"PA and Project Administrator"

Department of Engineering Science, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PJ

About the role

An excellent opportunity has arisen for a full-time PA and Projects Administrator to provide administrative and financial support to the Chair of Civil Engineering and the other academic members of the Civil Group. The post is permanent.

The role includes complex diary management, travel and event arrangements, research group administration and committee servicing, as well as responsibility for the administration of designated research projects, specifically in relation to financial and operational management. This will include preparing financial reports to meet funder requirements; reviewing expenditure on projects to ensure they are eligible; and updating project budgets to understand recruitment and expenditure needs, as well as procurement and purchasing. The post holder will ensure projects are delivered successfully to budget and that administrative aspects are completed to the satisfaction of the department and funder.

About you

You should have considerable previous PA experience or equivalent at a senior level and the ability to organise and prioritise a varied workload efficiently in order to meet deadlines, coping with unpredictable volumes of work without supervision. Excellent skills in office IT systems and Microsoft 365 applications, including email, word processing and databases, are essential, along with an ability to deal with changing office technologies and processes. You should also possess excellent interpersonal skills and a proven ability to build effective working relationships with immediate colleagues and to deal appropriately with a wide range of contacts including senior academics, researchers, students, and other university staff.

It is essential that you have well-developed problem-solving skills and the ability to work independently with minimal supervision.

What we offer

At the University of Oxford your happiness and wellbeing at work is important to us. We have a number of generous benefits including 38 days' annual leave (inclusive of bank holidays and fixed closure days), generous pension schemes and free access to the Oxford colleges. The other benefits include:

• Travel - We have several travel schemes available for staff which promote sustainable modes of transport.
• Family friendly benefits - We aim to be a family-friendly employer and offer a range of flexible working options. We have some of the most generous family leave provision in the Higher Education sector.
• Sports – We have several schemes to help you stay fit and healthy, including discounted membership of the university sports centre on the Iffley Road
• Personal and professional development - We actively encourage all staff to participate in planning their personal and professional development and provide a broad range of opportunities to enable them to reach their full potential.
• University club - All staff are entitled to free membership of the University Club. It offers social and hospitality facilities, a small gym and exercise classes.
• Staff discounts - University staff can access shopping discounts in several ways; by purchasing a TOTUM card, by showing an employee pass in selected local stores, or online by using any of the listed discount codes
• Childcare services - We offer excellent childcare services including five University nurseries as well as University-supported places at other local private nurseries.

How to apply

Applications for this vacancy are to be made online via our e-recruitment system and should include the covering letter/supporting statement (describing how you meet the criteria), a CV, and names of two professional referees.

The position is a full-time, permanent post.

The closing date for applications is 12.00 noon on the 9th February 2026.

Informal enquiries may be addressed to Louise.Bristow@eng.ox.ac.uk

Further information can be found at http://www.eng.ox.ac.uk/jobs/home

Job description & Selection criteria