administrative assistant Harwell, South East England, England
Job description
The Mary Lyon Centre at MRC Harwell (MLC) https://www.har.mrc.ac.uk/ is located in an expanding science and innovation campus in Oxfordshire and is an internationally renowned centre at the forefront of genetics research. As the hub of the new National Mouse Genetics Network, the specialist facilities and capabilities of the MLC support a number of research groups across the UK to accelerate our understanding of human diseases, such as cancer, developmental disorders and neurodegeneration.
The Medical Research Council (MRC) is a great place to work and progress your career. The MRC encourages the integration of clinical and discovery research to elucidate both disease processes and potential new therapies. The MLC provides vital scientific support for the UK biomedical community and focuses on preclinical research using mouse models, which supports clinical research and therapy discovery.
The MRC is an excellent place to develop yourself further and a range of training & development opportunities will be available to you, including professional registration with the Science Council.
Overall purpose:
The Administrative Support (Internal name: Export Coordinator) role will support Harwell’s standing as a national/international centre for mouse resources. Our clients include an extensive network of UK collaborators and overseas clients. The primary function of this role will be to coordinate the exportation of unique mouse models and other biological materials to the scientific community around the world.
The post-holder will report directly to the Client Interface Manager and will work closely with the other members of the Client Interface team and Harwell staff to maximise operational efficiency.
Experience within an outward-facing environment, customer service or administration role would be ideal. This role will suit a person who has an aptitude to learn and the passion to grow, as full training and support will be provided. The post-holder will need to be a team player, customer focused, possess excellent communication skills, and have a keen eye for detail.
Main Duties/Key Responsibilities:
Working within a team environment at Medical Research Council Harwell (MRC), the post-holder’s principal responsibility will be to support the processes involved in shipping mouse resources to/from MRC Harwell.
Examples of the type of activity this may involve are:
- Working with other members of staff dedicated to dissemination of resources and assisting them as and when necessary
- Assisting with the maintenance of the frozen archive
- Liaising with investigators within the MRC and other universities/institutes to coordinate the dissemination of mouse resources
- Locating and packing frozen samples before shipment
- Coordinating the shipment of live mice
- Verifying the details of shipments being sent out i.e. stock ids, mouse numbers, frozen sample ids
- Maintaining full and accurate details of mouse shipments on the laboratory information management system (Anonymus)
- Working closely with other members of staff dedicated to the dissemination of resources to ensure that all Material Transfer Agreements and other documents are in place, before mouse strains are exchanged
- Building relationships and liaising with courier companies to ensure the safe delivery of shipments
- Helping to prepare reports on the dissemination of MRC Harwell’s resources
- Ensuring that the quality and accuracy of our delivery services are maintained
- Ordering supplies for stock exports e.g. IATA labels & thermal control units
- Preparing export documentation prior to shipment and providing clients with accurate information on the mouse lines being exported
Working Relationships:
The post-holder will report directly to the Client Interface Manager and will be expected to develop and maintain good working relationships with other members of the Client Interface team, as well as scientific staff at all levels, to optimise information flow and support a culture for the transfer of knowledge.
The post-holder will also need to independently develop professional working relationships with external mouse facility managers.
Other Information:
The post-holder is expected to play an active role in improving the productivity of the Client Interface team, whose central activity is coordinating the exchange of resources between MRC Harwell and the wider scientific community.
This post is suited to a person who is a committed team player and who is flexible and happy to embrace work at all levels. They should also be prepared to interact with a wide variety of people to bring projects to a successful conclusion within the required timeframe.
The post-holder may be expected to train in some laboratory techniques and animal handling. Full training and support will be given.
Equality & Diversity:
The MRC values the diverse skills and experience of its employees and is committed to achieving equality of treatment for all. Our objectives are that all individuals shall have equal opportunities for employment and advancement on the basis of their skills, aptitudes and abilities. The MRC is committed to the engagement and retention of the best possible talent and to creating an environment that encourages excellence in scientific research through good equality and diversity leadership and management.
Corporate/Local Responsibilities & Requirements:
The post-holder must at all times carry out their responsibilities with due regard to the MRC’s:
- Code of Conduct
- Equality and Diversity policy
- Health and Safety policy
- Data Protection and Security policy
Job descriptions should be reviewed on a regular basis and at the annual appraisal. Any changes should be made and agreed between the post-holder and their manager.
The above lists are not exhaustive and the post-holder is required to undertake such duties as may reasonably be requested within the scope of the post. All employees are required to act professionally, cooperatively and flexibly in line with the requirements of the post and the MRC.
Education/Qualifications/Training Required:
Essential:
- HNC or equivalent
Desirable:
- BSc
Previous Work Experience Required:
Essential:
- Previous experience in an environment involving a wide range of outward-facing activities and/or administrative tasks
Desirable:
- Experience working in an environment in which goods and services are exchanged within an academic or commercial organisation
Knowledge and Experience:
Essential:
- Ability to work in a fast pace, high-throughput service role
- Ability to work within a multi-disciplinary team
- Ability to understand/use IT packages and databases
Desirable:
- Experience in the importation/exportation of biological or other materials
- Ability to understand basic mammalian biological systems
Personal skills/Behaviours/Qualities:
Essential:
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills (verbal and written)
- Self-motivated, with good time management skills
- Ability to prioritise tasks efficiently
- Can apply imagination and independent thinking to a variety of challenges
- Good attention to detail
- Ability to work independently and use initiative to resolve problems
- Commitment to providing a good customer service
Desirable:
- A proven ability to work to tight deadlines within a busy environment
- Ability to deal with a wide range of people from different disciplines and at various levels in an organisation
Choosing to come to work at the MRC (part of UKRI) means that you will have access to a whole host of benefits from a defined benefit pension scheme and excellent holiday entitlement to access to employee shopping/travel discounts and salary sacrifice cycle to work scheme, as well as the chance to put the MRC and UKRI on your CV in the future.
Our success is dependent upon our ability to embrace diversity and draw on the skills, understanding and experience of all our people. We welcome applications from all sections of the community irrespective of gender, race, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sexual orientation, disability or age. As "Disability Confident" employers, we guarantee to interview all applicants with disabilities who meet the minimum criteria for the vacancy.
UKRI supports research in areas that include animal health, agriculture and food security, and bioscience for health which includes research on animals, genetic modification and stem cell research. Whilst you may not have direct involvement in this type of research, you should consider whether this conflicts with your personal values or beliefs.
We will conduct a full and comprehensive pre-employment check as an essential part of the recruitment process on all individuals that are offered a position with UKRI. This will include a security check and an extreme organisations affiliation check. The role holder will be required to have the appropriate level of security screening/vetting required for the role. UKRI reserves the right to run or re-run security clearance as required during the course of employment.
