Executive Assistant

The Role

Maynooth University is committed to a strategy in which the primary University goals of excellent research and scholarship and outstanding education are interlinked and equally valued. The Examinations & Assessment Office are seeking an organised and efficient administrator to support the work of a very busy office. The role is varied and involves operational and administrative duties and requires a high level of IT and data handling skills. Applications are therefore, invited for a maternity leave (specified purpose contract) as an Executive Assistant within the Examinations, Assessment & Conferring function.

Among the chief responsibilities, the appointee will support the accurate and agile management of the processes and documentation surrounding university exams, conferring ceremonies, and the administration of supports to students. The person appointed must be a team player and have the ability to communicate confidently and effectively. They will work as part of a team in a deadline driven office, to support the delivery of key assessment-related services to students and staff.

Principal Duties

Administrative and other duties: This will include:

Working proactively as part of a team to ensure the timely and accurate delivery of assessment related services and tasks arising as part of the operations of the office.

• Communication of clear and accurate information in person, via website, email and telephone, on a proactive basis and in response to queries. • Checking and validation of information and data received by the office – including resit exam applications, exam marks, and exam papers submitted to the Examinations & Assessment Office. • Assisting with the timely and accurate production of exam-related documentation, e.g. sign-in sheets, timetables, seating lists, etc. • Producing accurate documentation needed for examination and conferring lists. • Assisting in the processes relating to grading, and the preparation of information required for the University’s exam boards. • Assist with the smooth day to day running of the office such as maintaining an outlook office calendar. • Provide direct administrative support to other team members with different tasks depending on the time of year. • Any other duties or projects in the Examinations & Assessment Office and wider Registry as allocated by the Examinations Officer.

Applicants should note that at certain critical periods, there may be a requirement to work outside normal office hours (occasionally at short notice) including weekends in order to meet specific deadlines. It will be not be possible to take significant amounts of annual leave at certain critical periods for this post.

The ideal candidate will have:

• Primary degree and/or equivalent professional experience. • An efficient approach to task-management, and an ability to complete multiple concurrent tasks to strict deadlines. • Professional discretion, and an ability to communicate effectively, in person and in writing. • A proven excellent level of attention to detail in both written and numerical work. • Strong IT skills, including experience of working accurately with spreadsheets and other databases and systems. • An ability and an aptitude to follow procedure, and willingness to learn new skills and work flexibly on different tasks. • Experience of prioritising competing tasks, and working accurately in a deadline-driven environment as a productive team member. • An ability to work collegially, to work effectively across units, and share skills with others to enhance service.

Desirable Experience and Skills

• An understanding of the life cycle of a University. • Knowledge of student information systems – e.g. ITS, Workbench. • Familiarity with reporting tools. • Knowledge of university policies and regulations. • Strong Microsoft Office skills.

Examinations & Assessment Office (Registry)

The Examinations & Assessment Office is part of Maynooth University’s Registry and works with other offices in Registry to deliver administrative support to the university community, particularly to students, and in relation to the implementation of academic policies and regulations.

The Office coordinates and manages university examination processes and is responsible for the production and publication examination timetables for the University. The work related to examinations includes arranging the staffing, venues and material for the written university examinations, provision of examination accommodations for students requiring extra provision, compilation of results, application of progression and award rules, administration of Examination Board meetings, administration of the examination process for research degrees and the release of official examination results to students.

We are responsible for the administrating and delivery of the University Conferring ceremonies.

Tenure

This is a full time, temporary post, for a specified purpose (temporary replacement cover), which is anticipated to cease on the 14th December 2027.

Salary

Executive Assistant (2026) €32,855 – €49,419 p.a. (13 points)

Appointments will be made in accordance with public sector pay provisions.

Hours of work

A 35-hour working week is in operation in respect of full-time positions (pro-rated for part-time positions). This can be reviewed or adjusted from time to time through national agreements.