Post Title: Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor and President, and Office Manager of the VC Office
Division: Vice Chancellor’s Office
Hours: Full-time 37.5 hours per week. Requests for flexible working options will be considered (subject to business need).
Location: Brighton, United Kingdom
Contract: Permanent
Reference: 30183
Salary: starting at £37,099 to £44,263 per annum, pro rata if part time
Placed on: 29 January 2024
Closing date: 18 February 2024. Applications must be received by midnight of the closing date.
Expected Interview date: To be confirmed
Expected start date: As soon as possible
About the role
The role of Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor and President and Office Manager of Vice-Chancellor’s Office is central to the effective and efficient work of the Vice-Chancellor and President, the Vice-Chancellor’s Office (VCO), and thereby to the University of Sussex.
The Vice-Chancellor and President is the principal academic, and the chief executive, officer of the University, and Accountable Officer to the University regulator, the Office for Students. The Vice-Chancellor and President is accountable to the University Council, in particular the Chair of the University Council.
The Vice-Chancellor and President and the University’s senior leaders are ambitious for the University of Sussex and are aware that the University needs to address some key challenges. As a result, the VCO will be leading some major strategic transformation work over the coming years. The VCO moves at a fast-pace, and there is an expectation of high-quality work, sometimes produced to tight timescales.
The post-holder will provide diary management and general executive assistant support for the Vice-Chancellor and President, as well as to the Chief of Staff (and Director of the VCO). They will line manage the Executive Assistants in the VCO and will carry out the Office Manager functions in the VCO. The role will require regular liaison with the other senior leaders in the VCO, with the University Executive Team more broadly, and with staff across the University. Developing a broad and deep knowledge of the University is key to success in the role. The role will also require regular engagement with, and hosting of, external stakeholders, including visitors to the Vice-Chancellor and President, international delegations, civic leaders, politicians, alumni, donors, and supporters of the University. The Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor and President plays a vital role in representing the Vice-Chancellor and President and the University to the local community and to the wider world. In liaising with this range of internal and external stakeholders, the postholder will build strong working relationships and will excel in leading and maintaining networks.
The Vice-Chancellor and President took up her role in August 2022 and the VCO has experienced considerable change since then, including the appointment of a new Deputy-Vice-Chancellor and Provost, two new Pro-Vice-Chancellors, a Chief of Staff and Director of the VCO, as well as a Senior Executive Advisor.
About you
This role will suit someone who enjoys working with senior leaders in a fast-paced, demanding, and intellectually stimulating environment. A keen interest in higher education is important and you will have a personal commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion and to academic freedom and freedom of speech.
You will have high standards, expect high standards of others, be adaptable and able to work effectively with a wide range of people, within and beyond the University, of many nationalities and backgrounds.
You will be proactive, self-motivated, flexible, and both comfortable working independently and as part of a team.
You will be keen to support a busy senior leadership team, helping them to manage their time effectively and efficiently; to do this you will have excellent influencing skills and organisational skills. You will understand and be able to navigate the demands of both confidentiality and openness within a university environment.
You will have excellent written communication skills, and you will be familiar with a range of digital systems, and ready to learn to use new ones.
About our Vice-Chancellor’s Office (VCO)
The VCO provides a service function to the Vice-Chancellor and President, and the University’s other senior leaders (the Deputy-Vice-Chancellor and Provost, the four Pro-Vice-Chancellors, and the Chief Operating Officer). The Pro-Vice-Chancellors’ portfolios cover Education and Students, Research and Enterprise, Culture, Equality, and Inclusion, and Global and Civic Engagement.
The VCO is led by its Director (who is the Chief of Staff), and includes two Senior Executive Advisors, the Vice-Chancellor’s Assistant and Office Manager in the VCO and five Executive Assistants.
The University has three strands of governance: our overall and corporate governance is the role of Council; our academic governance is the role of Senate; and our executive governance is role of the Vice-Chancellor and President and is provided and supported by the VCO. The executive governance leadership is the University Executive Team.
Why work here…
Our University is situated just off of the A27, next to the beautiful South Downs where you will enjoy everything that our 150-acre campus has to offer. We are easily accessible by public transport; a 5-minute walk from the train station and bus stops within the campus. We have dedicated cycling paths and encourage our staff to cycle to work with our offering of a cycle to work scheme.
Sussex is a renowned, research-led International University and this is only possible because of the people that work here. Whether you are Faculty, Student, or a member of a Professional Services Team, it’s our people that make us great and we want you to be part of that.
The benefits that you will receive from day one:
• Generous pension scheme.
• Purchase additional Annual Leave though our Scheme for a great home and work life balance
• Discounts of public transport, Cycle to work Scheme, and special rates in hotels in Brighton and the Sussex region.
• Discounts on high-street shops through our Rewards partner, along with a Cash back Health Plan.
• Considerable discount on our on-site Gym Facilities because we care about our employees’ Health and Wellbeing.
Please contact Dean J. Machin d.j.machin@sussex.ac.uk for informal enquiries
For full details and how to apply see our vacancies page
The University of Sussex values the diversity of its staff and students, and we welcome applicants from all backgrounds.
Please note: The University requires that work undertaken for the University is performed from the UK.
Application URL:
https://www.sussex.ac.uk/about/jobs