Administrative Professional & Managerial – Grade 10 GUIDANCE ...

Administrative Professional & Managerial – Grade 10
GUIDANCE
The following is a role profile created using the HERA job evaluation scheme.
There are 14 elements to the profile and each element contains a ‘requirement’.
Some elements contain ‘possible a)’ and some will also contain ‘possible b).
The ‘requirements’ are an integral part of the job and all role holders are expected
to meet the ‘requirements’. The ‘possible a) and ‘possible b)’ may or may not be
part of the job (see note below) – it was necessary to have two possible categories to
enable accurate job sizing and to allow for inevitable differences between jobs,
which whilst being important, are not necessarily of sufficient significance to
require an up-grading to a different profile.
A written description is given for the level of ‘requirement’ of each element. This is
followed by a number of examples of both the ‘requirements’ and the ‘possible’s. It
is not practicable to give an exhaustive list of examples and these should be used to
assist in identifying and defining the level that is being referred to, eg, to assist in
defining what level of communication is included in ‘straightforward
communication’.
ROLE DESCRIPTION
This role will require all that is involved in AP&M Grade 9, but will build upon that
role. The areas of growth will vary from job to job, but the role will involve line
manager responsibility. The role holder will be expected to fulfil all of the
‘requirements. , which will result in a score of 447 and then a combination of
‘’possibles’ to total at least 33.

COMMUNICATIONS
Oral communication:
Covers communication in both informal and formal situations. This may include the need to
convey basic factual information clearly and accurately; conveying information in the most
appropriate format; and explaining complex or detailed specialist information.
REQUIREMENT: Communicating straightforward information in a clear and accurate manner
will be an integral part of this role and will be required on a daily basis.
There will also be a considerable (daily) need to communicate information that:
(i.) requires considerable consideration as to the format and language used;
and/or
(ii.) clarifies complicated issues;
and/or
(iii.) employs a range of language over and above that found in standard everyday usage;
EXAMPLES:
• Explaining matters that are specialist, perhaps technical, legal or financial.
• Making presentations involving explanations of specific topics to those who do not have a
high level if familiarity or knowledge of those topics.
• Ordering specialist equipment where there is a need to discuss technical specifications with
the customer and/or the provider.
POSSIBLE A) There may be some requirement *to convey and understand communication of a
complex or conceptual nature which typically would not be understandable to non-specialists.
This requirement will not be a predominant part of the job.
EXAMPLES
• Providing a detailed explanation of how a complex system or a set of regulations operates;
• Conveying/explaining complex legal and financial requirements and their implications to
colleagues.
• Influencing others’ thinking and negotiating with them to achieve an outcome.
• Interpreting technical or conceptual information into or from a foreign language.
REQUIREMENT AAC 28
POSSIBLE A) AAB +7
2

Written or electronic communication and visual media:
Covers communication in both informal and formal situations.
REQUIREMENT: The role holder will be expected to deal with the written word as a
constant part of their job. This may be in the form of letters, reports or other documents, but
will be of a straightforward nature.
EXAMPLES:
• Use of e-mail to provide and receive straightforward information.
• Writing messages, eg telephone messages, for others.
• Following straightforward instructions from colleagues.
• Typing memos, letters and reports.
There will also be a frequent (daily) need to communicate information that needs careful
explanation or interpretation to help others understand, taking into account what to
communicate and how best to convey the information to others. Communication that:
(i.)
(ii.)
(iii.)
requires considerable consideration as to the format, tone and language used;
and/or;
clarifies complicated issues;
and/or
employs a range of language over and above that found in standard everyday usage;
EXAMPLES
• Drafting a standard tender document.
• Drafting short factual reports.
• Constructing minutes of meetings.
• Writing reports and letters that are standard or routine.
• Drafting University policies and procedures.
POSSIBLE A) There may also be some (at least monthly, but not daily) requirement to both
convey and understand communication of a complex, specialist or conceptual nature. This
includes material that would not be immediately understandable to those outside the area of
work or combines topics drawn from a number of disciplines.
EXAMPLES
• Drafting user and training manuals for equipment, systems or software.
• Writing explanations of complex systems, regulations or procedures.
• Preparing technical specifications for complex contracts such as new buildings, service
specifications or capital equipment. Producing policy questions, procedures and
guidelines on complex systems or subject.
• Writing complex reports, letters or other documents dealing with complex, contentious
and sensitive situations.
• Writing explanations of complex systems, regulations or procedures.
REQUIREMENT AAC 23
POSSIBLE A) AAB +6
3

PASTORAL CARE AND WELFARE
Covers the welfare and well being of students and staff within the institution, in both informal
and formal situations. This may include the need to be aware of the support services available;
giving supportive advice and guidance; and counselling others on specific issues.
Requirement: The role holder will either:
Supervise or line-manage staff (probably a small operational team of up to 12), although it is
possible that it will be for a larger team, for whom they will be the first point of call when
issues concerning pastoral care and welfare arise. There will however always be a line
manager or Personnel Officer to whom difficult issues can be referred; however, the role
holder would be expected to have some knowledge and understanding of the University’s
procedures and to be able to apply those procedures to their team members.
OR
POSSIBLE A) It is possible that the role holder will work in a specialist area in a
professional capacity, such as, Students Services and may therefore be called upon to deal with
distressed colleagues or students and handle situations which require sensitivity, a high level
of awareness of confidentiality and general tact and diplomacy, at a higher than basic level,
this will arise on a weekly basis or it may arise more frequently.
The role holder will be expected to have a high level of knowledge of University’s policies and
probably of legislation relating to welfare issues, and will guide and advise others on these
issues.
EXAMPLES
• Dealing with and investigating complaints which may lead to disciplinary procedures.
• Dealing with highly confidential information.
• Advising others on the University’s procedures.
• Assisting in creating procedures to ensure that the University is compliant with current
legislation.
REQUIREMENT BBC 23
POSSIBLE A) AAC +19
4

TEAM DEVELOPMENT
Covers the development of the skills and knowledge of others in the work team. This may
include the induction of new colleagues; coaching and appraising any individuals who are
supervised, mentored or managed by you; and giving guidance or advice to one’s peers or
supervision on specific aspects of work.
REQUIREMENT: Assistance in training and guiding new members of staff who join the work
team, is likely to be an occasional part of the job (or at this grade it may be that much of it is
delegated to others).
EXAMPLES
• Showing a new member of staff around the workplace
• Showing a new member of staff how to use the telephone, photocopier or how the filing
system works.
• Showing new members of staff any system or procedure that is relevant to the particular area
of work.
The role holder will also (in addition to the above ‘requirement’) have some responsibility for the
development of an operational team. This will be either:
(a)
Some specific responsibility for providing training or instruction to other members of the
work team on a regular (once or twice per year) basis. Coaching members of the work
team formally or informally.
OR
(b)
The role holder will also be required to identify learning/development needs of team
members, eg, through appraisal
POSSIBLE A)
It is possible that the role holder will be involved in the above ‘requirement and in both a and b
(under Possible A).
REQUIREMENT (a)
(b)
BBC
BCB
26
POSSIBLE A) BBB +11
5

TEAMWORK AND MOTIVATION
Covers team work and team leadership when working in both internal and external teams. This
may include the need to contribute as an active member of the team; motivating others in the
team; and providing leaderships and direction for the team.
Requirement: The role holder will supervise or line-manage a team. This would include
agreeing and clarifying task objectives; motivating team members and having overall
responsibility for the team achieving deadlines and objectives. Being responsible for allocating
work, monitoring the team’s achievement and setting and monitoring individual achievement,
giving feedback and praise. Taking initial remedial action if required.
• Overseeing the completion of a project.
• Managing an operational team that is a sub-section of a larger team/section/department.
POSSIBLE A) The role holder may contribute to or have some significant responsibility for a
larger team that has responsibility for a considerable area of work within the University. This is
likely to be a team that has several smaller teams in it.
• Deputising for the manager of a team that covers a significant area of work within the
university, eg, Finance.
• Assisting in the day-to-day running of a team that covers a significant area of work within
the university to include contributing to the strategic aims of that section and thereby
indirectly contributing to the strategic aims of the University.
REQUIREMENT DDADD 37
POSSIBLE A) DDABD +8
6

SERVICE DELIVERY
Covers the provision of help and assistance to a high standard of service to students, visitors,
members of staff and other users of the institution. This may include reacting to requests for
information or advice; actively offering or promoting the services of the institution to others; and
setting the overall standards of service offered.
REQUIREMENT: The role holder will be expected to explore the customers’ needs and
adapt the service to meet those needs for the area or sub-section for which the role holder
has responsibility. At this grade this level of requirement will be predominant.
EXAMPLES
• Approaching customers to establish what is required (eg agreeing a conference
programme or details of a research contract, designing promotional campaign material
or discussing future skill needs with employers).
• Contacting potential customers to let them know of new services.
• Surveying customer needs and obtaining information from them about their assessment
of the service (eg obtaining student feedback).
• Providing feedback on the levels of service usage (eg levels of room occupancy or stock
use and suggesting ways in which the service can be made more effective.
POSSIBLE A) It is possible that the role holder will also assist in establishing the service
level and quality of service for a considerable area of work. At this grade this level of
requirement will be important but not predominant.
• Setting and maintaining standards for cleaning services.
• Setting and maintaining standards relating to the services offered by a Service
Department, eg, Personnel.
REQUIREMENT DAD 47
POSSIBLE A) DAB +12
7

PLANNING AND ORGANISING RESOURCES
Covers organising, prioritising and planning time and resources, be they human, physical or
financial. This may include planning and organising one’s own work; planning work for others
on day-to-day basis, planning individual tasks or projects; carrying out operational planning; and
planning for the coming years.
REQUIREMENT: The role holder will be required, on a daily basis, to plan, prioritise and
organise work of self and others to meet laid down objectives. This will be in the capacity of a
manager of an organisational unit or section or as a deputy.
EXAMPLES:
• Managing and being accountable for the resources (people, equipment, money) of a subsection
of a department or an area of work within the University.
• Managing a specific project, eg, organising a conference or event such as a graduation
ceremony or open day.
POSSIBLE A) The role holder will be in an operational management role with responsibility
for formulating the type of plan that will affect a substantial area of work, it is likely to last
longer than one year and will possibly involve people from several teams.
At this grade the role holder is likely to assist with this, or will have a shared responsibility for
it or will be responsible for an important but moderate sized area of work.
• Setting the budget.
• Managing the staff.
• Setting objectives.
• Monitoring progress and keeping to the timescale.
• Planning for the future.
• Co-ordinating and monitoring the roll out of plans.
REQUIREMENT: DDADD +37
POSSIBLE A) DDABD +8
8

INITIATIVE AND PROBLEM SOLVING
Covers identifying or developing options and selecting solutions to problems, which occur in the
role. This may include using initiative to select from available options; resolving problems
where an immediate solution may not be apparent; dealing with complex problems; and
anticipating problems which could have major repercussions.
REQUIREMENT: At this grade there will be considerable need to resolve problems that are
predictable but do not occur very frequently. The range of choices are defined, for example, by
a set of procedures or guidelines or by training and application of knowledge. The extent and
frequency of involvement in this level of decision making will be minor and infrequent.
EXAMPLES
• Handling grading, grievances or disciplinary issues.
• Dealing with attendance problems.
There will also be some need for the role to resolve problems that occur infrequently where the
available guidance is not specific. The range of information available complicates the choice of
solution and the way to resolve the situation is not clear. This is likely to include having to deal
with several complex problems at the same time .This will not be a predominant requirement; it
may be that the role holder is required to lend some assistance to a line manager or colleague
who has overall responsibility for this level.
EXAMPLES
• Balancing the department’s budget and resources against needs and plans.
• Investigating an area of ineffective working or systems failure and developing approaches to
improve operational effectiveness by introducing a new system or simplifying practices of an
office,
• Developing new guidelines or procedures, such as those regulating use of finance or
managing attendance.
• Investigating, developing, improving complex systems, eg, computer programs.
POSSIBLE A) Resolving problems that occur infrequently where the available guidance is not
specific will be a frequent (weekly) requirement. The range of information available
complicates the choice of solution and the way to resolve the situation is not clear. This is likely
to include having to deal with several complex problems at the same time .This will not be a
predominant requirement; it may be that the role holder is required to lend some assistance to a
line manager who has overall responsibility for this level (see above for examples).
REQUIREMENT DABD 39
POSSIBLE A) DDAD +16
9

ANALYSIS AND RESEARCH
Covers investigating issues, analysing information and carrying out research. This may include
following standard procedures to gather and analyse data; identifying and designing appropriate
methods of research; collating and analysing a range of data from different sources; and
establishing new methods or models for research, setting the context for research.
REQUIREMENT: The role holder will be expected to gather and analyse data from a variety
of sources.
EXAMPLES
• Keep particular data on a data/spreadsheet to provide others with information, eg,
monitoring resource usage. This will involve some understanding of the data and how to
manipulate it in order to provide certain specified information.
• Seek information out from a variety of sources as per the requests of others, eg, conducting
a web search for some specified information, or ascertaining the number of students
enrolled for a course.
• Conducting basic searches for documents or books.
There will also be some (this will be important, but not predominant) need to decide how to
conduct an investigation as well as analyse and interpret the results.
EXAMPLES
• Conducting enquiries into complex complaints or system failures and indicating where
improvements are needed.
POSSIBLE A) There may be a frequent (at least weekly) need to decide how to conduct an
investigation as well as analyse and interpret the results.
EXAMPLES
• Conducting enquiries into complex complaints or system failures and indicating where
improvements are needed.
REQUIREMENT: DABDD 25
POSSIBLE A): DDADD +12
10

WORK ENVIRONMENT
Covers the impact the working environment has on you and your ability to respond to and
control the environment safely. This may include such things as the temperature, noise or fumes,
the work position and working in an outdoor environment.
REQUIREMENT: The role holder will generally work in a stable environment, eg an office.
There are three possible levels that the role holder may become involved in:
POSSIBLE A): The role holder may have some (this will be important, but not predominant)
responsibility for dealing with stressful and difficult situations, eg, dealing with people
displaying hostile or aggressive behaviour. Or may have responsibility for managing the impact
of the environment on the work or safety of other people where normally the degree of risk or
level of hazard is obvious.
POSSIBLE B): The role holder may have some (this will be important, but not predominant)
responsibility for safety in a physical area that is potentially hazardous. This will involve
making judgements about the hazards inherent and the safety of those working in the
environment. The role holder will be expected to intervene to restructure the work or require
others to take precautions and to assess the potential degree of risk in the situation and take
action in anticipation of that risk.
REQUIREMENT ACC 19
POSSIBLE A) ABC +4
POSSIBLE B) ACB +11
POSSIBLE C) (Possible A plus Possible B) ABB +16
11

LIAISON AND NETWORKING
Covers liaising with others both within and outside the institution and creating networks of
useful contacts. This may include passing on information promptly to colleagues; ensuring
mutual exchange of information; influencing developments through one’s contacts; and building
an external reputation.
REQUIREMENT: The role holder will have contact with persons outside of their work
team. This will be for the purpose of ensuring the dissemination of information in the right
format to the right people at the right time and/or to build relationships and contacts to
facilitate future exchange of information.
EXAMPLES:
• Dealing with information which needs to be disseminated to others to include
identifying who needs to know what and when.
The role holder will also network with people outside of their work teams, with people with
similar professional interests. This will be for the purposes of disseminating information to
others to include identifying who needs to know what and when and to build
relationships/contacts to facilitate future exchange of information.
POSSIBLE A): The role holder may also lead network/s with people outside of their work
teams, this will be for the purposes of disseminating information to others to include
identifying who needs to know what and when.
POSSIBLE B) It is possible that the role holder will liaise and network with people
outside of their work team in order to influence events or decision, or to undertake active
collaboration to pursue a shared interest.
REQUIREMENT CCEE 16
POSSIBLE A) CCCE +9
POSSIBLE B) BBEE +6
12

DECISION MAKING PROCESSES AND OUTCOMES
Covers the impact of decisions within the institution and externally. This may include decisions
which impact on one’s own work or team; decisions which impact across the institution; and
decisions which could have significant impact on the longer term within or outside the
institution.
REQUIREMENT: There will be a requirement for the role holder to make decisions which
have a limited impact, but which may endure for some time. Such decisions will be made
independently and collaboratively as well as in circumstances where the role holder will offer
information and opinions to assist more senior staff in making decisions.
EXAMPLES
• Buying non-routine stock or equipment following policy, guidelines and purchasing
procedures.
• Authorising money from a previously agreed budget.
• Deciding who to involve in a working group.
POSSIBLE A: The role holder may also have some element of involvement with decisions
that are far reaching, complex and long lasting.
EXAMPLES
• Delegating on-going responsibilities to staff.
• Allocating overall resources requirements within institution wide plans
• Developing a new service or changing existing work practices that affect broad areas of
the institution.
• Advising on how legislation affects institutional practice and helping to determine the
actions needed to implement changes.
REQUIREMENT CCC 37
POSSIBLE A) BCC +6
13

TEACHING AND LEARNING SUPPORT
Covers the development of the skills and knowledge of students and others who are not part of
the work team. This may include providing instruction to students or others when they are first
using a particular service or working in a particular area; carrying out standard training; and the
assessment and teaching of students.
REQUIREMENT: Teaching those outside of the work team is not part of this role
POSSIBLE B) The role holder may be required to introduce/explain work-practices/procedures,
or similar, to colleagues or others from outside their own work team. This will involve
designing a presentation/teaching/training session.
REQUIREMENT DDDD 10
POSSIBLE B) BBDD +19
14

SENSORY AND PHYSICAL DEMANDS
Covers the sensory and physical aspects of the role required to complete tasks. This may include
physical effort, co-ordination and dexterity; using aural evidence to assess next actions; applying
skilled techniques and co-ordinating sensory information; and high levels of dexterity where
precision or accuracy is essential.
REQUIREMENT: The use of a computer for more than 50% of work time or that some use is
made of a variety of software over and above e-mail, or that the role holder will be a proficient
typist who is expected to produce accurate and presentable letters, documents and reports at a
quick speed.
Possible a)
• Being a competent touch typist
• Using a spreadsheet and/or database package
• Using a fairly complicated (something that requires considerable usage and training to
become a proficient user) piece of software that is specific to an area of work
REQUIREMENT C 18
15

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE
Question 50
Covers the relevant knowledge needed to carry out the role, however, acquired, whether this is
technical, professional or specialist. This may include the need for sufficient experience to carry
out basic, day-to-day, responsibilities; the need for a breadth or depth of experience to act as a
point of reference for others; and the need to act as a leading authority in one’s field or
discipline.
REQUIREMENT: The role holder will possess specialist or professional knowledge of general
principles. S/he will be expected to engage in appropriate professional activities to keep his/her
knowledge base and skills up-to-date and to develop them further. The role holder will be
expected to have a level of knowledge that is acquired after a period of study last at least several
months or have possession of relevant experience.
It is likely that the role holder will hold qualifications at degree level or have a very high level of
knowledge resulting from experience that would equate to this level. The role holder is also
likely to have a professional qualification or considerable experience within a specific field
EXAMPLES
• The role holder will have knowledge, within a certain field/area, and, experience
sufficient to be able to offer advice or guidance to others.
Requirement C 50
16