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Human Resources

 

Professional Services Support Team

The Professional Services Support Team (PSST) is a small group of experienced generalist administrators deployed throughout the University as short-term interim cover for absences, often at Departmental Administrator level, or similar.

Purpose of the PSST

The team is designed to offer Institutions:

  1. Increased sustainability; for example to relieve pressure in areas where the administrative support is so lean that a prolonged absence may lead to critical situations.
  2. Increased flexibility; for example to allow an Institution with a vacancy to take time to consider options other than a like for like replacement.

Although cover for specific roles is the primary purpose, members of the team are also available for project work, time permitting.

Employees, not Temps

Members of the PSST are University employees, mainly at grade 9, so they have the ability to be effective immediately on arrival in a new role.  However, the team is expanding to include members at grade 7, increasing the flexibility of the support offered.

Cost

The HR Division pays the team members’ salaries and recoups those costs by charging Institutions a fixed daily rate.  The rate is calculated to cover salary, plus an overhead to cover annual leave, sick leave, etc.  A similar model is used for the Finance Bureau Staff.

How to request support from the PSST

Requests for support should be sent to EAHRDirector@admin.cam.ac.uk using this form.  Should there be competing bids at any one time, the HR Directorate will decide which request(s) to prioritise.  It will not always be possible to assign a team member to a new assignment, so Institutions are encouraged to discuss their requirements with the HR Directorate before submitting their request (telephone Deborah Jones on 32270).

Please note that the purpose of the PSST is to provide emergency short term cover.  It is not intended to be used in situations such as maternity leave cover, where there is time to advertise a fixed-term post, neither should it be used when it would be more appropriate to offer a secondment opportunity.