Job description

The School of Cancer & Pharmaceutical Sciences is looking for an Operations Officer to provide high quality administration and operational support to the Academics, researchers and PhD students based in Bermondsey Wing, Guy’s Hospital on our Guy’s Campus. The Operations Officer will be a member of the School Professional Services Team working collaboratively to ensure that work is delivered consistently across the School.

The position is varied and involves supporting a range of functions such as HR, Finance and Research Grant Administration, as well as organising and planning local resources and initiatives such as seminars, meetings and events. The role can be fast paced with short deadlines, and the successful candidate will need to be able to handle multiple tasks, plan their own time well, and have excellent communication skills.

The School has adopted a hybrid way of working for its professional services staff, with each working in the office for at least 60% FTE. The post is based in a busy department. The postholder will need to be adaptable and have a positive attitude to a dynamic workplace. 

This post will be offered on an indefinite contract. 

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

Key responsibilities

The post holder is a member of the School’s professional services team, providing high quality operations and administrative support to Academic staff on our Guy’s Campus. They will also support initiatives and activities required by the location and as directed by their line manager:  

• Provide professional, accurate and efficient day-to-day operational support for academic activities, colleagues, and students, working closely with the School’s professional services core team. 
• Establish strong working relationships and network within the School and across the Faculty, University, and relevant external bodies, to gather and disseminate information, coordinate and deliver the required support. 
• Build an understanding and expertise in university systems and policies, ensuring compliance with regulations – including, but not limited to General Data Protection Regulation – monitoring safe working practice, completing risk assessments where required and adapting the working environment to reduce the level of hazard. 
• Deputise for line manager as appropriate. 
• Plan and organise meetings, events and projects, working with information from various sources of different levels of complexity. 
• Manage own workload, pattern of work and resources, responding to changing priorities and an evolving environment/context, maximising the efficiency of the support being provided, resolving problems as they arise. 
• Use well-developed analytical skills to identify trends and patterns, in order to assist in work prioritisation and planning. 
• Problem-solve using a systematic and timely approach, making decisions independently, using agreed guidelines, that have an impact of up to a year and occasionally being required to resolve predictable, longer term problems. 
• Communicate complex information, both orally and in writing, synthesizing and presenting complex information in a clear and concise manner. 
• Manage/supervise the installation, monitoring and maintenance of equipment, systems and software, with control over small budgets, stocks/stores equipment and supplies, ensuring an efficient use of resources. 
• Provide local support for the recruitment of staff working closely with the School HR & Finance Manager, as well as processing contract renewals, leaver requests and onboarding of new staff. 
• Working with the School’s Research Manager to provide research support for location staff, including costing grants, supporting post-award processes, on-going management and reporting for grants held by staff in the location. 
• Raise awareness and support staff with the annual processes, including PDR, pay recognition, academic probation and promotion. 
• Provide advice/guidance and, where appropriate, training to colleagues on systems and processes, helping them to make decisions, providing feedback and identifying further training and development needs. 
• Facilitate an inclusive culture and ethos across the School teams, ensuring that Professional Services staff work in partnership with academic staff in departments/centres/institutes and Professional Services colleagues in the Faculty team and functional networks. 
• Support compliance with regulations and the research ethics approval processes, promoting an environment of good conduct in research. 
• Create an ethos of collaboration and collegiality, establishing effective communications and relationships, and encouraging staff to work in partnership with colleagues across the University, to eliminate potential barriers, enhance collegiality and develop best practice through actively contributing to King’s initiatives, including professional networks. 
• Participate in cross-School/Faculty/University projects and initiatives. 
• Engage actively in Continuing Professional Development and training initiatives. 

The post holder will report to the School Research Manager. 

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

The post holder is expected to manage their own workload and be flexible in anticipating and responding to shifting and competing demands on their own and the wider team’s time.  

Essential criteria  

1. Educated to Degree level OR considerable knowledge and skills gained through work experience in a relevant post, demonstrating development through progressively more demanding work. 
2. Evidence of an active commitment to skills/career development. 
3. Have extensive administrative/operations experience with an in-depth knowledge of a range of practices, methods and procedures and have a good eye for detail. 
4. Highly numerate with proven financial management and analytical skills to underpin strategic financial strategic decisions and procedure. 
5. Have experience of complying with complex regulations/procedures, e.g. GDPR 
6. Solutions-focused self-starter, with excellent planning and organisational skills, an ability to manage competing priorities and who can work with minimal supervision. 
7. Good communication, orally and in writing, along with strong interpersonal and influencing/behavioral skills. 
8. Good computer skills including Microsoft Office packages. 
9. A broad understanding of effective approaches to train and teach individuals in methodologies and techniques. 
10. Proactive and responsive to internal contacts in immediate area and across King’s and contacts outside the University (e.g. Suppliers, colleagues in other HE institutions) in order to build relationships. 

Desirable criteria

1. A commitment to an excellent student experience and concern for staff and student wellbeing, along with a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion. 
2. Excellent people skills, able to build rapport with colleagues. 
3. Ability to supervise/advise junior team members and give feedback on performance levels, providing training/coaching where necessary. 
4. Able and willing to provide support beyond core hours, as required. 
5. Experience of financial planning and implementation, including preparing budget, financial profiling, preparing business cases and plans, and monitoring key performance indicators, budgets and risks.