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.
About our Team:
Procurement Services provide professional, qualified procurement expertise, advice and services for the University's non-pay expenditure. We support all companies within the Heriot-Watt Group, across all five campuses, ensuring that the ethos and principles of fairness, transparency, openness, economy and competition are evident and consistent across the University's procurement activities.
Procurement Services meet the University's requirements of acquiring goods, services and capital works in a way that delivers best value-for-money and benefits for not only to the University, but in a way that makes a significant, sustainable and socially responsible contribution in our local regions and across the world, while ensuring compliance with legislative requirements including Scottish, UK, World Trade Organisation and European Union Procurement Law.
Key Duties & Responsibilities
1. Travel, conferences, and events administration, to include;
1. Book travel, accommodation and conferences for staff and students, optimising value for money
2. Process visa applications if required and ensure that risk assessment forms are completed and that personal details are updated
3. Book accommodation and travel for external examiners, accreditation panel members etc.
4. Book catering for meetings, events, external exam boards, accreditation visits etc.
5. Contribute to travel log of all travel
6. Ensure that HWU risk policies are adhered to when booking travel or procurement
2. Administer the purchasing process for both HWU and Heriot-Watt Trading by;
7. acting on all purchase requisitions
8. issuing orders or arranging purchase card transactions
9. match invoices to receipted purchase orders
10. receipt goods and reconcile to Oracle
11. processing workflow completions within agreed timescales
12. reconcile purchasing cards within agreed timescales
3. Handle staff expenses claims and advances administration, to include;
13. administer all staff expenses claims and advances, including the correct allocation of expenses, reconciling purchasing cards and refundable for research travel (to reclaim expenses)
14. review expense claims within HWU Travel and Expenses Policy guidelines and liaise with staff when claims are disallowable.
4. General administration, to include;
15. Requisition stationery stocks across all School buildings and order business cards for staff
16. Arrange DHL pickups and finalise bills
17. Arrange confidential waste pickups
5. Assist in the implementation of improved working practices and administrative systems
6. 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 & Desirable Criteria
Essential Criteria
18. Educated to Higher level/A-levels or equivalent
19. Experience of working to strict deadlines under pressure
20. Experience of taking a proactive approach to administrative/financial support
21. A team player, with good oral and written communication skills
22. Good interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate oral, written and electronic information
23. Good organisational skills, with the ability to work with speed and accuracy.
24. Proficient in Excel, Word, Outlook
25. The ability to problem solve day to day problems by following guidelines or referring to what has been done before
26. The ability to work both independently, flexibly and within the needs of the team as a whole
Desirable Criteria
27. Experience of working within an FE/HE institution
28. Experience of working with a large accounting/ledger software system
29. Experience of working with different types of budgets
30. Experience of working in a busy finance office
Understanding of accounting/financial regulations, and ability to communicate financial regulations and to others