Executive Officer

The Purpose of the Role

To provide administrative support for the delivery of postgraduate activities in the School of Medicine and to support the Director of Postgraduate Teaching & Learning, Associate Directors and the Postgraduate Manager.

Context

Postgraduate activities within the School are coordinated by the Postgraduate Teaching & Learning Office.

The School of Medicine currently has over 600 registered postgraduate students. The School offers 23 taught M.Sc./Diploma/Certificate programmes, spanning a broad spectrum of medical and scientific disciplines. Research students may undertake MSc, MD or PhD degrees. The School also offers a number of short courses and CPD programmes. Postgraduate teaching and research are conducted on the main Trinity campus as well as the Trinity Centres for Health Sciences at St. James’s and Tallaght Hospitals.

Postgraduate activities are led by the Director of Postgraduate Teaching & Learning who is supported by three Associate Directors for PhD Studies, Continuous Professional Development Programmes, and Fellowships, and the Postgraduate Manager.

This role is part of a recently established team of Postgraduate Administration. The role reports to the Postgraduate Manager and works closely with the Postgraduate Administrator. The role holder is a point of contact for staff and students in the School and is responsible for providing a professional, efficient and welcoming service to all students, staff and visitors to the School.

While the role is primarily based at the Trinity Centre for Health Sciences at the St. James’s Hospital campus, travel to the main Trinity campus or the Tallaght Trinity Centre for Health Sciences may be required from time to time.

Main Responsibilities

Student Administration

• Assist in the administration and coordination of postgraduate programmes throughout the full student lifecycle, providing support for key processes including recruitment, admissions, registration, assessment, progression, examination boards and graduation.

• Serve as a first point of contact for prospective and current postgraduate students, responding to enquiries by email, telephone, and in person, while delivering a professional, responsive, and student-centered service at all times.

• Provide accurate and timely information on postgraduate academic and administrative procedures, policies, and regulations, ensuring that enquiries are resolved efficiently or referred to the appropriate academic or professional staff where necessary.

• Support the organization and delivery of student registration, induction, orientation, and onboarding activities, ensuring students receive the information and guidance required to successfully commence their studies.

• Assist in the preparation, coordination, and dissemination of programme timetables, teaching schedules, and guest lecture arrangements, liaising with academic staff and external contributors as required.

• Support the development, preparation, and maintenance of programme materials and documentation, including course handbooks, module information, student communications, and online learning resources through Blackboard Ultra.

• Provide advice and administrative support to students and academic staff on examination, assessment, progression, and graduation procedures, ensuring compliance with College regulations and established deadlines.

• Process and maintain documentation relating to External Examiners, including appointment, reappointment, payment and reporting processes, ensuring all records are accurate and completed within required timeframes.

• Process and maintain administrative documentation for casual and occasional staff, ensuring payment requests, and associated records are completed accurately and submitted in a timely manner.

• Assist in the planning, organisation, and delivery of programme-related events, workshops, information sessions, open days and other student engagement activities, providing logistical and administrative support as required.

• Support the evaluation and continuous improvement of postgraduate programmes through the administration of surveys, collection and analysis of student feedback, and preparation of summary reports for review by course Directors and the School management.

• Coordinate and maintain updates to Calendar entries and programme information in collaboration with course Directors and the Postgraduate Administrator, ensuring that published programme details remain accurate, current and aligned with College requirements.

Administrative Support

• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with colleagues across College administrative and academic departments, affiliated teaching hospitals, professional bodies and external service providers to support the efficient administration and delivery of postgraduate programmes.

• Coordinate and organise meetings and committee activities by scheduling, booking rooms or online meeting platforms, preparing and distributing agendas, supporting documentation and meeting papers in accordance with agreed timelines.

• Attend meetings as required, accurately record discussions and decisions, prepare minutes, and maintain comprehensive records to support governance, compliance and operational requirements.

• Maintain committee and meeting records in accordance with College policies and procedures, ensuring documentation is organized, accessible and retained appropriately.

• Assist in the preparation and collation of reports, presentations, briefing papers, and other documentation required for meetings, committees and programme-related activities.

Systems

Proficiency across a range of College systems is required to support the effective administration and delivery of postgraduate programmes and related activities:

• Maintain and monitor student records and files, including teaching, assessment, progression, and graduation data, using the Student Information System (SITS) and Blackboard Ultra, ensuring information is accurate, up to date, and maintained in accordance with College policies and procedures.

• Process purchase orders, expenses, and payments for external lecturers and service providers using the Financial Information System (FIS), ensuring transactions are completed accurately and in a timely manner, and generate standard financial reports as required.

• Prepare, update, and distribute student timetables using relevant College systems, coordinating room bookings and liaising with the School Timetabling Officer to support the effective scheduling and utilisation of teaching and learning spaces.

• Maintain and update databases, spreadsheets, and electronic records, ensuring data accuracy and integrity, and generate routine reports to support programme administration, planning, and decision-making activities.

Person Requirements

The role-holder will require the following knowledge, skills and attributes for successful performance in the role.

Qualifications

• Leaving Certificate or equivalent - essential

• Diploma or professional qualification – desirable

• Experience working in an administrative or customer service environment - essential

Knowledge

• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications, particularly Word, Excel, Outlook and Teams - essential.

• General knowledge of administrative procedures and office practices.

• Familiarity with the work of the School of Medicine and of the University

Experience

• Prior work experience providing administrative support in a busy office environment.

• Experience in dealing with enquiries and providing a high standard of customer service.

• Experience maintaining accurate records and processing information with a high level of attention to detail.

Skills

• Strong organisational and time management skills with the ability to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Good interpersonal skills and the ability to interact professionally with students, staff and external stakeholders.

• High standard of accuracy in both written and numerical work.

• Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team.

Personal attributes

• Understands the importance of quality service and pro-actively delivers this.

• Pays close attention to quality standards.

• Is reliable, flexible and willing to support colleagues when required.

• Has the ability to exercise discretion and maintain confidentiality.

• Takes a proactive approach to problem solving and continuous improvement.

• Takes pride in providing excellent customer service, providing a helpful and courteous approach to colleagues, students, academic staff and customers.

• Committed to achieving results, putting in additional effort as required.

• Flexible approach to working hours as the demands of the post may require work outside normal office working hours from time to time.