Tuition Assistant

Fixed Term Contract: End Date: 3 August 2026

Welsh Language: Not Applicable

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About the Role

As an Assistant within the Faculty’s professional services team, you will support the day-to-day delivery of Curriculum Services by providing proactive, flexible, and professional operational, administrative, and secretarial support that allows colleagues to do their jobs effectively.  

Although you will predominantly support Curriculum Services, you will be expected to work flexibly and collaboratively with colleagues across the Faculty. 

Specifically, you will support the Tuition Managers and the Directors of Student Support with the administration and practical operation of devolved Tuition Budgets and the School’s tuition workload planning and allocation of Associate Lecturer (AL) FTE; acting as a point of contact for enquiries from ALs and working with the University’s CRM (VOICE) system to support Academic staff; and support the identification, dissemination, and implementation of good practice as part a commitment to continuous improvement and the development of operational capabilities.

Key Responsibilities

Operations and Finance 

Providing operational, administrative and secretarial support, working in conjunction with other members of the team and colleagues across the Faculty and wider University. Activities could include but are not limited to: 

• Day-to-day administration that supports the planning, allocation and reallocation of AL FTE and the management of the School’s devolved Tuition Budget.  
• Supporting the administration of Student Complaints & Appeals, Academic Conduct cases and Group Study Skills sessions.
• Supporting the administration of credit transfer.
• Acting as a first point of contact and handling general enquiries from students (including triaging VOICE queries and CAMEL messages), ALs, external organisations and partners etc. using initiative to respond or refer on accordingly.  
• Providing practical support to the Director of Student Support and the Tuition Manager on the local implementation of Faculty and institutional frameworks, policies, and processes.
• Supporting the organisation and delivery of relevant meetings, events, and conferences e.g., Day Schools, Teaching & Learning Conferences etc.
• Updating website, SharePoint, Teams sites content and email distribution lists. 
• Raising purchase requisitions, booking travel, maintaining records of expenditure, logging future commitments, reconciling budgets and contributing to quarterly forecasts. 

People Management

• Prioritising own work, having an awareness of the workload of the team, and supporting colleagues when necessary.

Strategy, Planning, Policy and Governance

• Servicing committees/meetings, including arranging rooms (bookings and AV equipment, catering, drafting agendas, circulating papers and taking notes etc.).

Project Management

• Assisting with the administration of all aspects of projects including supporting project initiation, set up and reporting processes, and assisting with day-to-day requests from project teams. 

Wider Influence

• Working collaboratively with others in the team and making an active contribution to the wider work of the Faculty including contributing to networks and communities that support the identification, dissemination, and adoption of good practice and solving common issues and problems. 
• Advising on routine enquiries and providing guidance to colleagues on policy and processes. 

Undertaking other duties as agreed with your line manager.

About You

Essential

• Proficient in communicating effectively and concisely with a high standard of written English grammar and also Mathematics commensurate with the role e.g. calculations and budgeting.
• A commitment to reflection and personal/professional development.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to build trust, establish constructive relationships, and work collaboratively and effectively in a team. 
• Effective organisational skills with the ability to remain flexible, adaptable, and responsive and to use initiative, work independently, and solve problems in a pro-active manner. 
• Ability to deal with sensitive and confidential information, work accurately, and to manage and manipulate data appropriately. 
• Proficient in the use of IT particularly Microsoft packages such as Word and Excel and willing to develop existing skills and learning about relevant IT systems. 
• An understanding of and a commitment to the University’s mission and Values in Action. 

Support with your application  

If you have any questions, or need support or adjustments relating to your application, the recruitment process, or the role, please contact us on 01908 541111 or email careers@open.ac.uk quoting the advert reference number.  

What's in it for you?  

At The Open University, we offer a range of benefits to recognise and reward great work, alongside policies and flexible working that contribute towards a great work life balance. Get all the details of what benefits we offer by visiting our Staff Benefits page (clicking this link will open a new window).  

Flexible working  

We are open to discussions about flexible working. Whether it’s a job share, part time, compressed hours or another working arrangement. Please reach out to us to discuss what works best for you. Whilst the successful candidate can work from home/remotely for the majority of the time, there will be a requirement to attend the Milton Keynes office as and when required. We estimate this to be 2 or 3 times per month.  

Next steps in the Recruitment process  

Interviews are likely to be held w/c 12th or 19th November 2025.  

Early closing date notification  

We may close this job advert earlier than the published closing date where a satisfactory number of applications are received. We would therefore encourage early applications.

How to apply  

To apply for this role please submit the following documents:

• CV
• Supporting statement of up to 1000 words clearly demonstrating how you meet the essential criteria for the role. 

You can view your progress and application communications when you are logged into our recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folders if you do not receive associated email updates.

The Open University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion which is reflected in our mission to be open to people, places, methods and ideas. We aim to foster a diverse and inclusive environment so that all in our OU community can reach their potential. We recognise that different people bring different perspectives, ideas, knowledge, and culture, and that this difference brings great strength. We strive to recruit, retain and develop the careers of a diverse pool of students and staff, and particularly encourage applications from all underrepresented groups. We also aspire to make The Open University a supportive workplace for all through our policies, services and staff networks.