Placement Admin Assistant

Dublin City University is a leading innovative European University with a mission to “transform lives and societies”. DCU ranks as one of the world’s Top 350 Universities, Times Higher Education, and is proud to be Ireland’s No. 1 Young University. The University is known for the “transformative student experience” it offers, and is also recognised for its impact in addressing global challenges in collaboration with national and international stakeholders.

Overview of DCU Placement

DCU Placement includes work/industrial placements (INTRA), (INtegrated TRAining), and international mobility placements (for staff and students).

INTRA work placements have been a defining characteristic and an integral part of a large proportion of undergraduate programmes at DCU since its foundation. Recognising the very substantial contribution that placement makes to the personal and professional development of students, the University has made a strategic commitment to enhance work placements and make them available to a wider range of undergraduate programmes.

DCU Placement facilitates and assists accredited placement in enterprise and academic settings, both nationally and internationally, and has oversight of professional, and clinical placement activities. The DCU Placement team works closely with DCU Faculties and Schools, Academic Programme leads, and central assistance units (such as Careers Service, Registry, Fees, DCU Global, Student Support & Development), external placement partners and stakeholders. The DCU Placement team is student facing.

Role Profile

The DCU Placement Administrative Assistant role will be assigned to both the INTRA and International Mobility functions in DCU Placement. The role will report to the Director of Placement with a dotted line to the INTRA Manager and International Mobility Manager for the administration and implementation of the University’s work placement programme “INTRA” (INtegrated TRAining) and International Mobility administration.

The Administrative Assistant position is a critical role in the process and is fundamental to the provision of the service to students, partners, academic tutors, employers, and internal DCU colleagues and external partners.

The DCU Placement Administrative Assistant will provide a professional and comprehensive service in support of a range of activities including Erasmus+, student Exchange and management of inter institutional agreements, staff mobility, Tutor visits, INTRA student report administration, and operational tasks associated with the INTRA programme.

The successful individual will be a motivated self-starter. The areas they will assist are multifaceted in nature across both International Mobility and INTRA.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities of the position include, but are not restricted to, the following:

• Administration of the INTRA module assessment processes, including end of placement report, tutor visit programme, and employer survey.

• Organisation and management of the process of student report submission at the appropriate time for each degree programme.

• Liaise with Faculty and Schools re: organisation of the tutor visit process for degree programmes.

• Produce periodic reports in a timely manner aligned with DCU Placement needs and cascade throughout Faculty & Registry as required.

• Review, update, and improve administrative processes and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), contributing to quality enhancement initiatives.

• Provide front-line assistance for queries and promote positive experience for DCU students doing this in a timely manner.

• Partner with academic and professional colleagues to design, plan, and implement assistant services for outgoing and incoming mobility participants (students and staff).

• Act as a generalist resource for Erasmus+ KA131 and KA171 mobility processes, Exchange, and Study Abroad programme.

• Contribute to process improvement projects and maintain accurate records on University systems, including managing data through the Erasmus+ Beneficiary Module, MoveOn, and InPlace platforms to track placements, funding support, partnerships, and generate reports for decision-making and compliance.

• Liaise with Faculty Academic Coordinators and internal stakeholders across faculties and central offices to ensure appropriate assistance for accredited mobilities.

• Plan, prepare, and manage events such as open days, webinars, workshops, awards, expos, and other promotional activities.

• Assist Placement colleagues and, when necessary, oversee delegated tasks.

• Undertake required training to assist professional development.

• Any other duties that may be assigned from time to time by the Director of Placement or their nominee(s).

Qualifications and Experience

Requirements:

• Candidates must have a primary degree or equivalent (NFQ Level 7) plus 2 years relevant post qualification experience.

• Excellent organisational and administrative skills with experience in co-ordinating company or institution wide projects including attention to detail.

• Demonstrable experience of flexibility and adaptability.

• The ability to supervise projects and work effectively as part of a wider administrative team with the capacity to identify key issues and propose solutions in a timely manner.

• Excellent IT and computing skills with experience of large complex databases and collation and presentation of data using reporting tools.

• Excellent written, communication and interactive skills.

• The ability to engage effectively across a wide range of Faculties and professional support units, building and maintaining strong working relationships.

• Excellent social and communication skills applicable across students, staff and external stakeholders at all levels.

Desirable Criteria:

• Knowledge of Agresso or other accounting platform(s) will be an advantage.

• He/she will have the ability to gather and review relevant information and data from a range of sources and to make informed decisions quickly and effectively.

• Effective in managing their workload and delegating tasks to assist staff. Strives for continuous improvement of processes to maximize quality and efficiency.

• Have a proven track record in administering multifaceted processes and operations in a complex or large-scale organisation, preferably in a higher education environment, and ideally within an international support function.

Salary Scale: Professional 4 - €44,669 - €65,331

Appointment will be commensurate with qualifications and experience and in line with current Government pay policy.

Closing date: Thursday, 16th April 2026