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. The working hours for this role are preferably 08:30 to 16:30 to allow for office and team cover.

Organisation structure

Chief Operating Officer, Facilities Management.

Your line manager will be Kathy Matthews, Head of Facilities.

Place of work

The majority of your working week will be spent at our Horizons office in Reading. Fridays will typically be a homeworking day, however we may occasionally require you to attend the office to provide cover or to support team colleagues.

High level summary of job role

You will provide a welcoming and responsive, people-focused facilities administration and coordination service, ensuring employees have a safe, comfortable and productive working environment. You will be a key point of contact for staff across all office and remote working locations and both lead on and undertake Display Screen Equipment (DSE) assessments, and coordinate associated workplace adjustments. You will also lead on the busy starters, changes and leavers process from a FM perspective, as well as supporting the Head of FM with their work and providing cover for team colleagues when required.

Specific job role accountabilities and responsibilities

DSE and workplace adjustments

1. Undertake timely workplace DSE assessments (including risk assessments) and review individual requirements, such as those relating to medical/health conditions and pregnancy. Assess and coordinate reasonable adjustments to help employees carry out their roles safely and effectively. At all times, provide empathetic guidance and support during assessments and any subsequent adjustment process.

2. Working closely with HR who will initiate the process, support employees returning to work following longer periods of workplace absence, where there are DSE or other workplace adjustments relating to their physical workspace. This may include reviewing occupational health recommendations provided to you by HR.

3. Coordinate the procurement and provision of specialist equipment and ergonomic solutions where required. Manage the full delivery lifecycle.

4. Maintain regular communication with staff and line managers, as well as with external suppliers of equipment. Retain accurate records and ensure compliance with equality and data protection legislation.

5. Monitor and review the effectiveness of workplace adjustments, ensuring ongoing support is provided where necessary.

Starters, changes, and leavers process

1. In collaboration with HR, technology and other teams, organise FM requirements for new starters, internal moves and leavers.

2. Ensure workstations, equipment, access cards and facilities arrangements, are fully in place for employees in a timely manner.

3. Coordinate office relocations, team moves, and desk allocations. Maintain accurate occupancy and workspace records at all times.

FM administration and cover

1. Administer FM systems and technology, seeking to maximise efficiency and productivity. Maintain other FM records including assets and building occupancy. Using FM data and information, produce reports as required.

2. Support the Head of FM as required, to ensure continuity of office cover and closure of FM enquiries.

3. With all team colleagues, support the delivery of FM projects and service improvements.

4. Process purchase orders, invoices and supplier requests.

5. Cover Horizons reception and the FM inbox when required, including during periods of colleague absence.

Other important features of the job role

Line management responsibilities: None.

Budget responsibility: None.

In this role you will liaise with the following: All staff in all office locations; all teams; external suppliers and contacts.

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 safer recruitment and 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 unless specified otherwise), and three years employment history. This is all part of our commitment to safeguarding our students. Keeping our students safe is a responsibility shared by everyone within the University.

Qualifications and training

GCSE Maths and English language Grade C or 4 or above (D, A).

Display Screen Equipment (DSE) trained (D, A, I).

Health and safety trained (D, A, I).

Previous experience

Worked in a facilities management or office administration role (E, A, I).

Conducting DSE assessments (D, A, I) or willingness to undertake DSE training (E, I). In this role you will need to assess workplace equipment needs. Coordinating workplace adjustments including reasonable adjustments (D, A, I).

Using databases, service management software, or FM/health and safety software (D, A, I).

Behaviours and attitudes

Alignment to the University’s core values and growth mindset approach, which reflect our culture. Refer to the specific behaviours within the Competency Framework (E, I) – summarised within the careers site.

Skills, knowledge, other requirements

Strong communication skills given you will work with people in person and remotely (E, A, I).

Customer (people) focused, keen to support, professional approach (E, A, I).

Strong organisation and planning skills (to manage priorities), with attention to detail (E, I).

Ability to work both independently and as part of a team (immediate team and wider teams) (E, I).

Data protection awareness and compliance (E, I). Working with confidential and sensitive information (E, I).

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

Commitment to delivering positive outcomes for our students regardless of your area of work within the University; we want our students to be successful (E, I).

You must be prepared to undertake mandatory online training should you be appointed. The University is regulated by the Office for Students and Ofsted, and we have specific requirements and expectations around safeguarding, Prevent, and anti-harassment and bullying. This is all part of our Competency Framework requirements (E, I).

PAY AND BENEFITS

Salary: Salary range £28,000 to £29,000 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. We provide life assurance (death in service) cover as standard to all employees.

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 range of lifestyle discounts and everyday savings.

• We offer learning platforms including LinkedIn learning.

APPLICATIONS - THINGS TO CONSIDER

For an informal discussion about the role please contact Kathy Matthews on 0118 467 2077 or email k.matthews@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 30 November 2026 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 will take place at Horizons and may involve two stages.

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.