• One of Australia’s leading research & teaching universities
• Vibrant campus life with a strong sense of community & inclusion
• Enjoy a career that makes a difference by collaborating & learning from the best

At UNSW, we pride ourselves on being a workplace where the best people come to do their best work.

UNSW isn’t like other places you’ve worked. Yes, we’re a large organisation with a diverse and talented community; a community doing extraordinary things. But what makes us different isn’t only what we do, it’s how we do it. Together, we are driven to be thoughtful, practical, and purposeful in all we do. If you want a career where you can thrive, be challenged, and do meaningful work, you’re in the right place.

The School of Chemistry is internationally recognised for its excellence in research and teaching. Our mission is to nurture students to become leaders who will generate societal, economic, and environmental benefits. The School is one of the largest and most prestigious schools in Australia for thriving research programs. Our School’s QS ranking for 2025 is #49 globally and the highest in Australia. For further information on the School go to https://www.unsw.edu.au/science/our-schools/chemistry

The Teaching Support & Administration Officer is primarily responsible for providing administrative assistance to the academic and technical teaching staff in the School of Chemistry and acts as the first point of contact for prospective and existing undergraduate students, providing high quality advice and support to the School’s undergraduate community. As part of a team of support staff, the Teaching Support Officer/General Administration Officer will contribute to the administrative function of the School relating to undergraduate activities, especially coordination of in-term tests, supplementary tests, assessments, final exams and supplementary exams, and support the School Manager by reporting data key to the operational and strategic management of the School. This role also provides key administrative support to the curriculum renewal for UNSW Academic Calendar 2028 implementation.

Please note before applying - due to the student-facing, reception-desk-based nature of the position, this role is based full-time on Kensington campus - Monday-Friday 9am-5pm.

About the role

• Level 5 ($88K - $100K) Level 6 (103k - 110k) plus 17% Superannuation and annual leave loading
• Fixed Term – 12 months
• Full time (35 hours)

The role reports to the School Manager and has no direct reports.

LEVEL 5:

Specific responsibilities for this role include:

• Staff the School’s main reception desk, acting as the first point of contact for students, teaching staff and other internal and external stakeholders, handling face-to-face queries and requests and acting as a triage point and Tier 3 escalation point.
• Provide general administrative support by managing office stationery, providing technical assistance with printing and education technology equipment and distributing mail as required. This includes ad hoc administrative assistance as requested by the Head of School.
• Monitor shared inboxes for general enquiries, responding or escalating further as required.
• Support academics with assessment planning and exam support, including the collation of exam papers and submission of grades and results in lines with applicable procedures and timelines. Exam support applies to all in term and end of term test and exam types and includes coordinating venues, invigilation and providing support for exams that may fall outside of core business hours each term.
• Act as the administrative contact for Astra, performing quality assurance checks on grades prior to submission and coordinating the approval of final grades with Assessment Review Committees to ensure all grades are entered in a timely manner.
• Undertake Term Planning and Class Maintenance activities including timetabling and class scheduling, coordination of the myExperience survey process, and completion of accurate Clash Free Course Combinations (CFCCs) as required.
• Support the School's Technology Enabled Learning and Teaching (TELT) activities including administration of the Learning Management System (LMS), creation of online Moodle courses and course outlines.
• Provide administrative support for UNSW’s Academic Calendar 2028 transition, in particular supporting curriculum structure changes.
• Monitor and report on current and forecasted enrolment numbers and class utilisation to assist the School with future term planning.
• Assist with all aspects of casual academic administration, from processing and reporting on appointments and renewals to requesting One Contracts, creating Statements of Duty and reviewing pay claims.
• Provide input to and/or produce various marketing materials including websites, posters and brochures and update the School’s main website and intranet as required.
• Assist the Honours Coordinator in all aspects of Honours administration including marketing, events, recruitment, applications, enrolment, viva scheduling and assessment processing.
• Support the HDR Support Officer and Postgraduate Coordinators in delivering the full range of HDR related activities including onboarding, managing scholarships, Student Travel Support, HDR review scheduling, and HDR population tracking, space management and IT software licencing.
• Support other needs of the School including Outreach activities, purchasing, and event coordination, coordinating the Bridging course, arranging guest lectures, supporting Work Integrated Learning (WIL) programs as required.
• Ensure compliance with regard to confidentiality and ethical practices and ensure privacy is maintained in carrying out day-to-day operations.
• Align with and actively demonstrate the Code of Conduct and Values.
• Cooperate with all health and safety policies and procedures of the university and take all reasonable care to ensure that your actions or omissions do not impact on the psychosocial or physical health and safety of yourself or others.

LEVEL 6 (in addition to the above)

• High level management of the casual academic recruitment and pay claim process in liaison with course convenors and academic hiring managers.
• Higher level oversight and management of processes relating to ECLIPS updates, student examinations, casual academic payments, timetabling, class management, academic information system updates and myExperience surveys.
• High level administrative support of the Teaching Committee, scheduling and minuting meetings.
• Apply, interpret and proactively advise on policies, systems, manuals, rules, procedures and guidelines relevant to teaching support activities across the School and casual academic engagement including recruitment, onboarding, and timesheeting.
• Support the administration of student prizes and the annual Chemistry Prize Night.
• Coordinate a range of complex processes involving cooperation between the School and other administrative units, including Special Consideration, Equitable Learning Provisions, Timetabling, Exams branch and the Nucleus.
• Contribute to a culture of continuous improvement, evaluating existing process, procedures and protocols, to identify opportunities for improvement and implement any approved changes.

LEVEL 5:

Selection Criteria

To be successful in this role you will have:

• A relevant degree or equivalent tertiary qualification and relevant administrative and customer service experience in a tertiary organisation (or equivalent level of knowledge gained through any other combination of education, training and/or experience).
• Highly developed organisational skills including the ability to prioritise, manage complex tasks and projects and meet competing deadlines whilst maintaining accuracy and attention to detail.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills with a demonstrated ability to liaise with and clearly convey ideas to a wide range of internal and external stakeholders from diverse backgrounds.
• Demonstrated ability to apply knowledge and experience to analyse and resolve sensitive issues efficiently and effectively.
• Demonstrated ability to apply, interpret, advise on and contribute to the development of policies, systems, manuals, rules, procedures and guidelines.
• Demonstrated commitment to continuous improvement and innovation in administration.
• Experience with providing administrative support to Academic staff.
• Proven ability to work as part of a team while taking initiative and responsibility for own work areas.
• High level of proficiency in standard Microsoft applications and demonstrated ability to learn and implement new systems.
• Strong commitment to confidentiality and privacy.
• An understanding of and commitment to UNSW’s aims, objectives and values in action, together with relevant policies and guidelines.
• Knowledge of health & safety (psychosocial and physical) responsibilities and commitment to attending relevant health and safety training.

LEVEL 6 (in addition to the above)

• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision and work productively as part of a team.
• Significant relevant experience in a similar role in a tertiary organisation.
• High level ability to apply knowledge and draw on significant experience to analyse and resolve complex and sensitive issues efficiently and effectively.
• Substantial experience in providing high level and a broad range of teaching administration support and specialist advice to Academic staff, including experience in student management systems.
• Mental Health First Aid certification or a willingness to complete.

You should systematically address the selection criteria listed within the position description in your application.

For informal queries, please see the below contact details. 

Otherwise, please apply online - applications will not be accepted if sent directly to the contact listed.

Contact:
Yvonne Smythe
E: y.smythe@unsw.edu.au

Applications close: August 6^th, 2025

Find out more about working at UNSW at www.unsw.edu.au

UNSW aspires to be the exemplar Australian university and employer of choice for people from diverse backgrounds. UNSW aims to ensure equality in recruitment, development, retention and promotion of staff and that no-one is disadvantaged on the basis of their gender, cultural background, disability, sexual orientation or identity or Indigenous heritage. We encourage everyone who meets the selection criteria to apply.

UNSW partners with Australia’s leading diversity organisations, networks, and campaigns. Please refer to UNSW’s diversity offerings for further information on our flexible work and leave options, and support for carers (childcare, parent rooms, parental leave).