The University of Sheffield is a remarkable place to work. Our people are at the heart of everything we do. Their diverse backgrounds, abilities and beliefs make Sheffield a world-class university.

We offer a fantastic range of benefits including a highly competitive annual leave entitlement (with the ability to purchase more), a generous pensions scheme, flexible working opportunities, a commitment to your development and wellbeing, a wide range of retail discounts, and much more. Find out more about our benefits (opens in a new window) and join us to become part of something special.

Overview

Based within the Student Examinations & Results Team in Student Registry, this is a full-time post located in the Students' Union Building at the heart of the main University Campus.

Reporting to the Senior Examinations Assistant, you will provide clerical support for formally invigilated examinations throughout the year.  Your key responsibilities will include, preparing and packing examination and ancillary material, producing attendance lists, maintaining the secure exam store, supporting the Student Registry Helpdesk, exam query handling (email, telephone, in person), archiving and filing.  You will be responsible for producing exam hall floor plans and maintaining an up to date manual for use by invigilators and Estates and Facilities Management (EFM).  You will provide clerical support to Senior Student Examinations Assistants and the Team Manager.  

Main duties and responsibilities

• Providing clerical support for formally invigilated examinations, in accordance with the University’s regulations, throughout the year.
• First point of contact for examinations queries, including in person enquiries to the help desk and responding to email and telephone enquiries.
• Prepare and pack examination material, including modified question papers, ancillary material and attendance lists. 
• Produce examination hall floor plans and maintain and update an Exam Hall Manual, to support invigilation and the set up and clearance of halls.
• Respond to queries from academic Schools in connection with exam attendance and incident reporting.
• Provide support for examinations taking place outside Sheffield, including resits for international students timetabled overseas.
• Provide support for examinations arranged for students with disabilities, specific learning difficulties, temporary impairments and ill health.
• Support processes relating to the secure transport and printing of examination papers and ancillary material.
• Responsibility for archiving, filing and the organisation and maintenance of the examinations secure store, including preparing examination material, ordering and maintaining stock.
• Sharing responsibility as part of a team for processing reassessment applications.
• Sharing responsibility as part of a team for exam related enquiry handling and customer service.
• Providing customer service support to the Student Registry Helpdesk.
• Supporting cross-team working objectives by actively taking part in the work of one or more additional teams within the department.
• Be available to work as part of a team rota outside normal office hours (including evenings and weekends) to support business requirements.
• As a member of staff you will be encouraged to make ethical decisions in your role, embedding the University sustainability strategy into your working activities wherever possible
• 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 are 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.

Essential criteria

• Demonstrable clerical experience preferably within a HE setting. [Application]
• Experience in a customer facing environment, providing information and guidance in support of service objectives. .[Application Form, Interview]
• Proven IT skills, with experience of working with databases, Microsoft Office packages (particularly Word and Excel), email and the internet. [Assessment]
• Ability to work with people from a variety of backgrounds and at all levels of an organisation. [Interview]
• Excellent customer service skills, with experience of responding efficiently and effectively to phone, face-to-face and email enquiries.[Application Form, Interview]
• Ability to work effectively as a part of a team, but also able to work independently, in accordance with departmental guidelines and objectives. [Application Form, Interview]
• Ability to analyse and solve problems with an appreciation of longer-term implications. [Interview]
• Ability to organise and prioritise own workload, planning for delivery over the medium term (up to several months). [Application Form, Interview]
• Ability to work with accuracy, particularly in areas involving data processing, and an eye for detail is essential. [Application Form, Interview]
• Ability to work to tight deadlines, regularly reassessing priorities. [Application Form, Interview]
• Ability to assess and organise resources, and plan and progress work activities. [Application Form, Interview]

Desirable criteria

• Experience of supervising support staff, ensuring they have the information and support they need to perform their duties. [Application]
• Evidence of resourcefulness in handling problems that arise unexpectedly and at short notice, and in resolving them with short to medium term solutions. [Application Form, Interview]
• Ability to contribute to developmental work, drawing on experience and knowledge of own areas of responsibility to make an effective contribution. [Application Form, Interview]
• Experience of developing and maintaining a network of contacts [Application Form, Interview]

Further Information

Grade: Grade 4

Salary: £24,900 - £26,338

Work arrangement: Full-time and Campus-based [Hybrid working is limited in this role]

Line manager: Senior Student Examinations Assistant (Operations Lead)

For informal enquiries about this job contact Jo Ashton, Student Examinations & Results Manager, Student & Academic Services: on jo.ashton@sheffield.ac.uk.

Next steps in the recruitment process

It is anticipated that the selection process will take place two weeks following the closing of the Job advert. This will consist of an interview and test. We plan to let candidates know if they have progressed to the selection stage on the week commencing 30th June 2025. If you need any support, equipment or adjustments to enable you to participate in any element of the recruitment process you can contact interviews@sheffield.ac.uk.

Our vision and strategic plan

We are the University of Sheffield. This is our vision: sheffield.ac.uk/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 commitment to your development access to learning and mentoring schemes; Professional Services Shared Skills Framework
• A range of generous family-friendly policies
  • paid time off for parenting and caring emergencies
  • support for those going through the menopause
  • paid time off and support for fertility treatment
  • and more

More details can be found on our benefits page: sheffield.ac.uk/jobs/benefits (opens in a new window).

We are a Disability Confident Employer. 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.

We are a research university with a global reputation for excellence. Our ideas and expertise change the world for the better, making a real difference to society. We know that when people come together with different views, approaches and insights it can lead to richer, more creative and innovative teaching and research and the highest levels of student experience. Our University Vision (www.sheffield.ac.uk/vision) outlines our commitment to building a diverse community of staff and students that recognises and values the abilities, backgrounds, beliefs and ways of living for everyone.