Job description

King’s Business School (KBS) is seeking an enthusiastic and proactive Senior Postgraduate Research (PGR) Officer who will be dedicated to administration of the School’s PhD (PGR/doctoral) programme. The role holder will work closely with the School Research Manager, PGR Officer, Associate Dean for Doctoral Studies and KBS Postgraduate Research Committee members to ensure that the doctoral programme runs to high standards, both in terms of academic quality and student experience.  

The successful applicant will have strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build good working relationships with academic and professional services colleagues and doctoral students. They will be highly organised, numerate, self-motivated and an excellent verbal and written communicator.

King’s Business School’s total cohort of doctoral students is around 120, full-time and part-time, with approx. 20-30 new students admitted to the programme each year. 

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community. We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's.  

This post will be offered on an indefinite contract   

This is a full-time post - 100% full time equivalent

Key responsibilities

• To support the Associate Dean for Doctoral Studies in the development and delivery of the School’s postgraduate research (PhD) programme.  
• To act as the local point of contact alongside the PGR Officer, for all programme-related enquiries from students and staff across the School and College. To maintain good working relationships with central College teams/staff such as the Centre for Doctoral Studies, Research Degrees and Registry Services.
• To co-ordinate the admissions, induction and registration processes for new PhD students.
• To oversee and maintain records for complex doctoral cases, assist PGRs with accessing any pastoral support they need and coordinate Suspension of Regulations requests.
• To oversee and document the results of upgrade panels and viva voce examinations.
• To administer the School’s doctoral training programme (across different year groups) and monitor student participation.
• To provide content for, and to support the updating of, the PGR-related School webpages and the PGR Handbook; to prepare, circulate and promote the PGR student newsletter.
• To manage KBS’ studentship programmes, including payments made to recipients, liaising with relevant parties to ensure opportunities are publicised appropriately.
• To provide clerical support for the Postgraduate Research Committee, including drafting agendas and papers, taking minutes and ensuring action points are followed up.
• To keep up-to-date on Faculty and College policies and procedures, and to disseminate relevant information to supervisors/training programme convenors and students.
• To organise student events and seminars including the annual doctoral research symposium with assistance from the PGR Officer.
• To assist in ensuring that QAA requirements are met.
• To monitor and support the work of the PGR Officer. The PGR Officer’s work includes maintaining the School’s PhD programme records, responding to emails in the PGR inbox and supporting doctoral students with their research allowances.

The above list of responsibilities may not be exhaustive, and the post holder will be required to undertake such tasks and responsibilities as may reasonably be expected within the scope and grading of the post.

Skills, knowledge, and experience 

Essential criteria  

1.       Educated to degree level or equivalent or comparable work experience  

2.       Experience working in HEI administration, ideally in either research or education/programming areas 

3.       Excellent numeracy skills and an ability to understand and analyse data 

4.       Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, able to present and communicate ideas and updates to a range of stakeholders, including academic staff and students 

5.       Strong organisational skills with a high degree of attention to detail 

6.       Proficient IT skills (including MS Outlook, Excel, Word, and PowerPoint) 

7.       Able to work discretely with confidential matters 

8.       Ability to work flexibly and independently and manage/prioritise a diverse workload 

9.       Strong team-working skills and experience and supporting the work of others 

Desirable criteria

1.       Experience of website management and content creation 

2.       Prior experience working with doctoral students or on PGR programmes 

3.       Good knowledge of HEI policies and procedures including finance and expense processing 

4.       Experience of committee administration, including minute-taking