Course Coordinator / Placement Officer

Role Description

UCC wishes to appoint an administrator to the role of Course Coordinator/Placement Officer within the School of Pharmacy. Working under the direction of the School Manager or nominee and the Directors of the Programmes, the appointee will be responsible for supporting the planning, co-ordination of delivery of postgraduate Masters programmes within the School. The Co-ordinator will support all aspects of the programme, working collaboratively with academic and administrative staff, as well as industry placement providers. Responsibilities will include assisting with the recruitment of industry placement providers and delivery of initiatives to support student experiential learning. The appointee will provide a high quality level of administrative support to academic staff and students. The post carries responsibility for managing administrative systems to ensure that University and Placement providers procedures are adhered to in a given timeframe.

Principal/Regular Duties and Responsibilities:

• Oversee the day-to-day administration of the postgraduate taught master's programmes within the School, including timetable coordination, responding to programme-related queries from students, staff, and external stakeholders, and managing the online delivery of content—particularly via the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).

• Lead the planning, development, management, and delivery of experiential learning placements associated with these programmes. This includes liaising with industry partners to identify opportunities, coordinating placement interviews, and supporting student experiential learning.

• Collaborate with Programme Directors to ensure that all necessary administrative structures are in place for efficient programme delivery and that approved policies are effectively implemented to ensure that the programmes are compliant with University regulations.

• Coordinate the ongoing review and enhancement of the programmes, including the management of processes related to maintaining academic approval of the curriculum.

• Ensure tracking and recording systems of all decisions taken relating to student and programme matters are maintained in a logical manner.

• Support the administrative team within the School and undertake administrative roles within the School, as directed by the School Manager.

• Handle complex and non-routine queries.

• Deputise Senior Programmes Administrator as required to ensure the smooth operation of the office on a day-to-day basis by arranging systems to identify due dates throughout the annual cycle of activities and meet deadlines. This will include supporting assessment of experiential learning activities.

• Support the marketing and student recruitment of these programmes, including managing UCC Apply, supporting review of applicants and associated queries with Graduate Studies/International Office.

• Assist with the co-ordination of the submission of examination papers, enter results/data on the DMIS system, and generate reports as required.

• Manage placement agreements between industry placement providers and the University.

• Coordinate and present career development workshops to enhance student skills in preparation for work, including CV preparation, interview techniques, employability skills, and preplacement talks.

Health & Safety

In addition to the statutory safety duties of all employees (as prescribed in safety legislation and the relevant local safety statement) each staff member is responsible for:

• Discharging any safety functions delegated to them by their Head of College / School / Department / Centre / Unit, in relation to the areas/activities under their control.

• Co-operating and assisting the University and the Head of College / School / Department / Centre / Unit in the discharge of their statutory safety responsibilities.

• Ensuring that all work under their control is undertaken safely and without risk to health, and complies with the provision of all relevant statutory legislation.

Note: The university continues to expand and evolve, so flexibility in regard to the allocation of specific duties will be necessary. Accordingly, the list of duties specified above is not intended to be exclusive or restrictive; duties may be added or withdrawn, but any such alteration will take place after consultation with the appointee.

Selection Criteria

Essential Criteria:

Desirable Criteria:

7. Operative knowledge of University procedures and policies.

8. Experience and knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry sector and work environment.

9. Experience of working with third level students.

Candidates are requested to make a personal assessment of these criteria against their own qualifications, skills, and abilities to assess whether they should apply for the post. Candidates who do not demonstrate that they meet the criteria as detailed above will not be shortlisted.

Conditions of Employment

The current remuneration is as follows:

• €46,143 – €54,738 (Scale B) / €44,836 – €53,280 (Scale A)

• Scale B is applicable to new entrants to the public sector as per government legislation. Scale A will apply to public sector applicants only.

• The appointment to the post of Grade 5 is made under the terms of the Administrative, Library and Support Staff Association (ALSA) Scheme. The appointment will be made on the Grade 5 salary scale having regard to qualifications and experience.

Pension

The appointee will become a member of the Single Public Service Pension Scheme (“Single Scheme”) unless otherwise permitted to be a member of the University’s Statutory Pension Scheme.

Probation

The appointment will be subject to a probationary period of 6 months.

Annual Leave

Annual leave is 30 days per annum, exclusive of public holidays.

Sick Leave

Sick leave will be in accordance with the University’s sick leave policy.

Other Conditions

• The appointee will be expected to reside within a reasonable distance of UCC.

• The appointment will be subject to the terms and conditions of employment for administrative staff at UCC.

• The University may, at its absolute discretion, reassign the appointee to a different area of the University in accordance with operational needs.

• The University reserves the right to vary the duties and responsibilities of the post, after consultation with the appointee.