Trinity College Dublin | Administrative Officer | dublin

The Purpose of the Role The School of Social Sciences and Philosophy invites applications for the position of Administrative Officer. The successful candidate will work with the School Manager and HR Manager to provide ongoing HR support and to work on a programme of review, change and implementation in relation to internal HR processes within the School. The Schools staff comprises academic, research, and professional roles. The School has grown from 53 FTE to 113 FTE in recent years, expanding by 32% alone in 2024/25 and with further staffing expansion underway, which will represent a further 12% expansion in 2025/26. The recent expansion of School has led to increased HR requirements and the need for increased resources in this key functional area in the School. Context The School of Social Sciences and Philosophy is a large multi-disciplinary School, comprising of four Departments (Economics, Philosophy, Political Science and Sociology), with the aim to understanding and improving society through world-leading education and research. The School currently delivers eight undergraduate degree programmes, seven taught postgraduate programmes, a suite of CPD programmes and four structured PhD programmes across its four constituent Departments. The School has several Research Centres, spanning each of the four Departments. The postholder will be a HR professional with a strong data management background, with excellent project management skills, including written and presentation skills. This role would suit an enthusiastic, innovative, and adaptable candidate, who can work well in a large, multi-disciplinary, academic and research environment. Main Responsibilities General Working with the HR Manager and School Manager: Provide ongoing administrative support to HR activities in the School (e.g. recruitment, induction, payroll, probation etc) Lead activities that support the development of a cohesive suite of local HR processes for the School, consolidating existing activities and ensuring compliance with College HR processes. Working with the HR Manager, implement a project of enhanced local HR procedures in the School, in collaboration with the Head of School, School Manager, Heads of Department and School Executive Committee. Collaborate with Central and Faculty HR to ensure adherence to College policies throughout the project. Implement a local online HR resource for the School, ensuring that information and School policies are up to date and deliver an excellent end-user experience. Disseminate information aimed at advancing a culture of communication within the School. Develop and implement internal School HR communication strategies to enhance a sense of community and information sharing in a multi-disciplinary, diverse, and dispersed School of over 100 staff and researchers. Share best practises across the administrative team and School Departments to embed an understanding of the importance of effective HR administration within the School. Lead support for staff by developing and delivering training on local HR processes and create HR activity planners for long term administration of annual HR activities. Attend regular coordination meetings with School Management, presenting regular updates of the progress of HR projects, as required. Capture and analyse data on HR activities for reporting purposes, including for the School Executive Committee. Work with the HR Manager on the development of an induction and training programme for School professional staff. Review local induction activities with the aim of updating the current School Academic Induction Programme for new staff to ensure it remains fit for purpose. Working with the College EDI Office, manage the roll-out of local training. Under the direction of the HR Manager, implement formal systems for the following key areas of activity within the School: Development, maintenance, and monitoring of detailed staff records for the School and its Research Centres to ensure the School meets all legal, HR, financial, College and School requirements. Management of staff records, as appropriate, in conjunction with College HR. Lead School activities to ensure compliance with GDPR regulations, privacy, and security requirements, as well as cognisance of all potential HR risks for the School. Reporting and compilation of statistics for the HR Manager, School Manager, and others, as required. Preparation and maintenance of rolling payroll projections, including casual payroll forecasts. Development of local recruitment processes for academic and professional staff in the School, to include: Management of staffing submissions from the School. Development of job specifications. Reviewing and updating, as required, local recruitment processes. Coordination of the compilation, approval and recording profess for nominating committees. Management of the shortlisting process and coordinating interviews; Review of the local contract review process. Development of updated staff induction processes. Development of local processes, to include: Coordination of the local probationary process, including tenure reviews, for academic and professional staff. Development of the Schools staff mentoring programme. Coordination of the annual increments, progression, and promotions processes. Management of local HR record keeping e.g. annual and sick leave records, including the transition to the e-leave system. For HR procedures and requests in relation to maternity, paternity, parental, shorter working year, careers breaks, leave of absence, to ensure local compliance with College regulation. Development of local processes for visitor and adjunct affiliations. Development of systematic processes for the gathering and review of data required for School activities (e.g. Athena Swan applications, School Review etc). Deputise for colleagues as required and represent the manager or department at meetings and events. Any other duties that arise from time to time as directed by the manager or nominee. Person Requirements The role-holder will require the following knowledge, skills and attributes for successful performance in the role. Qualifications Degree or postgraduate qualification in HR or in a discipline that is relevant to this post such as Business, Communications or Management (essential). Minimum of three years experience working in HR or HR related activities, ideally in an academic environment (essential). Demonstrated commitment to continuous professional development (essential). Knowledge & Experience A proven record of management and administrative experience at senior level(essential), preferably in an academic environment within a HR context(desirable). Strong HR operations experience along with a well-developed customer orientation(essential). Good working knowledge and experience of the Colleges administrative procedures and systems(essential). Excellent IT skills including experience or proven ability to use internal system and competence to advance their IT skills in line with role requirements(essential). Excellent organisational and project-management skills with proven experience to work under pressure on multiple projects to tight deadlines(essential). Skills Excellent oral and written communication skills: convincing and confident when speaking to others; clear, concise, and error-free writing with the ability to communicate with different audiences. Relationship management and customer service skills with demonstrable ability to build trust and relay expertise. Ability to network and build partnerships. Interpersonal and teamwork skills: has a flexible approach with a can-do attitude. Operates effectively as part of a team; shares work and information and establishes rapport with everyone. Personal attributes Works effectively in a climate of changing priorities. Maintains high professional standards in the delivery of customer and stakeholder needs. Takes the initiative to suggest changes and pursues continuous improvement with a focus on quality delivery. Demonstrates a positive and constructive approach when faced with challenging situations. Have an ability to work as part of a team in a busy and challenging work environment, including flexibility and willingness to work outside normal office hours when required. Application Information: In order to assist the selection process, applicants should submit a Curriculum Vitae and a Cover Letter (1 x A4 page maximum) that specifically address the following points: Candidates must clearly state their experience in HR administration in a University or comparable organisation and outline the way this experience makes them a good fit for the requirements of this post in the School of Social Sciences and Philosophy. Please Note: applicants who do not address the application requirements above in their cover letter will not be considered at the short list stage. Further information: Informal enquiries about this post should be made to the School Manager, Olive Donnelly at At Trinity, we are committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion. Trinity welcomes applications from all individuals, including those applicants with disabilities, those who may have had non-traditional career paths, those who have taken time out for reasons including family or caring responsibilities. We also welcome international applicants including those whom have been displaced due to war. Trinity College Dublin is Irelands premier University. We are an EU Sustainable Gender Equality Champion and we hold an Athena Swan Silver award, recognising our ongoing work to advance gender equality both within Trinity and in the Higher Education sector. Trinity is committed to supporting work-life balance and to creating a family-friendly working environment. Skills: Administrative Support Administration