Administrator

Administrator

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF NORTHERN IRELAND

Grade: UKRI Pay Band B

Salary: £23,328 per annum (pro rata)

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Part time – 20 hours a week (some flexible working options may be available, including a small amount of remote working, in line with BGS policy)

Location: Adelaide House, Belfast, Northern Ireland

A great benefits package is offered!, including an outstanding pension scheme (with an extremely generous employer contribution – on average 27% of your pay), 30 days annual leave plus bank holidays (pro rata), and access to flexi-time

Closing date: 13 October 2024

About the role

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a motivated and experienced Administrator / Business Assistant to provide highly effective administrative support for the Director of the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland (GSNI).

The successful applicant will work closely with the GSNI Director with responsibility for preparing meeting agendas, collating associated papers, and taking minutes. An important part of the role will be diary management, travel booking and arising daily tasks and queries for GSNI staff. Other duties/responsibilities include:

• Coordination of Health & Safety (H&S) administration including ensuring suitable Risk Assessments are prepared for all fieldwork and business travel.
• Coordination of purchasing including adherence and administration of relevant procurement.
• Management of all GSNI sales and the compliance with associated administration requirements including credit card returns.
• Maintenance of finance and audit records in compliance with BGS and NICS obligations.
• Ensuring effective document management and filing.
• Management of GSNI consumables stock and ensuring adequate supply in advance of events.
• Coordination and monitoring of equipment for GSNI events including sign in / out procedures.
• Ensuring that the GSNI office is tidy, in compliance with H&S regulations and clear desk policy.
• Carrying out document scanning and filing as appropriate.
• Ensuring that room bookings are in place for all meetings and that appropriate IT equipment is available and operational.
• Organisation of hospitality for both internal and external meetings and events.
• Ensuring that GSNI hospitality supplies are maintained and available for meetings.
• Maintain office correspondence including post, draft routine correspondence both electronic and paper.
• Provide support for management of physical archives at both Castle Buildings and the Core Store.
• Greet all external visitors to GSNI including liaison prior to visit and with reception at Adelaide House.
• Assisting with the acknowledgement, internal distribution and monitoring of external enquiries.

About you

You will be educated to at least GCSE (or equivalent) standard including Maths and English with experience of providing high-quality support in an administrative or secretarial role.

You will have excellent verbal and written communication skills and be able to communicate with people at all levels clearly and concisely. We are looking for highly organised candidates who also have knowledge of and experience of using a variety of Microsoft Office and other IT applications, in particular Outlook, Word, and Excel, plus a willingness to develop these skills further.

Please also refer to the additional specific essential and desirable skills criteria for this post.

Please note – you will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role. UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during your employment.

Skills Specification - Criteria to be assessed at Shortlist ‘S’ and Interview ‘I’ Stage

Essential

• GCSE (Grade C/4 or above) or equivalent qualifications in Mathematics and English Language (S)
• A good level of work experience in an administrative/secretarial role, including experience of minute-taking, travel booking and procurement (S&I) and supporting staff at a senior/director level including managing electronic calendars (S)
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams and Zoom (S&I)
• Ability to work unsupervised and work within a variety of teams, and to demonstrate flexibility and participate as a team member (I)
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to be discreet with a clear understanding of handling confidential information (I)
• Demonstrates an enthusiasm for the work of BGS/UKRI and the BGS core values of impact, impartiality, and knowledge (S&I)

Desirable

• Valid driving licence and a willingness to drive as part of the role (S)
• You will be committed to a diverse and inclusive approach to work in the geosciences (I)

About us

The Geological Survey of Northern Ireland is staffed by scientists from the British Geological Survey (BGS) and is an office of the Department for the Economy (DfE) in Northern Ireland.

The British Geological Survey (BGS) is an applied geoscience research centre that belongs to UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and is affiliated to the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). It is a world leading geological survey whose core mission is to advise government of science related to the subsurface and to undertake applied research to solve earth and environmental issues, both in the UK and globally. It is funded directly by UKRI, as well as through research grants and private sector contracts.

We strive to promote equality and diversity across our organisation in order to continuously improve our scientific and organisational efficiency! As such, we aim to have a workforce with employees from all backgrounds with people who are passionate about earth science and who share our dedication to work for the good of the environment and the benefit of society. BGS became a signatory of the Technician Commitment in July 2022.

How to apply

Applicants are required to include a CV and covering letter outlining their suitability for the role. We would stress the importance of this paperwork in our selection process.

A well thought through application providing evidence and examples of how you meet the advertised essential and desirable criteria for the post will be considered far more favourably than a generic covering letter and CV.

This role will not attract points to obtain a sponsored Skilled Worker visa, under the UK Visa & Immigration points-based system. Applications are welcome from candidates who do not currently have the right to work for the role, but who can demonstrate they will be eligible to obtain a valid work visa via another UK visa route, in line with the Contract Type shown in the vacancy.

At interview, all shortlisted candidates are required to bring with them identification documents and original documents that prove they hold or can obtain the right to work in the UK.  You can check your eligibility here: https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa/y’

If you experience any issues applying for this role, please contact Recruitment@ukri.org.

The closing date for receipt of applications is Sunday 13 October 2024. Interviews will be held on Friday 25th October 2024 in Belfast.