INVITING APPLICATIONS:
CATERING & COLLEGE EVENTS ADMINISTRATOR

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Overview

Catering & College Events Administrator
Residential Business Manager, also working to the
Chef Manager
N/A
Grade 4 (St John’s College Graded Pay Scale)
£25,433 (WTE)
Full time
Continuous
35 hours per week (e.g. 8.00-16.00, 9.00-17.00,
t.b.a.)
St John’s College Group Personal Pension Plan
27 days annual leave plus statutory holiday and
University customary days pro rata

Wednesday 08 October 2025
Tuesday 14 October 2025
24 November 2025

ABOUT ST JOHN’S COLLEGE

St John’s College is one of the smallest Durham colleges, renowned for our welcoming
atmosphere. Founded in 1909 and set in a series of beautiful, listed buildings in the
heart of Durham city, our community enjoys stunning views of Durham Cathedral and
boasts  gardens  and  lawns  stretching  down  to  the  River  Wear.  Each  year  we  have
around  270  students  resident  in  the  College  –  undergraduates  and  postgraduates
studying  for  degrees  at  Durham  University,  as  well  as  students  of  Cranmer  Hall,  a
theological College within St John’s. The College has a degree of independence within
the  University,  both  financially  and  in  its  governance,  meaning  that  we  have  the
freedom to do things a little differently. Throughout the year, the College’s Christian
ethos translates into warm hospitality. All our different staff teams work closely together
with our students to create the unique John’s experience.

JOB SUMMARY AND PURPOSE

St John’s College is inviting applications for a Catering & College Events Administrator
to play an important role in supporting the operations of the College.

The  Catering  &  College  Events  Administrator  works  as  part  of  a  wider  team  of
administrative  and  operational  staff  across  the  College,  while  having  ownership  for
specific  and  specialised  remits.  As  part  of  their  shared  remit,  this  team  will  staff  the
Reception during office hours, deliver core residential and student services, and provide
administrative  support  where  required  across  the  College.  The  Catering  &  College
Events  Administrator  reports  directly  to  the  Residential  Business  Manager,  who
coordinates administrative and residential services across the College, but works as part
of their specific remit to support the Catering department.

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The role involves making operational decisions within established policies, determining
appropriate  next  steps,  and  working  collaboratively  with  staff  across  the  College  to
ensure services run smoothly and efficiently.

The post holder will be required to answer a high volume of enquiries from internal and
external sources, in a professional and customer- focussed manner whilst maintaining
accuracy and attention to detail.

The  post  holder  will  need  to  demonstrate  an  enthusiasm  towards  ongoing  business
development  within  the  College’s  operational  model  and  will  work  flexibly,  adapting
quickly  to  change  and  contributing  ideas  for  continuous  improvement,  as  well  as
proactively engaging in formal and informal learning and development activities.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Catering services and College events

  Provide  dedicated  administrative  support  for  the  day-to-day  running  of  the

College’s catering function.

  Act  as  the  main  point  of  contact  for  all  queries  and  issues  relating  to  the

Catering team, including coordinating work between departments.

  Support  the  Chef  Manager  with  staff  administration,  including  drafting  rotas,

annual leave management and expenditure management.

  Manage all administration in relation to the procurement process.
  Under the direction of the Chef Manager, implement operational policies and

procedures.

  Under the direction of the Chef Manager, provide administrative support for the
management  of  Health  and  Safety  and  maintenance  of  hygiene  standards,
including collating risk assessments and maintaining statutory records.

  Work proactively to maintain the Catering Barcode System; act as the first point

of contact and troubleshooting for the system.

  Under direction from the Vice Principal’s Office, support the administration of
formal dinners including managing a shared mailbox, and liaising with catering
staff, student leaders and other colleagues to ensure the smooth and effective
running of each event.

  Support the organisation and coordination of alumni reunion events and other
internal student and college events, with specific focus on catering services.

Reception, residential & student services

  Regularly  work  from  the  Reception  helpdesk  in  College  to  provide  frontline
residential services and operational functionality, working to agreed procedures
and as part of a wider team.

  Provide a responsive and professional service to a wide range of stakeholders,
including student applicants, current students, residents, visitors and internal
and external colleagues through a range of communication methods.

  Act  as  the  first  point  of  contact  for  enquiries,  responding  to  queries  and
recording information systematically in accordance with procedures, including
overseeing shared email inboxes and escalating more specialist and complex
queries or issues to more experienced team members.

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  Support  the  College’s  internal  communications  plan,  including  drafting  and
sending email communications of a high quality to student, staff and resident
mailing lists, and updating and maintaining the College intranet.

  Act  as  first  point  of  contact  for  incidents  and  emergencies,  signposting  and

escalating to relevant staff as required.

  Be  aware  of  student  support  structures  and  processes  for  signposting  and
referrals, and when required, request an appointment on behalf of students to
Student Support staff.

Other

  Provide  support  for  Conferences  &  Events  Manager  in  organisation  and

management of commercial events and reunions.

  Work  as  part  of  a  team  to  ensure  the  smooth  running  of  administrative
processes to support student and business activities, including liaison with a
wide range of internal and external stakeholders.

  Provide support for networks, committees and meetings, to draft and distribute

documents and communications in standard professional formats.

  Maintain relevant databases, manipulate data and present in relevant formats.
  Maintain  awareness  of  and  compliance  with  relevant  University  and  College

policies, regulations and procedures.

  Maintain continuing professional development.
  Undertake all other duties appropriate to the grade and role, as directed by the

Residential Business Manager, Chef Manager and College Officers.

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PERSON SPECIFICATION

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Criteria
Five  GCSEs  at  least  Grade  C  or  level  four  (or
equivalent)
including  English  Language  and
Mathematics (or equivalent experience).
Ability to work with a high-level of accuracy and
attention to detail in an administrative context.
Experience of working as part of a team in a customer
focussed service to ensure the delivery of high-quality
services.
Excellent communication skills including a high
standard of written English and the ability to
disseminate and explain policies to enquirers.
Ability  to  work  independently  and  to  use  initiative  in
the completion of day-to-day tasks.
Ability to work flexibly to meet changing demands and
working practices.
Experience of managing a busy workload and
competing priorities under pressure to meet
deadlines.
A good understanding of issues associated with
confidentiality and information sharing.
Evidence of personal development to maintain and
develop skills.

10  Competence with IT including experience of all
standard Microsoft Office applications.
11  Willingness to work occasional evenings and

weekends to support the delivery of core operational
work and activities.

12  Experience in an administrative role in a

Higher Education environment.

13  Experience of health and safety administration.
14  Ability to administratively support Higher Education
students from a range of backgrounds and cultures.

Essential  Desirable

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This role is subject to the successful applicant providing proof of eligibility to work in the
UK.

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APPLICATION PROCESS

Please see St John’s College Privacy Notice for Job Applicants

The application should include:

  Letter of application, indicating how you can fulfil the essential and desired

criteria (this may be part of the letter or as a separate document)

  Current CV
  Names and contact details of two referees (including current or most recent line

manager)

Applications should be submitted by email to the Residential Business Manager on
marija.huljak@durham.ac.uk.

The deadline for applications is Wednesday 08 October 2025 (23:59). Interviews are
expected to be held in person at St John’s College on Tuesday 14 October 2025.

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