching and research is synergistic and remain committed to sustaining and developing the high quality of our activities in both these areas. Our departments are committed to research which develops a greater understanding of all aspects of society, from the impact of political, legal and economic systems on social and economic welfare to human rights and security. That research is disseminated through innovative graduate programmes and enhances undergraduate courses. For more information please visit: How to apply Before submitting an application, you may find it helpful to read the Tips on applying for a job at the University of Oxford document, at If you would like to apply, click on the Apply Now button on the Job Details page and follow the on-screen instructions to register as a new user or log-in if you have applied previously. Please provide details of two referees and indicate whether we can contact them now. You will also be asked to upload a CV and a supporting statement. The supporting statement should explain how you meet the selection criteria for the post using examples of your skills and experience. This may include experience gained in employment, education, or during career breaks (such as time out to care for dependants). Your application will be judged solely on the basis of how you demonstrate that you meet the selection criteria stated in the job description. Please upload all documents as PDF files with your name and the document type in the filename. All applications must be received by midday on the closing date stated in the online advertisement. Information for priority candidates A priority candidate is a University employee who is seeking redeployment because they have been advised that they are at risk of redundancy, or on grounds of ill-health/disability. Priority candidates are issued with a redeployment letter by their employing departments. JD_LAC _maternity cover 6

7 If you are a priority candidate, please ensure that you attach your redeployment letter to your application (or it to the contact address on the advert if the application form used for the vacancy does not allow attachments) Should you experience any difficulties using the online application system, please recruitment.support@admin.ox.ac.uk. Further help and support is available from To return to the online application at any stage, please go to: Please note that you will be notified of the progress of your application by automatic s from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk mail regularly to ensure that you receive all s. Important information for candidates Pre-employment screening Please note that the appointment of the successful candidate will be subject to standard preemployment screening, as applicable to the post. This will include right-to-work, proof of identity and references. We advise all applicants to read the candidate notes on the University s preemployment screening procedures, found at: The University s policy on retirement The University operates an employer justified retirement age for all academic and academicrelated posts (grade 6 and above), for which the retirement date is the 30 September immediately preceding the 68th birthday. The justification for this is explained at: For existing employees any employment beyond the retirement age is subject to approval through the procedures: There is no normal or fixed age at which support staff in posts at grades 1 5 have to retire. Support staff may retire once they reach the minimum pension age stipulated in the Rules of the pension scheme to which they belong. Equality of Opportunity Entry into employment with the University and progression within employment will be determined only by personal merit and the application of criteria which are related to the duties of each particular post and the relevant salary structure. In all cases, ability to perform the job will be the primary consideration. No applicant or member of staff shall be discriminated against because of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation. JD_LAC _maternity cover 7

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