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LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE & TROPICAL MEDICINE
(University of London)
FACULTY OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND POLICY
DEPARTMENT OF GLOBAL HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT
Administrative Assistant
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM)
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is Europe’s leading school of public
health and a leading postgraduate institution worldwide for research and postgraduate
education in global health. Part of the University of London, the London School is the largest
institution of its kind in Europe with a remarkable depth and breadth of expertise
encompassing many disciplines. In 2009, the School became the first UK institution to win
the Gates Award for Global Health and in 2013 topped the Times Higher Education rankings
of the world’s best research-focused graduate schools.
The School’s environment is a rich multicultural one: there are almost 4,000 students from
100+ countries following 22 taught masters courses delivered either in London (~650) or
through distance learning (~2,700), and undertaking research degree training (~400). Over
40% of these students are from non-European countries. The largest growth has been in
distance learning students (>40% over 3 years), though the London-based student
population (where accommodation limits growth) is at its highest level ever. Alumni are
working in more than 180 countries. The School has about 1,400 staff drawn from over 60
nationalities.
The School is engaged in research collaborations with over 100 countries throughout the
world, utilizing our critical mass of multidisciplinary expertise which includes clinicians,
epidemiologists, statisticians, social scientists, molecular biologists, immunologists,
ophthalmologists, anthropologists, virologists, pharmacologists and nutritionists. At any one
time around 100 School staff are based overseas, particularly in Africa and Asia. The School
has a strong commitment to partnership with institutions in low and middle income countries
to support the development of teaching and research capacity.
The School has expanded greatly in recent years. Our research funding now exceeds £62.4
million per annum, much of it from highly competitive national and international sources. The
commitment of staff to methodological rigour, innovative thinking and policy relevance will
ensure that the School continues to occupy a leadership position in national and global
health, adapting quickly to new challenges and opportunities.
Mission
Our mission is to improve health and health equity in the UK and worldwide; working
in partnership to achieve excellence in public and global health research, education
and translation of knowledge into policy and practice.
Faculty of Public Health and Policy
The Faculty of Public Health & Policy is prominent in UK and global health, influencing policy
and practice through excellence in research, teaching and knowledge translation.
The Faculty comprises some 260 staff and has a turnover of approximately £30 million. Our
mission is to contribute to the improvement of health and health systems in the UK and
globally through research, teaching and knowledge translation in the areas of health policy,
health services and systems, and the individual, social and environmental influences on
health. Multi-disciplinarity is the hallmark of our research, teaching and engagement. The
Faculty encompasses the disciplines of epidemiology, public health medicine, economics,
political science, international relations, anthropology, sociology, history, psychology,
statistics and mathematics. We have one of the world’s largest global groupings of social
scientists working on health.
Department of Global Health and Development (Head: Professor Kara Hanson)
The Department of Global Health and Development conducts novel and policy-relevant
research and training that concerns health issues with a global reach, predominantly from
the perspective of low- and middle-income country development. There are approximately
100 staff and 80 research degree students, with total grants funding of over £30m spread
over a range of funders including research councils, UK and overseas charities, the
European Union, Department for International Development and others. Staff come from a
wide range of disciplines including economics, epidemiology, mathematics, policy analysis,
medicine and social anthropology. Members of the Department also edit the journal Health
Policy and Planning
The Department is structured according to three research groups: Health Economics and
Systems Analysis (HESA); Anthropology, Politics and Policy (APP) and Social and
Mathematical Epidemiology (SaME), with the advertised post being in SaME.
Social and Mathematical Epidemiology (SaME) Group
SaME is a dynamic research group within GHD led by Professor Charlotte Watts. SaME
conducts rigorous, action-oriented research on HIV/AIDS and on interpersonal violence.
A particular strength of SaME is its inter-disciplinary expertise. The team of 42 spans
four disciplinary areas: social epidemiology; mathematical modelling; health economics; and
behavioural science.
SaME houses the LSHTM Gender, Violence and Health Centre and SaME modelling and
economics. SaME manages a multi-million-pound portfolio of research grants, including:
 leading the DFID funded STRIVE Research Programme Consortium on addressing
the structural drivers of HIV/AIDS
 Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funded modelling of the impact and costeffectiveness of new HIV prevention technologies, including microbicides, PREP and
early ART treatment
 economic assessments of the potential cost effectiveness of new prevention and
diagnostic technologies, such as Xpert and rapid syphilis diagnostics
 cluster randomised controlled trials to assess the impact and cost-effectiveness of
violence prevention programmes in Africa and Asia
Much of SAME’s research is conducted in close collaboration with partners in low and
middle income countries, and entails the evaluation of major public health intervention
initiatives, including:
 large-scale economic and modelling evaluation of the AVAHAN intervention in India
 research on the economics of TB
 assessments of the costs of integrated HIV and SRH service delivery in Kenya,
Swaziland and Malawi
 evaluations of the impact of anti- trafficking programmes in Asia
SaME researchers are at the forefront of emerging research areas:
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multi-disciplinary approaches to evaluating complex HIV and violence
prevention interventions
economic and epidemiological modelling to identify optimal strategies for HIV service
delivery
the development of guidelines on the safe and ethical conduct of research on
sensitive issues or with highly vulnerable populations
approaches to promoting the co-financing structural interventions across health and
development sectors
JOB DESCRIPTION
POST:
Administrative Assistant
DEPARTMENT:
SAME/GHD
RESPONSIBLE TO:
Rosa Arqués/Charlotte Watts
GRADE:
3
REFERENCE:
SAME-AP1
Primary objective:
To provide logistical and administrative support to the SAME group.
Main Duties
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Organizing travel for staff and external partners and visitors
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Organizing meetings, workshops and other events internally and externally
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Managing the Group’s Director and other senior members of staff diaries
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Assisting with the organization of short courses
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Organizing regular conference calls and managing the teleconferencing group’s account
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‘Maintaining and updating the Group’s calendar and mailing lists
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Dealing with telephone and e-mail enquiries
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Processing payments, invoices and orders
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Keeping tracking records system of expenditure
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Assisting new members of staff and visitors by organizing space, desks and e-mail accounts
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Filing and photocopying
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Doing literary searches for the group as required
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Providing cover for other administrative staff in GHD where appropriate
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Undertaking other duties as requested by the Head of the Group and the Programme
Coordinator
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PERSON SPECIFICATION
Essential
 Higher education to degree level or equivalent
 Proven experience of providing comprehensive and proactive administrative support to
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projects and staff in a busy office
Experience of organizing meetings and international travel
Strong organizational and planning skills
Proven ability to assess priorities effectively to meet deadlines and demands
Proven ability to manage busy workloads and work under minimal supervision
Excellent interpersonal, communication skills and proven ability to work with individuals and
institutions from different backgrounds, cultures and national settings
Advanced IT skills including word processing and spreadsheets packages
Proficient in use of e-mail and the internet
Ability to work as part of a team
High level of motivation and flexibility
High standard of accuracy and the ability to pay close attention to detail
Capacity to be pro-active, work independently and show initiative
Desirable
 Experience of professional support work in a higher education institution
 Interest in HIV, gender and/or development issues
Accountability
The post-holder will come under the supervision to the Programme Co-ordinator, Rosa
Arqués and will be accountable to Group’s Head Professor Charlotte Watts.
Salary and Conditions of Appointment
The post is initially funded for 1 year. The starting salary is on the Professional Support
Pathway Grade 3 (£23,827 to £27,014 pa including London weighting), depending on
qualifications and experience. Appointment will be subject to LSHTM terms and conditions,
including membership of the Universities Superannuation Scheme, an annual leave
allowance of 30 days plus 6 fixed ‘Director’s Days’.
Asylum and Immigration
The School will comply with the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006, which requires
all employees to provide documentary evidence of their legal right to work in this country prior
to commencing employment. Candidates will be required to bring their passport (and visa if
applicable) to interview so that it can be copied and verified.
For support staff vacancies, it is not likely that the School would be able to make a
successful application for a Certificate of Sponsorship. For this type of post, it is unlikely that
we would be able to appoint an individual who is not currently eligible to work in the UK.
Further information about Certificate of Sponsorship and eligibility to work in the UK, can be
found at: www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/employers/points