Deputy Executive Secretary

Deputy Executive Secretary
Terms: Permanent, Part Time (80% FTE)
Salary: £33,482 - £35,116 per annum, pro rata
Based: Hybrid, Central Cambridge Office

Background
The Cambridge Philosophical Society (CPS) was founded in 1819 as a private society to promote scientific enquiry. The title of the Society refers to ‘philosophy’ in its older meaning of ‘natural philosophy’ as a broad term that included what we know today as sciences (e.g. chemistry, zoology etc). The remit of the Society is to promote research in all branches of science and to encourage the communication of the results of scientific research.

The Society holds extensive archive materials, which include its publications since 1819, Society records, scientific books and personal papers. It continues its work as an independent, self-supporting, charitable and learned society through the publication of two world-leading scientific journals Biological Reviews and Mathematical Proceedings, an annual programme of public lectures and events and by supporting postgraduate students and early career researchers through grants, studentships and fellowships. A charity of global significance, the Society is proud of its strong and historically intrinsic links with the University of Cambridge.

The CPS is governed by an elected Council of senior academics and currently includes over 2,000 members (known as ‘Fellows’). To date, 49 Fellows and Honorary Fellows of the CPS have been awarded Nobel Prizes. Council members and staff work together to ensure the Society remains a successful hub for the promotion of scientific research, discussion, and learning.

The Role
To support our changing operations, we are seeking a skilled and efficient administrator. Under the supervision and guidance of the Society’s Executive Secretary, the role-holder will provide higher-level administrative and secretarial support to facilitate various activities within the Society’s remit.

This is a new role working in close collaboration with and providing necessary cover for the Executive Secretary. The Executive Secretary takes overall responsibility for the administrative operation of the Society and management of its staff, providing high-level administrative support to the President, the Treasurer, members of the Council and Editors of the Society’s two journals.

Key responsibilities include:

• leading on the transition to and subsequent management of the new online membership database; confirming membership to newly elected members, responding to membership enquiries in a timely manner;
  
  
• managing preparations for evening lectures and sharing responsibility for one-day meetings, as well as departmental and summer visits organised by the Society (event promotion and advertising in collaboration with the Communications Officer, liaising with guest speakers, organising lecture dinners and event catering, contacting venues, organising travel and accommodation, monitoring event bookings and waiting lists etc);
  
  
• facilitating preparations for Council and Investment Committee meetings (collating papers for consideration, following up where additional input is required, providing cover for minute taking, assisting with follow-up actions etc);
  
  
• facilitating funding allocation rounds (collating papers for consideration, following up where additional input is required, liaising with decision panel members, communicating decisions to applicants etc);
  
  
• assisting with the administrative support of the Society’s two journals when required;
  
  
• providing cover for the Executive Secretary during their leave or when necessitated by their other work commitments;
  
  
• preparing and maintaining risk assessments for different types of Society’s operations as well as organising safety training for staff and required equipment testing (e.g. PAT testing);
  
  
• helping organise and take stock of Society materials during the forthcoming change of office and storage arrangements;
  
  
• making office supply arrangements in collaboration with the Editorial Assistant (ordering stationery, liaising with IT support etc).
  
  The Executive Secretary may also from time to time require the role-holder to perform other duties consistent with the scope of the post, including assistance with the Society’s accounts in the future.
  
  Person specification
  We are looking for an experienced, well-organised, resourceful and flexible administrator able to take initiative and work to deadlines. Ideally educated to a degree level, the role-holder will be expected to assimilate information quickly and identify priorities without close supervision. Attention to detail and proficiency in standard software packages as well as remote collaboration tools (MS Teams, Google Drive etc) are essential. The successful applicant will be a tactful and persuasive communicator with a positive and friendly manner, comfortable working both independently and as part of a team.
  
  Experience working for a higher education establishment, working with financial accounts and/or using online CRM databases would be an advantage.
  
  Terms of appointment
  Appointment will be made on a permanent basis, subject to satisfactory completion of a six-month probationary period. An offer of appointment will be subject to the receipt of satisfactory references.
  
  The salary will be between £33,482 and £35,116 per annum (DOE), pro-rata’d for 80% FTE (30 hours).
  
  Full-time employees are entitled to annual paid leave of 36 days inclusive of public holidays. For new part-time employees, annual leave will be pro rata’d based on days worked.
  
  Hours of work are to be agreed with the successful applicant, ideally to include Mondays and Fridays and some evening work. It may be possible to consider flexible arrangements during school / University holidays. After 12 months in post, there may be a further opportunity to review how the hours can be flexibly worked across the year, to accommodate the varying workload.
  
  It is expected that the role-holder will work a minimum of two days a week in the office in central Cambridge, with an opportunity to work the remaining hours remotely. Applicants are encouraged to state in their applications how they would like to work the hours.
  
  Closing date: 30 March 2025
  Invitations to interview will be sent out by 2 April.
  Interviews are expected to take place in person in central Cambridge on Friday 4 April 2025.
  
  Interested?
  
  If you would like to find out more, please click the apply button. You will be directed to our website to complete your application for this position.
  
  No agencies please