Programme Assistant; Milton Keynes, ENG, GB, MKAA

Change your career, change lives

The Open University is the UK’s largest university, a world leader in flexible part-time education combining a mission to widen access to higher education with research excellence, transforming lives through education. Find out more about us and our mission by watching this short video (you will be taken to You Tube by clicking this link).

About the Role

You will support the administration of the professional programmes within WELS providing administrative and organisational support to ensure the efficient day-to-day management of information, activity and events within the department. You will also support students through our complex admissions processes and allowing students to be registered onto the restricted programmes.

Please note there are 3 roles available.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the recruitment and selection and other programme-related activities of colleagues based across all nations;
• Liaise on behalf of department colleagues, with internal and external stakeholders, including senior contacts to progress the work of the department;
• Support maintenance and updating of external partner details using a range of different IT applications, including Microsoft Office products, university systems and the department’s student work-based learning database;
• Support the distribution of confidential reports to external stakeholders, and schedule reporting timetable, liaising with colleagues to ensure accuracy of content;
• Undertake any other duties reasonably required as within the nature of the duties and responsibilities of the role;
• Responsible for setting up meetings/events with internal and external stakeholders; prepare and distribute meeting papers.

About You

Essential:

• Excellent oral and written communication skills with a high level of accuracy and attention to detail and the ability to tailor communications depending on the audience.
• Proven computer literacy including the ability to use Microsoft packages (Word, Outlook, and Excel) proficiently.
• Excellent organisational skills, including experience of supporting meetings and events.
• Proven ability to manage competing deadlines and to prioritise work effectively, taking ownership of tasks and ensuring these are completed to schedule and agreed standards.
• Ability to work effectively both independently and co-operatively as part of a team, towards a common goal.
• Experience of dealing with sensitive information in a professional manner, demonstrating discretion and confidentiality.

Desirable:

• An understanding of the Higher Education sector.
• Experience of working in an environment where highly regulated external standards must be adhered to.

Support with your application

If you have any questions, or need support or adjustments relating to your application, the recruitment process, or the role, please contact us on or email quoting the advert reference number.

What's in it for you?

At The Open University, we offer a range of benefits to recognise and reward great work, alongside policies and flexible working that contribute towards a great work life balance. Get all the details of what benefits we offer by visiting our Staff Benefits page (clicking this link will open a new window).

Flexible working

We are open to discussions about flexible working. Whether it’s a job share, part time, compressed hours or another working arrangement. Please reach out to us to discuss what works best for you.

Working Location: It is anticipated that a hybrid working pattern can be adopted for this role, where the successful candidate can work from home and the office. However, as this role is contractually aligned to our Milton Keynes Office, it is expected that some attendance in the office will be required when necessary and in response to business needs. We’d expect this to be once per week, currently Tuesdays but this is subject to change.

Frequency of on-site working may increase if business needs dictate. Full-time working based from our Milton Keynes site is also supported if this is preferred by the candidate. Expenses associated with travel to our Milton Keynes site are…