Administrative Assistant

Role overview

Heriot-Watt University is seeking an Administrative Assistant to join the Off-Campus Students team within the Global Registry and Academic Support Directorate at the Riccarton campus in Scotland. This post is open-ended and carries a Grade 4 salary. The working arrangement is part-time and on site.

Pay and working pattern

The salary for this position is £24,215 to £26,707 per year. The role is advertised as part-time and onsite. The source also notes a full-time equivalent of 35 hours per week and an open-ended contract arrangement.

Reward and benefits

Employees receive 28 days of annual leave, plus 9 university closure days, along with Christmas Eve when it falls on a weekday. A total rewards calculator is available through the university to estimate the full value of the benefits package.

About the directorate and team

The Global Registry and Academic Support Directorate supports students and staff throughout the complete student journey, from enrolment through graduation. It serves as the main keeper of student and programme records and provides advice and wellbeing-related support to help students settle in and remain engaged at the university.

The directorate also supports academic and professional services staff across regulations, policies, and quality-related matters at local, national, and international levels. Its work is delivered through several divisions, including Student Life, Off Campus Students, Academic Operations, Academic Quality, and the registry leadership teams for the Dubai and Malaysia campuses.

The Off-Campus Students Division supports Heriot-Watt Online learners across a growing range of online programmes, as well as students on campus-based programmes delivered through approved international academic partnerships. The division covers the full off-campus student lifecycle, from enrolment through to graduation.

Role purpose

Administrative Assistants in the Off-Campus Students team share responsibility for a wide range of operational tasks. Some duties are also supported by the Senior Administrative Assistant. For certain activities such as course registration and exam data preparation, ownership may rotate within the team for a set period so that knowledge and expertise are shared across colleagues.

Key responsibilities

The postholder will help deliver administrative support across admissions, enrolment, student records, examinations, awards, and wider office operations.

• Assist with admissions administration and related recruitment activity, including report preparation and responding to applicants by email or phone when needed.
• Support enrolment, course registration, and payment processes for both new and continuing students, including associated follow-up administration.
• Help with applications for formal enrolment onto a programme of study.
• Work with the Off-Campus Division leadership, the wider team, Heriot-Watt Online, students, and other university colleagues to create and update student records, process course changes, maintain class mark lists, and manage and archive files in line with data management requirements.
• Support examination registration, cancellations, and data preparation across three exam diets each academic year, including logging and distributing scripts and liaising with academic staff and tutors to meet marking deadlines.
• Prepare certification letters, transcript copies, and verification responses.
• Archive student files and exam scripts and arrange disposal in accordance with university data policies.
• Help Senior Administrative Assistants prepare for exam boards, process results, enter and check marks, grades, and decisions, and provide support at graduation ceremonies.
• Assist with progression boards and award boards where required.
• Support processing of recognition of prior learning and credit transfer requests.
• Contribute to the handling of academic misconduct, appeals, and mitigating circumstances cases.
• Keep programme and course records up to date and complete an annual audit of data ahead of enrolment.
• Carry out general office administration such as sorting mail, arranging DHL collections, ordering stationery, scanning, filing, photocopying, shredding, and maintaining equipment by replenishing consumables and reporting faults.
• Take on other relevant duties that match the grade of the post, as the role and operational priorities evolve.

Candidate profile

The university is looking for someone with recent administrative experience, strong communication skills, and a customer-focused approach. The ideal candidate will be organised, accurate, tactful, diplomatic, and comfortable working both independently and collaboratively in a busy environment.

Essential requirements

• Educated to Scottish Highers or A-Level standard, or an equivalent qualification.
• Recent experience in a relevant administrative role.
• Experience giving information or advice to customers.
• Demonstrated proactive, service-oriented administrative support.
• Strong verbal and written communication abilities.
• Good interpersonal skills, with tact and diplomacy.
• Strong organisation and time management skills, with the ability to stay flexible and accurate under pressure.
• Ability to work independently and across team or department boundaries to build effective working relationships.
• Competence in Microsoft Office, especially Outlook, Word, and Excel.
• Professional, positive attitude and willingness to support others even in challenging situations.

Desirable experience

• NQ or SVQ Level 2 in Administration, or an equivalent award.
• Experience in student administration within higher education or further education.
• Experience preparing summary data reports.
• Experience working with large database or student record systems.
• Ability to interpret information and present it clearly for audiences with differing levels of understanding, including non-native English speakers.
• Competence in Microsoft Access and advanced Excel skills, including pivot tables and VLOOKUP.

Application details

Applicants should submit a cover letter explaining their interest and suitability, together with a full CV, through the university’s online recruitment system. The closing time for applications is 23:55 on Sunday 21 June 2026.

About Heriot-Watt University

Heriot-Watt University emphasises its values, global collaboration, and commitment to innovation and real-world impact. The institution highlights inclusion, wellbeing, and the opportunity to work in a diverse international community.

The university is committed to equal opportunity in employment and to selection, training, promotion, and appraisal based only on relevant merit and ability. It welcomes applications from all sectors of society, with particular encouragement for candidates from underrepresented groups. Flexible working arrangements, including part-time working and job shares, are supported.

Additional information

The university notes that the role description is not exhaustive and may change over time as duties and priorities develop. The postholder may be asked to carry out other reasonable tasks that fit the level of the role.

All mentions of equal opportunity, diversity, inclusion, flexible working, and related university information are included as part of the role information provided.