Executive Assistant - Dubai Campus

Job Posting Title:  Executive Assistant

Grade and Salary: Grade 5

FTE and working pattern:  Full-time

Reports to: Senior Executive Assistant – Dubai Campus

Due to ongoing growth, we are seeking an enthusiastic Executive Assistant to support the Head of the School of Textile and Design and the Research Committee at Dubai Campus. We need someone who is proactive, flexible, and ready to help manage changes within the business. The right candidate will be able to think ahead, always stay organised, and adapt to a fast-paced environment. Attention to detail and a proactive attitude are key.

About the role: 

The Executive Assistant to the Head of the School of Textile and Design and the Research Committee will provide essential administrative support, including managing appointments, coordinating schedules, arranging travel, maintaining school records, preparing reports, and handling correspondence. This role calls for a proactive, dynamic individual who excels in a fast-paced environment, offering forward-thinking solutions. You will ensure that the Head of School is well-prepared and that tasks are completed efficiently and to a high standard.

You will also work closely with a diverse range of internal and external stakeholders ensuring professional and timely service delivery. 

The successful candidate will be expected to collaborate with colleagues across campuses to achieve shared goals.

The role also involves providing executive support to the university’s Research Committee, requiring strong organisational skills and attention to detail.

As part of the School Administration unit, you will report to the Senior Executive Assistant at the Dubai Campus actively contributing to transformation and operational excellence.

Summary of Key Duties and Responsibilities:

• Communicate professionally and tactfully whether on phone, email, or in-person interactions, ensuring prompt, accurate responses with exceptional attention to detail
• Assist in the planning, organisation, and coordination of the school's Annual Degree Show, working closely with the Head of School to ensure successful delivery of the event.
• Collaborate effectively with the global team, demonstrating a clear understanding of the global dimension and its requirements.
• Ensure accurate and efficient management of office systems, data, and related processes, maximizing the use of platforms like MS Teams and SharePoint for document storage and tracking the management of small projects.
• Coordinate and organize meetings by managing bookings, sending invites, preparing agendas, compiling necessary documentation. Additionally, serve as a clerk or minute-taker for these meetings for the School of Textile and Design and for the Research Committee, ensuring Action Trackers are effectively maintained and updated to support seamless follow-up for subsequent meetings.
• Arrange travel and accommodation for the Head of School and visitors as requested, including booking flights, accommodation with designated providers, and coordinating local transfers to and from the University.
• Assist in coordinating student field trips under the direction of the Head of School by liaising with the programme lead, keeping the Head of School informed, and directing academic staff to the appropriate teams for booking buses as needed.
• Provide comprehensive administrative management support to the Head of School (HoS), ensuring meticulous planning and attention to detail in all tasks and responsibilities.
• Manage the Head of School's diary, coordinating appointments and ensuring they are well-prepared with all necessary information and documents prior to each meeting, while maintaining professional customer service in all interactions with stakeholders.
• Coordinate logistical arrangements for meetings and events as directed by the Head of School, including organizing catering, venue reservations, liaising with suppliers, and collaborating with both internal and external stakeholders to ensure the success of events and activities.
• Maintain all School records, including financial records (such as raising purchase orders and requisitions), up-to-date staff lists (both full-time and casual), and properly maintained adjunct staff files with valid right-to-work documents. Regularly update the Head of School and provide reports as needed. Additionally, provide administrative support for quality processes, including Academic Reviews, professional and regulatory accreditations, and submissions to CAA, KHDA, and MoE.
• Investigate and resolve inquiries, directing stakeholders to the appropriate staff or department if the issue falls outside the scope of the role.
• Provide leave coverage for Executive Assistant team members as assigned. 
• Support Human Resources by providing the necessary information for processing and issuing adjunct staff contracts, arranging IT accounts, campus access, and office space, and assisting with the onboarding and induction of new staff.
• Provide administrative support for the Research Committee by arranging and clerking meetings, maintaining action trackers, and liaising with external bodies such as Industrial Sponsors, Partner Institutes, and Funding Councils. Additionally, disseminate relevant information to staff and partners (e.g., via SharePoint, email, and Microsoft Teams) and collate data from academic and research staff for annual reports and other documents.
• Support the school with planning, preparing, and implementing various Registry and Academic Support events, such as induction, enrolment, course registration, and graduation, while also supporting other duties as assigned to contribute to the goals and mandate of the Registry and Academic Support Directorate and the wider University.

Please note that this job description is not exhaustive, and the role holder may be required to undertake other relevant duties commensurate with the level of the post and its general responsibilities. Activities may be subject to amendment over time as the role develops and/or priorities and requirements evolve. 

Education, Qualifications & Experience:

Essential

• Educated to at least degree or equivalent practical experience in the workplace
• Ability to plan and anticipate needs, proactively managing own (and occasionally others') workloads to use time effectively, handle multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Experience of working within a similar fast paced environment as outlined above
• Competent in the use of relevant IT packages including SharePoint and MS Teams
• Well-developed interpersonal skills
• Demonstrable professional and highly proactive approach
• Demonstrable ability to work quickly (meeting targets), flexibly and accurately in a dynamic, changing and pressured environment
• Demonstrable provision of excellent customer service 
• Analytical problem-solving skills
• Excellent English language skills including writing, speaking and comprehension

Desirable

• Experience in Higher Education

Heriot-Watt University Values

With a history dating back to 1821, Heriot-Watt University has established a reputation for world-class teaching and professionally relevant, leading-edge research, which has made it one of the top UK universities for business and industry.

We are a vibrant, forward-looking university, well known for the quality of our degrees with employers actively seeking out our graduates.  Heriot-Watt is also Scotland’s international university with an unsurpassed international in-country presence. We deliver degree programmes to circa 30,000 students in 143 countries around the world, have a further overseas campus in Dubai and boast the largest international student cohort in Scotland.

At Heriot-Watt we’ve created an environment that nurtures innovation and leadership - where our researchers, staff and students can realise their potential and develop their ambitions.

We are proud of our collegiate atmosphere and integrated teaching and research approach which has helped to build a community of committed academics and highly motivated students.  Our focus on careers delivers results and we’ve an excellent reputation for graduate employability.

In addition to the Edinburgh campus, we currently have campuses in  the Scottish Borders, Orkney, Dubai and Malaysia.  For all of our campuses we aim to provide stimulating, supportive environments conducive to effective learning and research, where staff and students can excel. At Heriot-Watt, we have an established set of values that help us to nurture innovation and leadership, and show our commitment to continuous improvement and development in all our activities.

Our values describe our deeply held beliefs and our community spirit. They characterise not only how we are as a higher education institution but also frame how we want to be.

Our values are:

• Belong
• Collaborate
• Inspire
• Celebrate

As learning, living and working institution, we use our values as the building blocks of how we go about doing our work and how we each conduct ourselves as members of Heriot-Watt University. They represent what binds us together as a University community and help us to become the best at what we do.

For full details on our University, please view our website https://www.hw.ac.uk/about.htm

‘How to Apply’

Please submit your CV and a cover letter setting out how you meet the criteria for the role. We regret that we cannot consider applications with CVs alone. 

At Heriot-Watt University, we understand that being diverse makes us better which is why we support a culture of respect and equal opportunity, and value diversity at the heart of what we do. We want to increase the diversity of our workplace to underpin a dynamic and creative environment.

At Heriot Watt we are passionate about our values and look to them to connect our people globally and to help us collaborate and celebrate our success through working together. Our research programmes can deliver real world impact which is achieved through the diversity of our international community and the recognition of creative talent that connects our global team. 

Our flourishing community will give you the freedom to challenge and to bring your enterprising mind and to help our partners with solutions that can be applied now and in the future. Join us and Heriot Watt will provide you with a platform to thrive and work in a way that also helps you live your life in balance with well-being and inclusiveness at the heart of our global community.

The appointment is conditional upon successful completion of all Labour and Immigration formalities, and the start date will need to be delayed if the employment visa is not in place.