Job Posting Title IS Administration Manager
Grade and Salary: Grade 6 £31,236 - £36,636.00
FTE and working pattern: 1 FTE, 35 hours weekly
Organisation Name: Information Services Directorate
IS Admin Manager – Join a Global University at the Forefront of Innovation
Are you ready to take the next step in your career and lead a dynamic team at a truly global university? Heriot-Watt University is seeking an enthusiastic and proactive IS Admin Manager to join our Global Information Services Directorate. This is an exciting opportunity to play a pivotal role in supporting a modern, research-intensive university with campuses in Edinburgh, Galashiels, Orkney, Dubai, and Malaysia.
As IS Admin Manager, you’ll lead a small but dedicated and passionate team, managing key administrative processes and services that underpin our digital and information infrastructure. You’ll oversee finances, procurement, and software asset management, driving efficiency and identifying savings across a multi-million-pound budget. Your leadership will help shape digitised processes, support service excellence, and ensure compliance with records management and data protection policies.
You’ll work closely with the Global Director of IS and the IS Leadership Team, collaborating with colleagues across our international campuses. The role offers variety, challenge, and the chance to make a real impact—whether developing new systems, supporting staff and students, or contributing to strategic planning.
At Heriot-Watt, you’ll enjoy a vibrant, inclusive environment, excellent professional development opportunities, and the satisfaction of supporting world-class research and teaching. If you’re a skilled administrator with a passion for innovation and teamwork, we’d love to hear from you.
The IS Admin manager will lead the IS Admin team within the Information Services Directorate in providing administrative support and secretarial support to all members of the Global IS directorate. The role holder is a member of the IS leadership team.
The IS Admin team is responsible for providing a comprehensive administrative management and support service to the IS Directorate, supporting the Global Director of IS, the IS Leadership Team and each of the Divisions within the directorate.
Summary of Key Duties and Responsibilities:
1. Managing the IS Admin processes and services, including finances, purchases procurement and software asset management totally c£5m. Identify and manage potential savings for the University particularly within the software budget. Provide information to the IS Finance Business Partner on a regular basis to assist with finance reports and budget planning. Raising purchase orders for goods and services required for the IS Directorate checking appropriate processes in line with the University Financial Regulations
2. Managing and motivating team members, line management of 3 staff and completion of annual performance development reviews. Staff recruitment, induction, and preparation of training materials including personal development plans. Providing cover for team members
3. Developing and creating digitised administrative processes to drive efficiency in a busy and fast paced professional service directorate. Developing and maintaining an up-to-date service level catalogue with the range of services and support provided by the IS Admin team. Managing the IS Admin SharePoint document management system. Managing information in line with the University’s records management policy
4. Provide administrative support to the British Sign Language co-ordinator including raising purchase orders, reconciling invoices, raising sales invoices, processing Access to Work documentation
5. Managing the administration of the University staff mobile phones estate, maintaining an up-to-date asset register, raising purchase orders, invoice reconciliation. Managing the student laptop and technical equipment loan scheme alongside the Student Services & Library Customer Service team
6. Liaison with global IS divisions in support of service delivery and sharing expertise. Managing and monitoring the team’s service desk queue
7. Part of the IS leadership team, supporting the Global Director of IS, delegating for them as required
Education, Qualifications & Experience:
These are the criteria on which the short-listing and recruitment selection will be made
Essential
8. Educated to Highers/A level standard (or equivalent)
9. Several years’ experience working in a senior administrative role
10. Competent in the use of the Microsoft Office 365 suite, familiarity with Teams and SharePoint and a keen interest in and willingness to develop your digital skills and capabilities
11. Well-developed communication and interpersonal skills
12. Well-developed organisational and planning skills with the ability to make decisions and prioritise workloads and requests on a daily, weekly and monthly basis
13. Excellent customer service values
14. Experience of working in a team and leading on your own initiative
15. Demonstrable professional and proactive approach, prioritising workloads across a small team
16. Demonstrable understanding of data protection and information security principles relevant to the role
Desirable
17. Previous supervisory experience
18. Experience of working with a purchasing and finance system such as Oracle Fusion ERP and PECOS
19. Experience of working within the HE Sector
About our School/Directorate and Team:
The Global Information Services directorate at Heriot-Watt University provides a range of services to support, promote and supply information, information skills and infrastructure to support a modern research-intensive university in a global setting. This straddles academic library provision alongside a range of technical services and systems such as IT and AV services, systems and support for learning & teaching, research & enterprise, operational effectiveness.
It is an integrated global service, providing services to students, staff, applicants, alumni, external users across all five campuses based in Edinburgh, Galashiels, Orkney, Dubai and Malaysia.