"Personal Assistant to the Executive Dean"

Job Description:

Te Kaupeka Oranga | Faculty of Health
Located in Ōtautahi | Christchurch, Aotearoa | New Zealand

• Full-time, 37.5 hours per week (1.0 FTE)
• Continuing (i.e. permanent) position

Kia hiwa rā, kia hiwa rā!
He hiahia, he pūkenga nōu ki ngā mahi tautāwhi He pōwhiri atu tēnei nā Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha kia tono mai te hunga i te tūranga Tautāwhi.

What You Will Do

You will ensure the Executive Dean is provided with excellent support through using your initiative and pre-empting any issues. You will need to build various relationships across the university and gain an understanding of complex nature of the organisation to effectively support the Executive Dean, Faculty Leadership team and wider faculty. This is a unique opportunity for someone interested in working closely with a Senior Management team member and other senior colleagues within a stimulating and prestigious academic environment.

Who You Are

To perform successfully in this role you will ideally have:

• 5+ years’ experience in a high-level PA role
• Excellent relationship builder and networker
• A very high level of communication, accuracy and report writing skills
• A high degree of initiative with excellent decision making and problem-solving skills
• A high level of proficiency in minute taking and committee/board meeting administrative support
• Experience in managing a diverse workload and working to tight deadlines in a fast-paced role
• Proven background supporting senior manager(s) in a professional environment
• Excellent diary and email management skills

You will also be highly competent in MS Office suite and have the ability to work without supervision and maintain confidentiality. In return we offer an attractive salary, benefits and an opportunity for you to enhance your personal skills and experience in a large organisation.

Who You Will Work With

The Te Kaupeka Oranga | Faculty of Health is committed to making a significant contribution towards improving health outcomes and making meaningful change in people’s lives locally, nationally, and internationally. We are home to passionate researchers who are leaders in their field and are responsive to emerging research and community changes and challenges. Offering programmes and research designed to meet the needs of modern healthcare and society. It is internationally recognised for its health and sport research and teaching. It produces sought-after graduates who are focused on sports sciences, population wellness, disease prevention, and delivering health services in the community, as well as being employment-ready to work in diverse and interdisciplinary environments

For more information about our team, please visit us at Health | University of Canterbury

Ngā Painga o UC | Why UC

Ngā Uara | Our Values of manaakitanga, whanaungatanga and tiakitanga guide our decisions and behaviour and provide a roadmap for how we do things at UC, affirming our commitment to pastoral care and support for our ākonga and staff. They challenge and inspire us to be the best we can and make UC a great place to work and study. For more info on Ngā Uara | Our Values visit us here.

We are committed to accessible higher education, service to the community and the encouragement of talent without barriers of distance, wealth, class, gender or ethnicity. The University explicitly aims to produce graduates and support staff who are engaged with their communities, empowered to act for good and determined to make a difference in the world.

Mea e tukua nei | What we offer

The University is committed to providing an excellent working environment, this includes:

• five weeks annual leave and five days university holidays
• UC Parental Leave (up to 9 weeks paid) + 26 weeks Government paid parental leave and onsite childcare facility
• generous employer contribution to superannuation (up to 6.75%)
• flexible working arrangements
• supportive working environment
• professional development and study opportunities
• a unique working environment in a beautiful campus with access to UC facilities such as the recreation centre and Staff Club at discounted rates plus onsite cafés and eateries, and more.

For more information on our Benefits, please visit https://www.canterbury.ac.nz/joinus/benefits/

This role sits within the General Staff Collective Agreement salary range of between $67,843 and $82,125. The starting salary will be based on skills and experience.

The closing date for this position is: 1 February 2026 (midnight, NZ time)*Please note, applications will be reviewed* *after the close date.*

Pēhea te tono mai | How You Apply

Applications for this position must be submitted via our careers website and should include a cover letter and resume.

Please note, we do not accept applications by email, however we are happy to answer your queries in relation to the application process, please forward these to WorkatUC@canterbury.ac.nz

You must have Aotearoa New Zealand or Australian citizenship/permanent residency or hold a valid NZ work visa to be considered for this role.

Job Details