Postgraduate Administrator [Temporary Cover]

University of Cambridge - Department of Physics

Location: Cambridge

Salary: £31,236 to £35,608

Hours: Full Time

Contract Type: Temporary, Fixed-Term/Contract

Placed On: 19th December 2025

Closes: 13th January 2026

Job Ref: KA48321

An exciting opportunity has arisen within the Department of Physics for an enthusiastic and highly motivated individual to join a small friendly team within the Postgraduate office.

The Department

The Cavendish Laboratory is the place of pioneering physics, that's been at the forefront of scientific discovery for 150 years, and will continue to be, because we never sit still. The Cavendish Laboratory has made several important discoveries, including: the discovery of the electron (1897), the neutron (1932), the structure of DNA (1953); thirty Cavendish researchers have won Nobel Prizes. We're trailblazers who continue to extend the frontiers of physics.

The Department has recently moved into our new state-of-the-art, multi-million pound Ray Dolby Centre which will be the centrepiece of the new Cavendish Laboratory. This is an exciting and challenging time for the Department, and we would like to find a highly motivated individual with a positive attitude towards change and development to join us.

The Role

The successful applicant will join a small friendly team within the Postgraduate office. You will provide a complete service to all postgraduate students from initial enquiries, admissions and funding applications, through to monitoring reports and degree awards. The position is busy and varied and has plenty of scope for training and development.

About You

You will have previous administrative experience in a Higher Education setting and ideally knowledge of postgraduate education programmes. You will have excellent organisational and time management skills; the ability to produce work to a high level of accuracy is essential.

You will possess excellent interpersonal and communication skills and have the ability to work well within a busy team, building positive working relationships within the Department and University. Discretion, diplomacy and empathy are also essential due to the nature of the role and working closely with students. You should be proficient in all standard Microsoft Office packages, highly organised, self-motivated, and able to prioritise your workload within a demanding environment.

The department operates a hybrid working policy, but we expect employees to be on site full time during the probation period to facilitate training and build working relationships. Once the probation has been completed successfully, you may be able to work off site up to one day per week, depending on operational need.

The role is full-time. However, we welcome applications from candidates looking to work less than full-time (minimum 25 hours per week) with a working pattern to be agreed

Temporary cover: This post is fixed-term for 1 years or the return of the post holder, whichever is the earlier.

Once an offer of employment has been accepted, the successful candidate will be required to undergo a health assessment.

To apply online for this vacancy and to view further information about the role, please click 'Apply' above.

Informal enquiries are welcomed and should be directed to: Sarah Hedger, Deputy Head of Operations at deputy.departmental.administrator@phy.cam.ac.uk

Closing date: 13 January 2026

Interview date: 21 January 2026

Please quote reference KA48321 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.