Deputy University Secretary

JOB DESCRIPTION

Employment status and working hours

Permanent, full time.

Full time hours at the University are 35 per week with the standard working pattern Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 17:00.

Organisation structure

Deputy Vice Chancellor department.

Your line manager will be Jane Fawkes, Deputy Vice Chancellor and University Secretary.

Place of work flexibility

Your time will be split between the Horizons, Reading office and your home*. The exact split of days/hours is negotiable but must include a minimum of two working days each week in Horizons only on the core days (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday). *Working from home is only possible if your environment is suitable.

High level summary of job role

As the Deputy University Secretary, you will provide professional expertise, support and advice for the Deputy Vice Chancellor and University Secretary across a range of strategic and operational areas, including academic and corporate governance, legal and regulatory compliance, risk management, collaborative partnerships and data protection. You will develop, review and maintain policies, reports, structures and processes necessary to support institutional compliance and timely decision-making. You will also be responsible for the oversight of Graduation, working closely with teams such as Academic Registry and Marketing. You will set high standards and nurture effective interaction across the University.

Specific job role accountabilities and responsibilities

• Support and advise the Deputy Vice Chancellor and University Secretary in the development and delivery of highly effective academic and corporate governance, helping to ensure that governance structures and processes operate in a streamlined and consistent manner.
• Work to embed precision within all aspects of Board, Corporate and Academic Governance, embedding a culture of ‘keeping the University safe’ whilst governance is seen as an enabling tool.
• Work with the Deputy Vice Chancellor and University Secretary in the planning and delivery of strategic priorities, offering confidential advice and project management to aid decision making and support project implementation.
• Support the planning and due diligence process for collaborative partnerships, working closely with the Director of Academic Quality to ensure that academic partnerships are appropriately planned and governed.
• Advise the Deputy Vice Chancellor and University Secretary on the impact of current and forthcoming legislation and statutory requirements, preparing papers and briefings for the University staff and trustees as required.
• Work with the University Secretary and Clerk to the Board to support the effective running of the Board and Sub-Committees.
• Ensure that the policy framework within which the University works is fit-for-purpose, current and complete, and satisfies government policy and regulatory requirements. This includes identifying and advising on matters where significant governance or operational challenges are present or likely to arise.
• Chair the Quality, Standards and Enhancement Committee.
• Chair the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and other meetings as relevant.
• Oversee information compliance including handling of enquiries under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, as well as provision of advice and training on associated compliance issues.
• Obtain legal or other advice on behalf of the University, as directed by the Deputy Vice Chancellor and University Secretary.
• Oversee Graduation, particularly relating to the format of the ceremony, speakers and VIPS, liaising with Academic Registry and Marketing.
• Support the University’s approach to risk management and assurance, including working with the Director of Strategy and Planning in the regular review of the risk register and associated risk mitigation plans.
• Maintain high levels of integrity and confidentiality and be able to liaise confidently with trustees, staff and external stakeholders to foster high-performing relationships.
• Deputise for the Deputy Vice Chancellor and University Secretary as required.

Other important features of the job role

Line management responsibilities: None.

Budget responsibility: None.

In this role you will liaise with the following: Deputy Vice Chancellor and University Secretary, Governance Officer (Clerk to the Board), Trustees, Education and Students department, wider University teams.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

E = Essential person requirement; D = Desirable person requirement

How the person requirement will be assessed:

A = Application; I = Interview; T = Test or other assessment

Please be aware that as part of onboarding processes, we will seek original documentary evidence of the relevant academic and/or professional qualifications which you include within your job application. This is all part of our comprehensive pre-employment screening which also includes checking your identity, right to work, criminal record history (basic disclosure), and three years employment history.

Qualifications and training

Further education level qualifications (E, A).

Degree level and/or professional qualification (E, A).

Previous experience

In a similar role (E, A, I).

Within the higher education sector (E, A, I).

Delivering changes to governance arrangements, working with stakeholders to deliver a required outcome (E, A, I).

A track record of effective strategic planning, risk management, and project delivery (E, A, I).

Managing data protection requirements (E, A, I).

Senior management experience in a higher education governance or related role (E, A, I).

Managing and developing people at a range of levels (E, A, I).

Directly supporting governing bodies and governing body committees (D, A, I).

Managing collaborative partnerships in a higher education context (D, A, I).

Skills, knowledge, and aptitudes

Strong leadership and management skills, demonstrating effective decision making (E, A, I).

Ability to create long term strategic and project plans, anticipating changes in demand, opportunities or risks that could affect the chances of success (E, A, I).

Sound understanding of the legal and regulatory context for higher education and the policy environment relevant to the University (E, A, I).

Effective negotiation, influencing and communication skills, with the ability to deal confidently and diplomatically with a range of people at all levels both internally and externally (E, A, I).

Ability to synthesis complex information from a range of sources and to present findings in a manner appropriate to the audience (E, A, I).

Ability to analyse practices and procedures, then identify opportunities for improvement and engage staff to deliver change (E, A, I).

Excellent organisational and administrative skills, effectively organising own workload to balance competing priorities and multiple deadlines (E, A, I).

Digital skills confidence: We use MS Office which includes Teams, Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and several other systems/technology (E, I, T).

Other requirements or special requirements

Alignment to the University’s core values of Passion, Integrity, Excellence and Support; all employees are expected to demonstrate our values at work (E, I).

Commitment to delivering positive outcomes for our students; we want our students to be successful (E, I).

You must be prepared to undertake mandatory online training should you be appointed including Data Protection, Health and Safety, Safeguarding, Prevent, and EDI (E, I).

PAY AND BENEFITS

Salary: Salary range £60,000 to £70,000 per annum.

Holiday: 26 days paid holiday (rising to 28 with service) plus paid bank/public holidays plus up to five paid closure days (typically between Christmas and New Year); all per holiday year Full Time Equivalent. Our holiday year runs from 1 August to 31 July. We also have a holiday buy and sell scheme in place. Sometimes the University does not need to close for five days per year and any balance (for example one day), can be used as a paid Wellbeing Day to take time out for your own physical or mental health.

Pension and life assurance: Pensions auto-enrolment to the Universities Superannuation Scheme which is a default salary sacrifice scheme. You may opt out of salary sacrifice but remain in the scheme, or you may choose to opt out altogether.

Family-friendly policies: Policies in place for all types of family-friendly statutory leave with enhanced pay available from day one of employment for some leave types. Access to Tax-Free Childcare (Government scheme).

Wellbeing: Full access to the Employee Assistance Programme as well as the Thrive Mental Wellbeing app. Several employees are trained Mental Health First Aiders and can support staff. We have a wellbeing policy and we focus on five pillars of wellbeing.

Sustainable travel: Cycle to Work and Electric Vehicle salary sacrifice schemes.

Parking: We have locked sheds for bicycles. For cars, for Horizons based roles, we may in the future be able to offer parking on site however you must not assume this will be possible. Every now and then we may have a spare parking space become available and you can ask to join the waiting list. The University is keen wherever possible, to encourage staff to commute as sustainably as possible.

Other health related benefits: Employer-funded Health Cash Plan (Simplyhealth) and voluntary dental insurance (Unum).

Other valuable benefits:

• Charity giving options available including one voluntary paid day, per annum.
• You will have access to Microsoft Office 365 applications for personal use.
• You will have access to range of lifestyle discounts and everyday savings.
• We offer learning platforms including LinkedIn learning.

On the Join the team page of our website, you will find the full list of employee benefits.

APPLICATIONS - THINGS TO CONSIDER

For an informal discussion about the role please contact Jane Fawkes on 0118 921 4682 or email j.fawkes@ube.ac.uk. For any other enquiries please contact HR on 0118 467 2454 / 2433 or email recruitment@ube.ac.uk

Did one of our employees recommend you? If you apply on the recommendation of an existing employee, please make sure to mention their name within your application.

We're passionate about sustainability and we have a five-year strategic plan: We expect job seekers to be curious about who we are and what we do. We point you towards a couple of resources about who we are and sustainability.

Closing date and next steps

We will receive applications until the advert closes on Monday 27 October 2025 at 17:00. We will not consider late applications. Our ATS does not screen applications, we humans do. Applications may be reviewed prior to the closing date and occasionally, you may be invited to interview ahead of the closing date.

Interview details

Dates for interview will be advised to you later in the process. We'll ask you to tell us about any dates you cannot make, up to 4 weeks from the closing date; this helps us to plan interviews should you be shortlisted, prior to contacting you.

Interviews are normally carried out over Microsoft Teams or Zoom. Depending on the job role and place of work, your interview may be at our Reading or London office. Please be prepared for a two-stage interview process, held on different dates. As part of the interview process, you will likely meet a member of the Senior Leadership Team.

Note for internal candidates

If you are an existing employee, we request you inform your current line manager of your intention to apply for this role.