Senior Academic Administrator

Full job description
Job Description
Senior Academic Administrator

Position Purpose: Provides comprehensive, high quality academic administrative support as
required for the College for the effective delivery, maintenance and
governance of the college’s academic portfolio, enabling effective engagement
with internal and external stakeholders, strategic priorities and programmes of
work.
To engage in ongoing development of work request systems/processes and
new ways of performing academic administrative work and support awareness
and uptake by managers and staff.
To provide technical guidance to Academic Administrators on any aspect of
the work.

Department: Office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor (PVC)

Location: Wellington

Reports to: College Academic Manager

Responsible for:
Band D

Delegations: Senior Administrator - Academic
Job Title:

Key relationships: Internal External
College staff Institutional partners
Members of the General and Academic Government agencies
Administration Teams Students
Heads of School/Unit/Associate Deans
Office of Quality Reporting and
Assurance (OQRA)
Service lines staff

Massey University: We are a world-leading university in many academic disciplines and fields of
research. Our point of difference is research that is connected to community
and industry. Our researchers are developing expertise and skills to advance
human knowledge and understanding. Working together across disciplines and
locations, we solve national and global problems through fundamental, applied
and interdisciplinary research, while culturally and artistically enriching our
world.

We are deeply committed to being a Te Tiriti-led university, demonstrating
authentic leadership in contemporary Aotearoa New Zealand as we uphold Te
Tiriti o Waitangi, the founding document of our nation, and its principles
through our practice. We embrace this not just as an obligation but as a real
opportunity for the nation and its people.

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Our educators are preparing a new generation of global leaders. Our students are
diverse and are attracted to Massey because they want to achieve their personal
goals or make their mark in the world. They experience world-class learning that
recognises their intellectual and cultural strengths, expands their horizons and
prepares them to contribute to a rapidly transforming world with skills, critical and
creative thinking and leadership.

We will be renowned for our passion and caring attitude. All Massey campuses will
be innovation ecosystems, acting as magnets for smart enterprises. Wherever
we are, we will operate in partnerships founded on respect, trust and mutual
benefit. Massey is not only defined by what we do, but by how we do it.

About this area Toi Rauwhārangi is Massey University’s College of Creative Arts, based in Wellington
New Zealand. We offer internationally acclaimed degrees in Design, Māori Visual
Arts, Fine Arts, Commercial Music and Screen Arts.

Massey core capabilities

At Massey we are Tiriti-led, upholding Te Tiriti o Waitangi principles through our practice, we:

 Demonstrate awareness of Te Tiriti o Waitangi and its contribution to Aotearoa New Zealand society
 Understand the relevance of Te Tiriti o Waitangi in relation to the work of the University and the people

we serve
 Embrace Te Reo in relevant and practical ways in our workplace interactions and engagement with

external stakeholders, giving expression to Tikanga Māori and protocols that demonstrate that we respect
and value Māori conventions in appropriate settings

At Massey we work together with mutual respect and caring. We:

 Act with integrity and trustworthiness and give credit to others for the work they do
 Work cooperatively and inter-dependently to foster and promote the One University approach
 Share knowledge and communicate professionally with courtesy and mutual respect
 Are ethical in all transactions, working within the parameters of our policies and procedures
 Are direct, truthful and maintain confidentiality
 Seek to understand and appreciate our differences
 Are ethical in all transactions, working within the parameters of our policies and procedures
 Are direct, truthful and maintain confidentiality
 Seek to understand and appreciate our differences
 Keep ourselves and others safe; work together to embrace with the University's health, safety and

wellbeing policies, procedures and programmes; display commitment by actively supporting all safety and
wellbeing initiatives, and by actively engaging in health and safety improvement opportunities

At Massey we are future-focused, results-oriented and strive for excellence. We:

 Take ownership and responsibility for delivering results to support achievement of university objectives
 Provide the best quality services to our customers (internal and external) ensuring our students/

stakeholders are at the heart of everything we do
 Deliver or support world-class research, teaching and learning and citizenship
 Take personal responsibility for our performance, take pride in doing our job well, and commit to

ongoing personal and professional development

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
Are motivated and create a positive working environment where our values are reinforced
 Anticipate and respond with agility and resilience to the changing needs of the university and the

communities we serve
 Seek ways to improve our services to deliver in an efficient and effective way
 Embrace technology and apply this innovatively to better meet the needs of those we serve
 Challenge ourselves to reach our potential and help bring out the best in others
 Understand how what we do contributes to the objectives of the university

Accountabilities
Mix of duties may vary A Senior Academic Administrator may be required to undertake a range and mix of

academic administrative tasks to a high level of proficiency and without significant
supervision and may be highly specialised in one or few academic administrative
areas, commensurate with the needs of the college/service which may change from
time to time.
A Senior Academic Administrator is required to provide technical and professional
guidance and advice to academic administrative colleagues on all facets of
administrative academic support work.
Building on the Academic Administrator accountabilities, a Senior Academic
Administrator may undertake a mix of accountability areas, or specialisation to a
highly proficient level, in one or more areas is expected and may be varied during the
university year to reflect work demands, staff changes, staff absences etc including:
 Governance
 Undergraduate Academic Administration
 Postgraduate Academic Administration
 Admission/Selection
 Placements/Work Integrated Learning (WiL)
 School Support
 Other Specialised Academic Administration (to be specified as appropriate)

A Senior Academic Administrator may be engaged in one or few specific areas, with
the mutual expectation of gaining experience in additional areas over time.

Support of the Academic • Support the college’s academic portfolio and associated governance processes
Portfolio through oversight of the Student Management System (SMS), Curriculum

Management System (CMS) and associated committees, regulations and
documentation as it relates to the college’s academic profile.

Deliver accurate and timely management of student records and the processes to
ensure student progression is as seamless as possible and completed in a timely
manner for the student, managing any issues arising and deal with exceptions
and new processes or requirements in a professional and consistent manner;
manage any issues arising and deal with exceptions in a professional and
consistent manner.
Ensure strong adherence to the quality assurance of processes and records, for
SMS and CMS Curriculum Management as well as Timetabling processes for the
college including support of these processes within schools/units
Support the annual college Qualification Planning and Availability Process
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Support the OQRA and Chair(s) of College Board Chair and affiliated
committee(s), PVC/DPVC timely preparation of the agenda and meeting materials
for Academic Programme Committee and College Board and preparation of
documents that must progress to Academic Committee for approval or noting
Support the management of committee membership according to applicable
Terms of Reference.
Promote awareness and adoption of new and emergent University-approved
technologies, tools and processes for undertaking academic administrative work
Academic Administrative • Provide academic administrative support for the college, its managers and staff
Support/ Course and including the maintenance and retrieval of data necessary for academic
Programme programme management
Management/ Student • Liaise with managers and staff at all levels, to establish and maintain personal in-
Admission, progression, depth understanding of the university and area academic structures, functions,
placement, completion priorities and practices

Develop comprehensive understandings of key university academic policies and
business systems and be the local expert on their operation and consistent
application to the area’s academic processes and procedures
Support processes required for submission new and revised courses,
specialisations and qualifications/course changes and deletions
Support academic record-keeping requirements in accordance with university
policies and standards; maintain an efficient electronic filing/retrieval and
archiving system for area information and data, in conformance with university
standards
Support programme accreditation processes and academic audit programmes
and processes
Actively identify areas for process improvement and provide input to College
Academic Manager/Academic Administration Team Lead on priorities for pan-
university development in academic administration
Support the Timetabling process for the college and subsequent data analysis
Support academic website management
Support correspondence for individual students or cohorts of students as
required by admission/selection/accreditation processes or changes in
programmes, examination procedures, transition procedures, changes in
regulations

Support examination processes for all college courses including:
o Review and submission of course grades for all college courses
o Ensuring completion of all change of grade forms, return of examination
scripts, and oversight of all appeals for Aegrotats (AEGs), Impaired
Performance (IPs), etc

Provision of data to inform and manage Low and No Enrolment courses
Support process for course cancellations and associated transfer of students
Monitoring of course opening / availability (on Stream Sites)
Areas of more specialised *Selection / Admission
support/management(*as Timely, effective advice and administrative support is provided on all aspects of
required) student selection and placements, policy and procedures.

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
Maintain relevant student selection and placement databases, prepare reports
as required (e.g. enrolment progress); identify opportunities for process or
database improvements

 Provide administrative support for all selected entry applications, including
liaising with students in regard to outstanding documentation, completing
vetting and safety checking requirements of students in accordance with The
Children’s Act 2014 and ensuring health and immunity checks are completed for
relevant programmes

 Receive and forward cross credit applications and Recognition of Prior Learning
(RPL) requests to appropriate Programme/Specialisation leads and subsequently
securing an academic decision and notifying the student and Academic
Administration of the outcome

 Ensure additional documentation for selected entry requirements e.g., health
screening, first aid, IELTS has been correctly submitted and applications
forwarded to appropriate academic staff member

Placement
Students are placed in relevant placements and external stakeholder relationships
are maintained.
 Administratively support Student Placements (and related
contracts/agreements) within the College; maintain relationships and
collaborative links with relevant external organisations, industry partners and
placement providers

 Assess student's eligibility for student placements, professional experience or
Work Integrated Learning (WIL) placements against subject pre-requisites and
pre-placement requirements and liaise with relevant external agencies or
University staff to ensure pre-placement requirements are met; place local and
overseas students in placements according to course requirements

 Provide administrative support for placements as required including student
placement events and induction programmes, assisting with student
placement forms and applications, and maintaining records of practicum hours
for each student

Undergraduate Programmes / Postgraduate Programmes
Student progress is supported and relevant records/processes are maintained.
 Manage correspondence for individual students or cohorts of students as
required by changes in programmes, examination procedures, transition
procedures, changes in regulations

 Provide updates on undergraduate/postgraduate student enrolment,
progression, transitions

 Provide academic administrative advice to students related to their programme
of study; provide induction and administrative advice to postgraduate students
including desking, computer rentals etc as appropriate

 Provide updates on postgraduate student’s applications, enrolment, progression
(including status of 6 monthly reports, and scholarship and award status); assist
with associated events for college postgraduate cohort including STREAM site

Governance
Provide administrative support to academic programme committees within the
college and aligned responsibilities to University-level committees (Academic
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Committee/Teaching and Learning Committee/Academic Board) and processes
(qualification reviews/ graduating year reviews/ CUAP processes)
 Manage the college processes and associated committees and documentation

required for Academic Governance and the use of the Curriculum Management
System (CMS) and Student Management System (SMS) to support these
processes and ensure enactment through follow-up of academic governance
decisions

 Ensure college academic governance committees follow accurate processes that
meet legislative and Massey University policy requirements; facilitate inter-
college collaboration and consultation on academic proposals

 Management of college courses, specialisations and qualifications in Curriculum
Management System including assisting administrators in initiation of proposal
templates and associated proposal development groups

School Support
Support of course, specialisations and programme-related activities aligned to
schools/units.
Manage academic administrative tasks associated with all courses, specialisations
and qualifications administered by a unit. Act as course lead in Curriculum
Management to support course development/change/deletion processes/credit
assessment requests and alignment of these course changes with its operation
within the SMS environment. Assist in the preparation of any requirements for
Qualification Reviews, Graduating Year Reviews and any accreditation processes
for all qualifications within the unit.

Manage processes and records associated with student performance and progress
for all courses administered by a unit (to assist academic staff and HoS as Chief
Examiner) including the preparation of course results to be provided for review by
College-wide Examinations and Student Performance Review Committee and
subsequent grade publication. Assist with completion of all exceptional
circumstances requests for all courses administered by the unit.
Secretariat to  Support key academic committees as required, managing complex tasks such as:
Committees  Providing guidance and advice to staff who seek to submit papers or proposals for
(as required) the committee meeting

 Preparing meeting agenda and associated paperwork on a timely and accurate
manner

 Setting up and distributing annual committee meeting timetable
 Undertaking urgent actions on behalf of the committee/s as requested by the

Chair/s.
 Communicating decisions taken from the meetings and follow up as required.
 Advising Chair/s and committee members on adherence to Terms of Reference

and observance of Standing Orders.
 Manage committee documentation in a manner that reflects the requirements for

accuracy, reliability, transparency, and timeliness, including maintaining practice
which reflects the policy of the University Offices (including retrieval and
archiving), privacy law and the Local Government, Official Information and
Meetings Act

People and Process  Work to ensure appropriate operating systems and processes in place
Improvement  Support process improvement and communication of new processes/policies

across the College

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
Ensure area adherence to people-processes, consistent with university policies
and procedures

Relationship  Proactively liaise with administrative colleagues in assigned team/area and other
Management colleges/services as necessary to ensure current and future support requirements

are understood; raise any academic support issues to the College Academic
Manager/or College Executive Manager

 Maintain positive and collaborative professional relationships and networks
across the University, including but not limited to Colleges and Schools, Office of
Quality Reporting and Assurance, Student Management Systems, Student
Registry, ITS, Timetabling Office

 Seek out and respond to direction from the College Executive Manger/or College
Academic Manager and communicate any emergent issues or needs arising within
their assigned area

 Demonstrate manaakitanga in directing students to services as required
 Support successful and compliant organisation of college academic-related

events
 Exercise diplomacy, confidentiality, and sensitivity when building and managing

relationships

Qualifications and Experience

Qualifications:  A relevant tertiary qualification is desirable.

Experience:  Demonstrated relevant work experience in academic administration
 Demonstrated knowledge of academic qualifications, specialisations

and courses and regulatory and quality assurance requirements for
programme development and maintenance

 Experience of working in a Tertiary Education Institute is desirable
 Demonstrated experience working with large numbers of stakeholders
 Project coordination – proven experience in managing multiple

projects/initiatives at the same time is essential
 Familiarity with University systems and processes (preferred)

Capabilities - Behaviour

Communication  Develops a clear, complete understanding of needs and problems
through careful listening, probing, reflecting, and summarising; confirms

Essential understanding by restating others' positions
 Timely written and oral communications that produce clear and complete

communication; recognises which communications need to be formalised
to provide clarity, including when escalation is required

 Leads discussions in a respectful manner, that are sincere and
professional

 Able to address broad audiences and stakeholder groups, working with
communication plans and a mix of communication methods; analyses
audiences to understand their composition and perspectives

 Able to present information clearly, concisely and logically; varies
content, style and form to suit the subject

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Working Together  Establishes, maintains and models productive working relationships with

Essential key stakeholders internally and externally
 Establishes and maintains credibility and appropriate confidentiality with

stakeholders
 Proactively identifies and addresses potential issues with stakeholders
 Works to resolves conflict and other obstacles to team performance to

improve programme/portfolio performance

Continuous  Implements new systems, procedures and tools efficiently when changes
Transformation occur in the work environment

Essential  Works with agility, adjusting current working processes or adopting new
approaches in response to changes in the organisation environment

 Seeks challenging opportunities or assignments to grow and develop
one's own knowledge, skills and abilities

 Uses digital tools to innovate programme, processes, systems or services
 Communicates and analyses assumptions about a particular issue with

colleagues to gain new perspectives or more effective solutions
 Explains lessons or experiences learned from mistakes and failures as well

as successes

Delivering Results  Maintains focus on critical work and expectations; helps others drive

Essential tasks to completion as appropriate
 Supports others /the team during change by encouraging flexibility,

demonstrating the positives, and finding opportunities for the team or
others to get involved

 Able to track and complete agreed work in planned timeframes
 Takes responsibility for escalating issues that impact on planned work and

outcomes
 Documents how results were obtained to support knowledge transfer

and best practices
 Coaches others to develop effective techniques for producing expected

results
 Supports self during change by remaining flexible, focusing on the

positives, and proactively seeking out opportunities to get involved

Service Centric  Acts with the internal/external stakeholder or customer in mind, seeks to

Essential understand and deliver on customer perceptions and expectations
 Contributes to building a culture of service excellence within team,

teaching others as needed
 Able to anticipate and respond to common stakeholder needs and

problems or escalate if required
 Engages and collaborates with users to provide accessible, fit for purpose

solutions and adjusts focus or approach when required to respond to
changing user needs

 Provides a level of customer centric service excellence that contributes to
the college objectives

Staff and Career • Develops learning program for closing own short- and long-term
Development competency gaps; clarifies own career aspirations

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Clarifies own career aspiration
Determines individual and team competency requirements,
vulnerabilities, and learning needs
Seeks opportunities that meet developmental needs of self or associates
Capabilities - Technical

Accuracy and  Identifies tasks or outputs that require accuracy and detail-level
Attention to attention; provides guidance in documenting pertinent information
Detail  Processes large amounts of detailed information with good accuracy

Essential  Utilises specific approaches and tools for checking and cross-checking
outputs

 Develops and uses checklists to ensure that information goes out error-
free

 Accurately gauges the impact and cost of errors, omissions, and
oversights

 Learns from mistakes and applies lessons learned
 Employs techniques for motivating personnel to meet/exceed accuracy

goals

Digital Skills  Competence and confidence in using core systems Massey University

Essential  Proficient in the use of Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook and PowerPoint
 Proficient in the use of scheduling and calendar tools
 Intermediate experience in the use of SharePoint, can coach others in the

use of SharePoint
 Performs file management tasks such as folder management and controlled

document administration

Planning and • Contributes to short-term operational plans ensuring they align with long
Project term plans and strategies
Administration • Documents initial plans and estimates for simple projects; monitors
Essential progress of work against plan as required to meet objectives; assists with

preparation of reports, communication and project documentation
Facilitates development of team objectives and plans with team members
Anticipates and adapts to plan changes
Priority Setting
 Describes team or unit priorities and how they relate to roles

Essential  Demonstrates an expectation that there will be ongoing shifts in demands
and priorities

 Clarifies and handles multiple concurrent and diverse activities
 Addresses potential conflicts that impact current delivery commitments
 Works with or leads others to re-prioritise work and reschedule

commitments as necessary
 Responds to shifting priorities while maintaining progress of regularly

scheduled work

Problem Solving  Examines a specific problem and understands the perspective of each
 involved stakeholder

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Desirable  Identifies and documents specific problems and resolution alternatives
 Uses initiative to develop alternative techniques for assessing accuracy

and relevance of information
 Helps to analyse risks and benefits of alternative approaches and obtain

decision on resolution

Pre-employment checks

Pre-employment checks:  Requirement to pass a Criminal and Traffic Convictions (Security)

Essential Check performed by the Ministry of Justice

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