Executive Administrator

SALARY SCALE: €46,210 - €66,354 p.a.

JOB DESCRIPTION

JOB SYNOPSIS:

The School of Medicine (SoM), University of Limerick is pleased to invite applications for the position of Executive Administrator (Direct Entry Medicine). Working as part of the overall School of Medicine administration team, this new role will have responsibility for the coordination and management of all areas relating to the administration of our Direct Entry Medicine programme (DEM)

JOB PURPOSE:

The School of Medicine aims to be a world class medical school delivering leading-edge education and research programmes that positively impact the health and well-being of our global community. Through an inclusive, collaborative and supportive culture the school will deliver inspiring and distinctive education and research programmes of the highest quality, producing outstanding, internationally recognised graduates and leaders in Medicine and Health, enhancing healthcare and its delivery to patients and communities. 

The School of Medicine (SoM), University of Limerick is pleased to invite applications for the position of Executive Administrator (Direct Entry Medicine). Reporting to the Programmes Manager, this new role will have responsibility for the coordination and management of all areas relating to the administration of our Direct Entry Medicine programme (DEM). Currently the School offers a graduate entry 4-year medical programme. In 2026 the School of Medicine will accept its first cohort of Direct Entry Medicine students for a 6-year programme for CAO applicants.  Working as part of the overall School administrative team, the person appointed to this position will provide wide-ranging administration for all activities carried out by the school. They will work closely with the School of Medicine faculty in coordinating and overseeing the day-to-day running of DEM Programme. The appointee will also take a lead role in supporting developing areas, new initiatives and projects as required. The appointee will also have a lead role for the new CRM (customer relationship management) system that is being rolled out by UL and they will assist the Programmes Manager with managing that function across all School of Medicine programmes.  The successful candidate will be expected to have a high level of interpersonal and communication skills and be able to plan and implement a very busy work schedule to strict deadlines. This person will be expected to work collaboratively with the Head of School, Programmes Manager, Head of Undergraduate Studies, Director of Academic Affairs, Director of Education, Course Directors, academic staff and university personnel.  

The post holder will coordinate all administrative processes on behalf of the School of Medicine relating to the DEM programme, including student recruitment events and processes and, programme promotion. This role is the primary point of contact for central services for all School of Medicine DEM programme queries. The role will establish administrative processes, compile data and statistics and coordinate reports to various School Management Committees and ensure maintenance of accurate and up-to-date records of these for the school. 

The post holder will provide high quality administrative support to the Course Directors, in relation school frame data.  

The post holder will work under the direction of the Programmes Manager and will also work closely other administrative colleagues within the school.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES:

The duties of the post include but are not confined to:

• Support the faculty in School of Medicine in the implementation of the Direct Entry Medicine undergraduate programme.  
• Responsible for all teaching and scheduling activities related to DEM programmes within the school. 
• Oversee the management of student records for DEM programme including assessment, immunization, Garda vetting records, etc as required, ensuring data is kept secure and confidential. 
• Implement and manage quality assurance procedures including documentation to support all functions, together with effective records management procedures. 
• Liaise effectively with departments within UL, particularly Academic Registry and the EHS Faculty. 
• Liaising with relevant UL services to identify student concerns and support needs. 
• Provide advice and contribute to long term planning initiatives. 
• Identify, document and record information on academic activity in support of the SoM DEM programme accreditation process with the Irish Medical Council. 
• Monitor expenditure across the programme cost centre and assist in budget submission and payment systems. 
• Analyse data and provide reports as required.  
• Regularly review processes and work with the Programmes Manager in the mapping of processes to ensure best practice. 
• As the programme grows the post holder will line manage assigned administrative staff including managing core portal, PDRS etc. 
• Co-ordinate the marketing and promotional activities of the DEM programme including website, prospectus, course brochure and other promotional material. 
• Represent the school at UL Open Days to promote the course. 
• User of the new CRM (customer relationship management) system that is being rolled out by UL. Postholder will become a super user for that function across all School of Medicine programmes. 

As the programme expands these duties are not intended to be exhaustive or restricted.

CONTEXT:

Key Working Relationships & Contacts

• Reports directly and works closely with the School of Medicine Programmes Manager.  
• The post holder works with a proactive School of Medicine team with a strong customer focus. 

• Manage the Senior Administrator(s) associated with the Direct Entry Medicine Programme. 

• Key relationships will be in supporting and working with the Head of School, School Manager, Business Development Manager, Programmes Manager, Head of Undergraduate Studies, Course Directors, academic and administrative staff and current students. 

• Operates as part of the School of Medicine administration team. Will be part of the Admin Executive Group (AEG)  

• Regular contact with academic and support staff (administrative and technical), SoM students and external bodies.  

• Ongoing liaison with colleagues in central services and in other faculties, will work closely with staff in Academic Registry, Student Affairs Office, Access Office, Marketing and Communications Divisions, Fees Office, and other Faculty Offices. 

• Relationship management with external partners for the DEM programme as well other stakeholder relationships e.g. HSE, Accreditation bodies such as the Irish Medical Council.  

The post holder is expected to have the ability to build and maintain effective relationships and networks, both internal and external to the School of Medicine.  

Working Environment/Special Circumstances

• Appointee will be based in the School of Medicine or its sites. Travel to off campus clinical training sites is likely to be required on an occasional basis. 

Job Boundaries

The post will involve high level organisation and coordination of several complex processes that affect both faculty and students. The successful applicant must have a high level of initiative and must be able to independently action and influence processes to generate successful outcomes. An ability to analyse situations, problem solve effectively and produce logical and practical solutions is imperative, as are excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Building and maintaining effective relationships within and outside of UL is critical. Flexibility and the ability to adapt to changing situations are essential.

The post holder works to fixed, wide-ranging deadlines dictated by the UL academic calendar. 

The role is primarily during office hours  

Travel for promotional events may be required. 

The post holder will have the opportunity to apply for blended working subject to the business needs of the school. Blended working is under continual review in line with the University blended working policy 

DIMENSIONS:

Staff - Interacts regularly with faculty and administrative team in relation to the delivery of the direct entry medicine programme. In due course as the DEM programme grows the role will have direct line Management/Staff supervision of staff.  

Will work closely with the Programmes Manager, School Manager and Head of School. 

Customer - Post holder is committed to delivery of high-quality customer service to students, university staff and key education and industry stakeholders. Understands the importance of the student experience. 

Operational - The post holder will be responsible for the administrative and operational management of the DEM programme course processes.  The post holder will develop and implements processes improvements to enable the achievement of the administrative objectives.  

Administration - The position will require high level administrative experience, excellent interpersonal skills, a high level of organizational and administrative skills to successfully plan and organize work engagements activities relative to the role.  

Work outside of normal office hours may be required from time to time. 

Work based travel for promotion events. 

Member/Rotational Chair of School’s Admin Management Group – AEG. 

Represent the School of Medicine on University groups/committees as required.  

Represent School of Medicine/University of Limerick at conferences and meetings as required.   

KNOWLEDGE, FUNCTIONAL SKILLS, EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS:

Knowledge 

Strong knowledge of/familiarity with: 

• School of Medicine Programmes - Desirable
• Knowledge of relevant university systems, policies and procedures and their application - Essential
• Knowledge of data analytics - Desirable
• Knowledge of the Higher Education sector and its environment, in which the University operates - Desirable
• Knowledge of CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems - Essential

Functional/Work-based Skills

• Excellent organisational and administrative skills, and a demonstrated ability to prioritise heavy workloads, to meet strict deadlines - Essential
• Project management skills and a demonstrated ability to co-ordinate projects & resources (including budget monitoring) - Essential
• Ability to prioritise workload to ensure completion of tasks and projects to agreed standards and the ability to meet tight deadlines under pressure - Essential
• Excellent communication skills, creative problem-solving skills and the ability to prioritise workload, report writing and the ability to document processes - Essential
• Excellent technical skills and expert in Microsoft Office suite, SharePoint - Essential
• Demonstrated high levels of accuracy and attention to detail - Essential
• Excellent IT literacy and the ability to use systems for information gathering and management - Essential
• Demonstrated high levels of accuracy and attention to detail - Essential
• Excellent interpersonal skills with evidence of being an effective member of a team and the ability to communicate effectively with students, academic teaching staff and members of external agencies - Essential
• Demonstrate strong customer focus and excellent interpersonal skills - Essential
• Experience of academic administration such as the exam process, grading, academic regulations & standards, student status, timetabling and relevant policies and procedures - Essential

Experience

• Minimum 5 years professional experience working in a complex administrative/operations role -Essential
• Experience in undertaking complex, high level organisational and administrative tasks - Essential 
• Experience of report writing and/or developing & documenting procedures - Essential
• Evidence of building relationships with multiple stakeholders within the University - Essential
• Evidence of leadership in academic administration and in effectively communicating with a wide range of stakeholders in this area, including students, academic and professional support staff - Desirable
• Experience of drafting and writing reports and developing digital content creation of all kinds - Essential
• Experience of staff supervision - Desirable
• Evidenced ability to identify operational challenges and initiate appropriate solutions - Desirable

Qualifications

• Higher Education/Professional/Technical qualification or substantial acquired experience in a third level environment (5years +) - Essential