Curriculum Assistant

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About the Role

We are currently recruiting for Curriculum Assistant positions, each with a slightly different focus and different terms which have been outlined below:

• 1 full-time, permanent position.
• 1 permanent position at 33.5 hours per week (0.9 FTE).
• 1 full-time, maternity cover running until 1st November 2027.
• 1 full-time maternity cover running between 9 and 12 months.

As an Assistant within the Curriculum Management Service, you will support the day-to-day delivery of Curriculum Operations by providing proactive and flexible administrative support that allows colleagues to do their jobs effectively. You will be expected to work flexibly and collaboratively with colleagues across the Service. Typically, you will work within one of the following three areas:

• Curriculum Operations (1 full-time, permanent position and 1 full-time maternity cover position) - supporting Head of Curriculum Operations, Curriculum Managers and Coordinators and academic teams in all aspects of the development and production of curriculum products, as well as supporting the effective, maintenance and upkeep of curriculum products, including the provision of printed materials for students with disabilities and Students in Secured Environments (SISE) and event support.
• Curriculum Development and Learning and Assessment (1 permanent position at 33.5 hours per week [0.9 FTE]) – providing administrative support to the Senior Managers and Managers working across Associate Dean strategic portfolio activity, policy implementation, and scrutiny and governance activity, complaints and appeals.
• Production and Presentation Planning (1 full-time, maternity cover position running until 1 November 2027) - supporting the Director, Head of Curriculum Planning and Resources, and the Production and Presentation Management team with warehouse stock, module mailings, inventories, production and presentation checks, and printed packs.

You will also support the identification, dissemination, and implementation of good practice as part a commitment to continuous improvement and the development of operational capabilities.

Key Responsibilities

Delivery and Finance operations

Providing operational support, working in conjunction with other members of the team and colleagues across the University. Activities could include but are not limited to:

• Liaising with Curriculum Managers and Coordinators to deal with queries on production and presentation modules and changes to module mailings.
• Assist the printed pack team and Curriculum Managers/Coordinators regarding updates to printed materials for students with disabilities and students in secure environments.
• Preparing draft module materials for final handover, formatting module materials in the appropriate authoring environment (Word, Structured content, LaTeX).
• Supporting Curriculum Managers and Coordinators with module website maintenance preparation and checks and assisting with qualification study site updates.
• Monitoring the warehouse stock reports, taking such action as necessary to ensure timely and cost-effective delivery and providing support to quarterly budget forecasting processes.
• Ensuring the effective input, maintenance and assistance in the upkeep of core curriculum processes and databases.
• Assisting with administrative matters relating to students’ registration and assessment, including entry checks, extension requests, credit transfer, and references.
• Assisting with asset management and handover; processing and assisting with copyright clearance & permissions applications as required and providing support for media tagging.
• Assisting in the preparation and administration of day-schools, residentials schools, tutor briefing, or other curriculum-focussed events, including arranging rooms (bookings and AV equipment, catering, drafting agendas, circulating papers and recording actions).
• Acting as a first point of contact and handling general enquiries from students & colleagues via the university customer relations management systems, triaging and referring on queries as required.
• Assisting with administrative matters relating to the monitoring of TMAs where required including setting up the monitoring allocations, liaising with CMs, CCs as directed by the Senior Curriculum & Teaching Manager.

Approvals, Quality and Standards

• Assisting in the preparation and administration of committees, boards, and meetings, including arranging rooms (bookings and AV equipment, catering, drafting agendas, circulating papers and recording actions), specifically supporting the organisation and delivery of Boards of Studies, Scrutiny Groups and Formal Committee meetings and events.
• Assisting the Board of Studies Coordinators to ensure curriculum intranet pages and email distribution lists are up to date.
• Assisting in the collation of data and preparation of materials for professional bodies or external regulatory visits.
• Working with Curriculum Managers and Coordinators to ensure the accuracy of the module inventories and compliance with relevant approvals and policies.
• Assisting the Senior Manager Learning & Assessment in the handling and processing of student complaints and appeals.

Project Management

• Assisting with the administration of all aspects of projects including supporting project initiation, set up and reporting processes, and assisting with day-to-day requests from project teams, proactively highlighting any delays or potential delays in schedules.

People Management

• Prioritising own work, having an awareness of the workload of the team, and supporting colleagues when necessary.
• Being an adaptable team member, undertaking duties as required by line manager or matrix management.

About You

Skills and Experience

Essential

• A good standard of general education to include proficiency in English and Maths, which could be evidenced through qualifications (e.g. GCSE or equivalent), work experience, or other relevant training and a commitment to reflection and professional development.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to build trust, establish constructive relationships, and work collaboratively and effectively in a team.
• Effective organisational skills with the ability to remain flexible, adaptable, and responsive and to use initiative, work independently, and solve problems in a proactive manner.
• Ability to deal with sensitive and confidential information, work accurately, and to manage and manipulate data appropriately.
• Proficient in the use of IT and willing to develop existing skills and learning about relevant IT systems.
• Ability to carry out the role in a way that is consistent with equality legislation and University policies.

Desirable

• Experience of working in a changing environment.

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 01908 541111 or email careers@open.ac.uk 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 you can work from home and the office. However, as this role is contractually aligned to our Milton Keynes office it is expected that the role holder will be required to work from our Milton Keynes campus in response to business need. We anticipate this being , on average, once per month for role holders within the Learning and Assessment and Production and Presentation teams, as well as for the maternity cover role within Curriculum Operations. The full-time permanent role holder in Curriculum Operations will be expected to work onsite once per week and may occasionally be required to provide week-long periods of onsite support during busier periods.

Early closing date notification

While most roles will remain open until the advertised closing date, applications may be reviewed on an ongoing basis. In some cases, vacancies may close earlier if a sufficient number of suitable applications have been received and equality impacts have been appropriately considered. All roles will remain advertised for a minimum of one week before any early closure is implemented.

If you have started an application or were in the process of applying when the advert closed, we encourage you to get in touch. We are committed to understanding individual circumstances and can offer further support where needed, including reasonable adjustments for applicants with protected characteristics.

How to apply

To apply for this role, please submit the following document(s):

• CV
• Supporting Statement (Your Supporting Statement should be no more than 1000 words and should outline why you are interested in the role whilst also outlining how your skills and experience meet the essential and desirable criteria listed above). In your Supporting Statement, please outline which of the 4 positions you would like to be considered for.

You can view your progress and application communications when you are logged into our recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folders if you do not receive associated email updates.