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Duty Manager

Please read in conjunction with Notes for Job Applicants for further general information on St. Clare's and the Job Description for Wardens.

Background
St. Clare's is a residential college for 325 students, open for residential courses for up to 50 weeks per year. Although residential for students, historically provision has not been made for a senior residential presence. The newly configured role of Duty Manager is to address the need for a senior presence on-site at all times, building on roles held for the last couple of years by senior wardens.

The purpose of the Duty Manager position is to provide a senior on-site presence outside weekday office hours, during which there is considerable presence of senior staff.

The general purposes of the position of Duty Manager are:

• to maintain an active presence on the College site outside weekday office hours when the central College buildings are open
• to exercise a degree of active supervision of students and others on College premises (central and residential premises) in the evenings and at weekends
• to support, but not take on, the work of other staff engaged in evening and weekend work, specifically
  • house wardens
  • house managers
  • porters
  • activities staff
  • library staff
  • catering staff

It is not intended that duty managers should in any respect take over duties that are already performed by wardens or other colleagues. The first person that a resident pre-university student should contact in an emergency and the person with the primary responsibility for students in their house is the warden. Duty Managers fulfil an important function in supporting colleagues, but do not replace them in any way.

• to provide an additional degree of availability to and supervision of residential pre-university students at times in the evenings and at weekends when wardens are not on duty
• to handle or support the handling of emergency situations that arise on site in the evenings and at weekends
• to be the on-site emergency contact for any normally resident students (of whatever age) who are off-site
• to be the point of contact for neighbours etc.
• to be the route through which the Assistant Principal is contacted on non-emergency matters outside his normal working hours
• to refer critical emergency matters to the member of the senior management group on call

Hours of work

It is intended that a team of Duty Managers will be appointed, providing for one to be duty on a rota system at the following times:

In addition, duty managers would be on call overnight, on a rota basis, while undertaking regular residential duties, to support residential staff in any serious emergencies or situations that arise. The need for response is unpredictable, but infrequent, and an additional payment is made for each occasion when called upon to provide support.

Specific responsibilities

1. Supervision of College central and residential premises

• to be the designated person on the College site responsible for and available to students outside teaching time. Availability will be by a combination of physical presence on the College campus and also via an internal emergency mobile phone number, which will be displayed on house noticeboards and in information provided to students. It is the responsibility of the Duty Manager to ensure that s/he has the emergency mobile phone when on duty and that it is switched on.
• to be present on the College site when on duty, in his/her residential house or if circulating, then contactable by mobile phone when on duty
• to occasionally circulate around any houses where wardens are known not to be present for an extended period to provide a visible, though not intrusive, supervisory and student contact presence
• to aid the Senior Resident in the induction, supervision and support of new wardens, temporary wardens and relief wardens
• periodically to visit students who are ill and occupying the College medical rooms
• periodically to check on students who are subject to disciplinary sanctions (especially those confined to the Academic Resources Centre) which restrict their movement especially over weekends e.g. students who are gated or internally suspended.

While supervision is intended to be active, in other words not simply to be responsive to calls, it is not envisaged that the Duty Manager should be on active patrol all the time s/he is on duty.

The Duty Managers will also be expected to contribute their ideas and perspective to consideration of how student provision, security and other relevant areas can be improved.

2. Emergency cover

The range of incidents that are deemed 'emergencies' will be stipulated by the Assistant Principal, though no list can be exhaustive and Duty Managers will have to use their initiative in some instances. The overriding concern must at all times be student welfare.

• to be available to all resident students (of all ages) of St Clare's - whether on or off site - in case of emergency
• to be available to wardens, house managers, porters and other staff on College premises for back-up in emergencies when the wardens, house managers and porters are contacted by students
• to be the emergency contact for activities staff engaged with student activities off-site
• to organise the use of relief wardens and/or other wardens to provide emergency cover for any wardens that are away from the house after curfew due to e.g. hospitalisation of a student
• to supervise the accommodation of very late arrivals of new students i.e. after midnight, when porters are not on duty. This would largely be around designated arrivals days and would usually involve identifying the house the student should go to and guiding them there, having informed the warden, or if this is not possible, providing space for the student in a house common room.

Person specification

The role of Duty Manager requires residential presence in College premises.

Duty Managers will therefore be drawn from existing residential staff (warden / house manager) or will be appointed to a residential position with which the post would be combined.

Specific additional requirements: some/all of the following:

• experience of wardening at St. Clare's, Oxford and/or experience of residential work involving students in the 15-20 age range
• good communication skills
• ability to manage, direct and support the work of others
• ability to work on their own initiative, particularly when dealing with unforeseen circumstances
• ability to respond to serious incidents and emergencies in a calm and responsible manner
• current first aid qualification

Remuneration

A total of £21,138 per year (based on 63 hours per week, 48 weeks per year) to be paid to Duty Managers pro rata.

Pensionable, under the College's group personal pension scheme.

Periods of Duty

Duty periods of Duty Managers will be worked out on an agreed rota basis to coincide with periods of duty as wardens.

Appointments as Duty Manager(s) will be by the year, except in the case of the senior resident, where the role is an essential and integral part of the post.

The above arrangements will be monitored throughout the first year of their operation and, if necessary, alterations to the terms and conditions may be made. A thorough review of the Duty Manager arrangements will be undertaken at the end of the first year.

Tom Walsh
As Senior Warden 4 June 2002
Updated 22 July 2003
Final version TW/BR 19 March 2004

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