Executive Assistant (Dubai) - Dubai Operations - 97570 - Grade 5

University of Birmingham · United Arab Emirates

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Position Details

Dubai Operations

Discipline: Professional Services

University of Birmingham, Dubai campus

Salary: Competitive 

Grade: 5 (Spot)

No. of positions: 1

Full time

Duration: 3-years fixed contract (renewable at the University’s discretion) 

Location: Dubai, UAE

Closing date: 10^th November 2026

University of Birmingham Dubai

Having established ourselves in Dubai International Academic City in 2018 we have now moved to our new state-of-the-art campus which opened in Sept 2021. These posts represent an excellent opportunity to join an ambitious World Top 100 University as we continue to grow our long-term strategic mission in Dubai, the UAE and the wider region. Our campus reflects the very best of Birmingham through our presence in Dubai.

Background

This post represents an excellent opportunity to join an ambitious Top 100 world leading University as we continue to grow our long-term strategic mission in Dubai, the UAE and the wider region. Our campus reflects the very best of the University of Birmingham through our presence in Dubai. 

Professional Services Ethos 

Our ethos as a Professional Services team has been developed in line with the principles of being a Birmingham Professional. Here in Dubai this means that all Professional Services colleagues seek to collaborate effectively to ensure the needs of the whole campus community and our stakeholders are met. It also means that we work constructively together to provide a flexible range of service and support that adapt to the changing needs of the campus as we grow. There are specific focal points in the academic cycle when all Professional Services team members will be expected to contribute regardless of their primary role, for example Welcome Week or Graduation. 

In addition, the duties listed below are illustrative of the general nature and level of responsibility of this post which is likely to change over time in response to the needs of the campus and as you develop your experience and skills. You will have the opportunity to develop and may also need to specialise your duties further, over time, in agreement with your manager. 

In order to contribute to the success of the team and the University’s vision for the Dubai Campus the Professional Services team will be seeking to continue to recruit and develop colleagues who display: 

• a high level of intellectual aptitude; 
• strong agility and a portfolio of skills that can adapt to meet changing circumstances; 
• an innovative and creative mindset; and 
• both an enterprising and entrepreneurial nature to support our growth and pursuit of
• excellence.

Role Summary

The Executive and Corporate Office represent the Senior leadership of the University of Birmingham Dubai and support the delivery of central corporate services as well as administering an outstanding student-centred customer service. 

All members of the office work to execute the mission set out by the University’s Executive Board and Council and are required to work closely with colleagues from the Edgbaston campus to ensure that governance, policy and processes are effective and meet the needs of the wider university.

This is a dynamic and demanding role and will involve considerable flexibility and the ability to prioritise and deliver tasks with a high level of accuracy and precision to support Senior Leadership and our wider campus community. 

Reporting to the Executive Office Manager, the Executive Assistant will provide tailored administrative and operational support which will include providing an exceptional customer service, front desk operations, event coordination, procuring goods, and providing executive assistance. 

The Executive Assistant will also act as the first point of contact for day-to-day queries; liaising with Professional Services and Academic Staff both internally and more widely across the University, as well as external collaborators, students and visitors will be a key aspect of this role.

Main Duties

Front Desk Operations 

• Handling a busy front desk at the main campus reception to support the smooth running of customer interaction points within the campus supporting Business 

Development and Engagement and the Executive Office. 

• Welcoming esteemed guests and visitors to the Executive Office. 
• Answering and referring technical queries to the appropriate department when unable to provide guidance based on the information on the official website. 
• Act as a first point of contact when dealing with correspondence calls. 
• Manage initial requests in-person or over the phone dealing with general queries and delegate more technical queries to the appropriate teams. 
• Supporting interested applicants which may include campus tours. 
• Deliver outstanding customer service and support with bookings for bespoke commercial and corporate events in accordance with the clients’ vision, budget, and requirements.
• Collating feedback to ensure a continuous improvement of service and delivery. 

Campus Operations 

• Support the delivery and implementation of operational processes and systems to support the smooth running of the campus. 
• Dealing with a wide range of more complex enquiries and correspondence independently, or exercising judgement to redirect them to senior colleagues or other departments within the campus. 
• Maintain high profile working relationships with key stakeholders, fielding enquiries and ensuring that appropriate information is disseminated to stakeholders as appropriate.
• Organisation of events including booking a venue, sending invitations, arranging refreshments, liaising with speakers, manage bookings, co-ordination of colleagues, advertising, collating feedback and reporting back. 
• Collate, analyse and interpret data. This may include identifying and resolving issues with the data and building reports. 
• Will manage some smaller projects on own initiative but will also carry out desk research and source data from internal and external sources in order to contribute to wider projects. 

Will be responsible for one or more of the following: 

• Monitoring budgets including processing payments, raising concerns where finances are not in line with the budget. 
• Procuring goods and services through the University system. 
• Updating and writing contents for the department’s communications e.g. internet pages, 
• Dealing with health and safety and facilities issues. 
• Monitoring internal procedures/compliance and ensuring these are followed and disseminated as appropriate. 

Event Coordination 

• Organisation of events which may include conferences, workshops and or senior visits including booking a venue, sending invitations, arranging refreshments, liaising with speakers or visitors, manage bookings, co-ordination of colleagues, advertising, collating feedback and reporting back. 
• Supporting external stakeholders with venue hire and ensuring a strong customer service throughout. 

Executive Support 

• Undertake complex diary management and meeting planning, usually 6-12 months ahead, making decisions on the best use of time. This will require you to understand the priorities and deadlines you and your manager(s) are working to and will involve developing relationships across the University and beyond. 
• Proactive inbox management, with confidence to make decisions on behalf of others where appropriate. 
• Proactive preparation and collation of meeting-related papers, working collaboratively to determine what information might be required in advance of a meeting, articulating clear deadlines for submission and proactively chasing where necessary. This will include attending meetings to provide high-quality committee support, taking minutes and following up as appropriate. 
• Dealing with a wide range of more complex enquiries and correspondence independently.
• Arranging complex international travel requirements, including booking cars, flights, hotels, transfers, and organisation and planning of itineraries, ensuring best use of time and taking into account budgetary constraints. 
• Collate, analyse and interpret data linked to budgets, events, or people operations. This may include identifying and resolving issues with the data. 
• Will manage some smaller projects on own initiative but will also carry out desk research and source data from internal and external sources in order to contribute to wider projects. 
• Support the management, development and implementation of operational processes and systems. 

Governance 

• Proactive preparation and collation of meeting-related papers, working collaboratively to determine what information might be required in advance of a meeting, articulating  clear deadlines for submission and proactively chasing where necessary. This may include attending meetings to provide high-quality committee support, taking minutes and following up as appropriate. 

People and Culture 

• Accurately maintain confidential and sensitive electronic and paper-based records and information to support the staff within the designated area of responsibility. 
• Coordinate recruitment processes in the Executive Office to support hiring managers in all stages of recruitment, ensuring that campus complies with legal requirements. 
• Prepare and support the induction of new joiners. 
• Maintain an up-to-date list of staff. 
• Support the coordination of annual reviews. 
• Supporting onboarding, Wellbeing and HR Administration 
• Responding to the needs of the campus as and when required as directed by the Executive Office Manager.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• Educated to degree level or has a significant practical work experience evidencing the skills and ability to undertake the role. 
• Ability to identify and implement improvements to services and monitor performance output.
• Experience of handling a busy front desk and reception with excellent customer service skills. 
• Highly proficient IT skills, in particular the ability to handle complex electronic diaries and emails, the wider MS Office suite of programmes including excel and PowerPoint. 
• Experience in Higher Education would be advantageous. 
• Experience in working with Senior Executives, Senior Management and C-Suite. 
• Experience in coordinating large events with an ability to use resources effectively. 
• Proven ability to lead and be proactive. Experience in supervision is advantageous. 
• Excellent interpersonal skills: you must be able to inspire confidence and command authority with a range of colleagues, including senior executives and provide excellent service at all times. 
• Ability to work effectively in a large, complex organisation, and to develop a good understanding of how the University and higher education institutions work. 
• Ability to understand policy and procedures and how to apply these. 
• Maintain effective administrative systems to ensure the smooth running of the activities within their area(s) of responsibility and liaise with the Head of Institute Operations on developing new practices to obtain greater operational efficiencies. 
• Proven ability to plan ahead and anticipate requirements, proactively planning own (and sometimes others’ workloads) to manage time effectively, progress tasks concurrently and work to deadlines. 
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to write for different audiences, and to required deadlines. 
• Understands the importance of equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace. 
• Ability to identify and respond to equality and diversity and inclusion issues in line with relevant policies and procedures. 
• Where possible, undertake and maintain suitable training/certification to be able to act as First Aider and Fire Warden. 

• Undertake any other tasks across the Institute as a whole that might reasonably be asked by the Executive Office Manager, and are suitable by way of knowledge or experience, or can be achieved by a reasonable programme of training.

   

In return, you will receive a competitive package and play a key role in our ambitious University’s expansion as we enhance our international reputation and global footprint.

Use of AI in applications: We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will unlikely be progressed to interview.

View our staff values and behaviours here

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website.

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