Business Services Assistant ENG, GB, MKAA)

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

About the Role

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 Business Services Team serves as a cross-functional, support team for units across WELS. We manage the day-to-day liaison with teams to maintain compliance, Health and Safety, the Award Management System and other administrative activities, and best practice.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the Manager, Business Services and other team members as Department Safety Assistant for WELS to ensure best practice and policy/statutory compliance, including risk assessments, Fire Wardens, First Aiders and DSE assessors for the Faculty.
• Work closely with the Manager to ensure that accurate regular Management Information reports are produced and submitted as identified as necessary and requested by the Faculty Executive and Senior Leadership Teams.
• Support the co-ordination of local staff development activity, liaising with People Services and ensuring best use of resources.
• Co-ordinating and leading the unit specific on-boarding and induction for new starters; delivering H&S briefings, liaising closely with hiring managers around requirements e.g. start dates/times, ordering IT kit and collection of IT kit for leavers where applicable.

Support the day-to-day liaison with key University departments and functions related to WELS operational activity to ensure alignment, compliance and best practice including:

• Estates (e.g. accommodation, health and safety).
• People Services (e.g. induction, training).
• Finance (e.g. contract invoices, purchase orders, approvals).
• University Secretarys Office (e.g. information governance, GDPR).

Administration responsibilities to undertake (including, but not limited to a variety of tasks):

• Support the co-ordination of the Annual Academic Workload Management (AWM) audit.
• Staff development booking end to end process.
• Mailing list management.
• Intranet updates for Professional Services.
• WELS staff travel bookings.
• Stationary ordering for the faculty (pens, paper, photocopier paper etc).
• Raising ITPRs for new and current staff providing equipment and accessibility resources.
• Undertake regular Unit Health and Safety procedures and proactively follow up on activities as required.
• Consultancy contract admin support for contracts set-up and payments through DEVCORN or as appropriate.
• Staff fee waiver admin support.
• Liaise with FBS WELS and relevant stakeholders in relation to procurement activities, receiving invoices, raising purchase orders and reconciliation.
• Guidance, support and update of central processes using various systems such as Ariba, Success Factors, and Concur.
• Support the management of budgets, maintaining up to date records, contribution to forecasts and raising purchase requisitions using appropriate finance systems.
• Project support via Manager and stakeholders as required.

About You

Essential:

• Commitment to excellent customer service and continuous improvement with experience of working in an office support environment.
• Completing work with accuracy and attention to detail is essential for success in the role and mitigating risks
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written (e.g. emails, processes documents, event communications etc) and oral (e.g. asking questions, taking actions in meetings, working with colleagues across the organisation on H&S initiatives, team collaboration, conducting DSE assessments for staff etc).
• Ability to work successfully as part of a team and on own initiative with flexibility and openness to change in working practices and contribute to efficiencies.
• Good understanding of confidentiality with the ability to respect and maintain a diversity of relationships with colleagues who are also customers.
• Excellent organisation, planning and time management skills
• The ability to proactively prioritise, adapt priorities to meet deadlines, whilst managing a varied workload and maintaining SLAs calmly within a changing environment with competing demands.
• Proficient IT skills including MS Teams, Visio, Word, Excel, Outlook, internal systems databases, with the ability to learn new IT skills, systems and ways of…