Senior PGR Support Officer

Overview

The Senior PGR Support Officer will be part of the Faculty Doctoral College team who support the delivery of the postgraduate research students (PGR) journey. The postholder will work closely with the Faculty Doctoral School Manager at Faculty level and PGR Support Officers to support the delivery of an excellent student experience to our PGR community. The Senior PGR Support Officer will work closely with the PGR Support Officers to respond to day-to-day challenges and will provide appropriate cover for staffing gaps. The postholder will liaise with School PGR Leads,and other key professional services colleagues to ensure process alignment at a School, Faculty and Central level. The postholder will have responsibility for line management of a number of PGR Support Officers and will deputise for the Faculty Doctoral School Manager as appropriate. The post holder will ensure that PGRs and academic colleagues have access to high quality support and that processes and procedures support and enhance their progression through their programme of research. The postholder will lead on complex PGR student concerns as they arise and will share best practice to support the effective management of the PGR student journey. This role presents a unique opportunity to make a significant contribution to excellent service delivery for staff and PGR students.

Main duties and responsibilities

• Support the administration of Faculty PGR scholarship processes, communicating with Schools, Research, Partnerships and Innovation (RPI), admissions and other Professional Service departments as required.

• Work closely with RPI and Faculty Finance to advise on available funds, RTSG oversight, completion of funding forms, advice on and compliance with funder requirements.

• Support process development and implementation to ensure consistency of approach across the Faculty.

• Deputise for the Faculty Doctoral School Manager as appropriate and agreed.

• Provide student facing support within Hubs, for example supporting PGR Support Officers with complex student queries,providing cover for staff absences, managing shared inboxes and responding to staff and student queries as required.

• Undertake line management responsibility for a small number of PGR Support Officers within their team.

• Support Faculty and School PGR Leads to manage supervisor mandatory training compliance and other relevant training and development opportunities.

• Undertake regular and proactive monitoring of data across the Faculty including submission rates, key milestones such as confirmation review and submission review, and student attendance monitoring reporting to the relevant Faculty committees.

• Ensure the management of records and sharing of information with external parties is compliant with GDPR regulations, including ensuring Je-S records are properly set up and collated.

• Support the delivery of Faculty PGR inductions and other events and have oversight of School arrangements to support consistency and high quality.

• Work with Student Recruitment, Marketing and Admissions (SRMA) colleagues to advertise scholarships, support the development of marketing materials and promote the strategic priorities of the PGR community both internally and externally.

• Work closely with School Education teams to support PGR students' access to disability, wellbeing and inclusion support, in particular via the Inclusion and Disability Liaison Officer.

• Work with the Faculty Doctoral School Manager to support the Doctoral School’s interface with, and oversight of, Centres for Doctoral Training.

• Carry out other duties, commensurate with the grade and remit of the post

Person Specification

Our diverse community of staff and students recognises the unique abilities, backgrounds, and beliefs of all. We foster a culture where everyone feels they belong and is respected. Even if your past experience doesn't match perfectly with this role's criteria, your contribution is valuable, and we encourage you to apply. Please ensure that you reference the application criteria in the application statement when you apply.

Further Information

Our vision and strategic plan

We are the University of Sheffield. This is our vision: (opens in new window).

What we offer

• A minimum of 38 days annual leave including bank holiday and closure days (pro rata) with the ability to purchase more.

• Flexible working opportunities, including hybrid working for some roles.

• Generous pension scheme.

• A wide range of discounts and rewards on shopping, eating out and travel.

• A variety of staff networks, providing opportunities for social interaction, peer support and personal development (for example, Race Equality, LGBT+, Women’s and Parent’s networks).

• Recognition Awards to reward staff who go above and beyond in their role.

• A range of generous family-friendly policies

  • paid time off for parenting and caring emergencies

  • access to menopause support in the workplace

  • paid time off and support for fertility treatment

  • and more

More details can be found on our benefits page: (opens in a new window).

We are a Disability Confident Leader (opens in a new window). If you have a disability and meet the essential criteria for this job you will be invited to take part in the next stage of the selection process.