Executive Support Officer

We are seeking an experienced, initiative-taking administrator, confident in managing a team and able to provide exceptional professional administrative support for the Department of Meteorology within the School of Mathematical, Physical and Computational Sciences (SMPCS). 

Reporting to the Executive Administration Manager (EAM), you will be joining the School’s experienced Executive Support Administration team and will be supported in your role by friendly and approachable colleagues. The successful candidate will need to demonstrate an adaptable and flexible mindset, possess excellent interpersonal skills and maintain a harmonious working environment for the team consisting of four direct reports.

The Executive Support Officer role is part-time, 28.8 hours weekly and based at Whiteknights campus and details of the day-to-day activities can be found in the Job Description.

The successful candidate will need to demonstrate the following essential criteria:

• Experience of working effectively as an administrator within a busy office environment.
• Experience of line management.
• Excellent organisational and time management skills. 
• The ability to ensure effective liaison and communication with internal and external stakeholders.
• Accuracy and attention to detail in verbal and written communications.
• Excellent IT skills with a range of IT packages and systems (incl. Microsoft Office & Teams). 
• Ability to provide a high standard of customer service and maintain relationships with external stakeholders.
• Effectively balance competing priorities and meet set deadlines – both your own workload and assessing the needs of the team.
• Identify areas to improve and streamline processes, collaborating with the team on shared goals.
• Hold at least GCSE Maths and English at Grade C or above (or equivalent). 
• Be a keen and supportive team player with a ‘can do’ attitude.
• Experience of updating budget and financial data within excel would be desirable, but training can be provided.
• Be confident in decision making, being solution focused and seeking guidance from managers or the wider University network as appropriate.

Initially, this is a fixed term contract until end December 2025 with a potential to extend, dependent on business needs.

Closing date: shortlisting and interviews to be held on an ongoing basis, the advert will close once we have appointed to the vacancy, therefore please do not delay in applying for this position

Informal contact details

Contact role: Executive Administration Manager

Contact name: Sukhi Sanghera

Contact phone: 0118 378 4508

Contact email: Sukhi.sanghera@reading.ac.uk

Applications from job seekers who require sponsorship to work in the UK are welcome and will be considered alongside all other applications. However, non-UK candidates who do not already have permission to work in the UK should note that by reference to the applicable SOC code for this role, sponsorship will not be possible under the Skilled Worker Route. There is further information about this on the UK Visas and Immigration Website.

The University is committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce, supports the gender equality Athena SWAN Charter and the Race Equality Charter, and champions LGBT+ equality.  Applications for job-share, part-time and flexible working arrangements are welcomed and will be considered in line with business needs.

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