Administrative Assistant

Role: Administrative Assistant (2x positions available)

Grade and Salary: Grade 4 £24,546- £26,093

FTE and working pattern: 1FTE (full time- 35hrs per week, Monday - Friday)

Holiday Entitlement: 28 days annual leave plus 9 buildings closed days (and Christmas Eve when it falls on a weekday)

Purpose of Role

The role of the Administrative Assistant is to work as part of a team to administer travel, conference and accommodation bookings for school staff and students, check and provide support to staff completing expenses forms, and undertake general finance administration tasks. The post is based full-time on the Edinburgh campus and the work will be varied, requiring the role-holder to provide a fair, friendly and timely service to staff, students, partners and visitors.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

• Book travel, accommodation and conferences for staff and students, optimising value for money
• Process visa applications if required and ensure that risk assessment forms are completed and that personal details are updated
• Book accommodation and travel for external examiners, accreditation panel members etc.
• Book catering for meetings, events, external exam boards, accreditation visits etc.
• Contribute to travel log of all travel
• Ensure that HWU risk policies are adhered to when booking travel or procurement

• Acting on all purchase requisitions
• Issuing orders or arranging purchase card transactions
• Match invoices to receipted purchase orders
• Receipt goods and reconcile to Oracle
• Processing workflow completions within agreed timescales
• Reconcile purchasing cards within agreed timescales

• Administer all staff expenses claims and advances, including the correct allocation of expenses, reconciling purchasing cards and refundable for research travel (to reclaim expenses)
• Review expense claims within HWU Travel and Expenses Policy guidelines and liaise with staff when claims are disallowable.

• Requisition stationery stocks across all School buildings and order business cards for staff
• Arrange DHL pickups and finalise bills
• Arrange confidential waste pickups

Assist in the implementation of improved working practices and administrative systems

Work as an integral member of the team and be able to cover for absences within the team.

Please note that this job description is not exhaustive, and the role holder may be required to undertake other relevant duties commensurate with the grading of the post. Activities may be subject to amendment over time as the role develops and/or priorities and requirements evolve.

Essential Criteria

• Educated to Higher level/A-levels or equivalent
• Experience of working to strict deadlines under pressure
• Experience of taking a proactive approach to administrative/financial support
• A team player, with good oral and written communication skills
• Good interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate oral, written and electronic information
• Good organisational skills, with the ability to work with speed and accuracy.
• Proficient in Excel, Word, Outlook
• The ability to problem solve day to day problems by following guidelines or referring to what has been done before
• The ability to work both independently, flexibly and within the needs of the team as a whole

Desirable Criteria

• Experience of working within an FE/HE institution
• Experience of working with a large accounting/ledger software system
• Experience of working with different types of budgets
• Experience of working in a busy finance office

Understanding of accounting/financial regulations, and ability to communicate financial regulations to others

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

Heriot Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised, and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities. Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all. Heriot Watt University values diversity across our university community and welcomes applications from all sectors of society, particularly from underrepresented groups.