Job Description

Job Category: Administration
Degree Level: No qualifications
:
Job Posting Title: Administrative Assistant (Policy and Governance)
Grade and Salary: Grade 4 (24,215 - 26,093)
FTE and working pattern: Full time (35 hours per week, 1 FTE)
Purpose of Role:
The role holder will be an important member of the Policy and Governance Division and will have primary responsibilities for administrative support provided to the Clerks of the University's Committees and Boards, members of the Appeals, Complaints and Conduct team and other duties as required.
The role holder will provide support for the development and maintenance of general information systems, key corporate information, policy repositories, publication of material on webpages and board pack software used for Committee servicing and SharePoint based resources for overseeing Student Appeal, Complaint and Conduct activities.
Summary of Key Duties and Responsibilities: * The post-holder will provide a direct professional-level administrative support to all aspects of Policy and Governance team, in particular to the Head of Division and Operations Team Managers in each team (two).

• The post-holder will be responsible for supporting the clerks of Committees to ensure that actions agreed in meetings of key committees are followed through and reported appropriately through Action Log reports back to those committees.
• The post-holder will support the central record of University policies and procedures is maintained and facilitate reporting from a central record. The post-holder will take steps to ensure that all newly approved policies and procedures are presented in the correct form and are web posted and retained in an electronic archive. Manage the archiving of physical and electronic files in line with GDPR and University policies.
• Support other colleagues in the Appeals, Conduct and Complaints team, to develop common working procedures and the adoption of good practice across the group, including appropriate cataloguing, categorisation and reporting of cases for internal and external reporting purposes.
• The post-holder will work with other colleagues to ensure that the SharePoint filing system is kept up to date and in good order.
• The post-holder will provide administrative and ancillary support for other activities undertaken by the Policy and Governance Division as requested by the Head of Division. This could involve a variety of tasks and may involve providing direct support to University governors.

Education, Qualifications & Experience:
These are the criteria on which the short-listing and recruitment selection will be made
Essential * Excellent written and oral communications skills, and the ability independently to produce high quality written work;

• Experience of working on their own initiative with minimal day-to-day supervision, and proactivity in their approach to managing the day-to-day affairs of the their work and identifying and implementing improvements;
• A flexible and adaptable approach, coupled with the ability to prioritise workload to meet deadlines;
• Good all round organisational and forward planning abilities. The post-holder will be expected to balance a varied group of concurrent projects and activities;
• A high degree of attention to detail and accuracy of working in all areas relating to the post;
• The ability to operate with a high degree of tact and discretion due to the highly sensitive and confidential nature of the material that may be handled;
• A pleasant, helpful and professional manner;
• Experience of team working and effectiveness as a good team player;
• IT literacy with good keyboard skills, a good working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications, especially SharePoint, Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and the Internet.

Desirable * Experience in supporting committees;

• Experience of using Board Pack software;
• Relevant tertiary-level educational or vocational qualifications.

Directorate Name: Governance and Legal Services (GALS)
Reporting to: Secretariat Operations Team Manager
About our School/Directorate and Team:
The Directorate seeks to deliver, enhance and adapt an effective and sustainable governance framework upholding the rights and obligations of all stakeholders, including international stakeholders. The purpose is to support sound, effective and accountable decision making and stewardship of the University's resources and reputation. The Directorate's core objective is to protect Heriot-Watt University's reputation, brand, values and assets and its definition of Success to maintain compliance with standards (legislation, codes of practice etc.) and enhance value.
Any queries about the role please email hiring manager Phil Rowsby (Phil.Rowsby@hw.ac.uk).
How to Apply
Applications with FULL CV (and Cover letter) can be submitted up to midnight (UK time) on Monday, 8th September 2025.
Shortlisting is anticipated the same week and interviews are anticipated to be conducted on Thursday, 18th September 2025.
At Heriot-Watt we are passionate about our values and look to them to connect our people globally and to help us collaborate and celebrate our success through working together. Our research programmes can deliver real world impact which is achieved through the diversity of our international community and the recognition of creative talent that connects our global team.
Our flourishing community will give you the freedom to challenge and to bring your enterprising mind and to help our partners with solutions that can be applied now and in the future. Join us and Heriot Watt will provide you with a platform to thrive and work in a way that also helps you live your life in balance with well-being and inclusiveness at the heart of our global community.
Heriot-Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities. Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all.
Heriot-Watt University values diversity across our University community and welcomes applications from all sectors of society, particularly from underrepresented groups. For more information, please see our website and also our award-winning work in Disability Inclusive Science Careers
We welcome and will consider flexible working patterns e.g. part-time working and job share options.
Use our total rewards calculator: to see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University

Skills Required