Student Support Officer in North East

We are seeking to recruit a talented student support officer to join our team in the Faculty of Science in an interim capacity (12-month period). The Student Support Officers support the delivery of our ambitious strategy for world-leading student experience and to provide academic student support across our departments. The hubs provide a key point of contact for students, offer advice and support to those students whose progress has faltered or who are experiencing difficulties and ensure all students receive timely and consistent advice to support their academic progress to ensure they have a successful learning and development experience.

The Student Support Hubs work closely with student support staff within our colleges and our specialist student support services to ensure a package of support is put in place. The post holder will provide direct support to students in one or more academic departments, working in partnership with departmental Learning and Teaching teams and academic staff in key student facing roles, to proactively monitor and identify students who may need additional support. The post holder will also provide advice to staff and students on the University’s regulations, policies and procedures, alongside wellbeing support processes and escalation routes.

The role has a clear career progression pathway within the University’s student support framework and includes role specific training and development. The nature of the role means the postholder will need to be flexible and happy to be deployed to different academic departments as need arises.

Qualifications/Experience

• Five GCSEs at least Grade C or level four (or equivalent) including English Language and Mathematics or a Post-16 qualification or equivalent experience.
• Experience and expertise in the development and delivery of services relevant to student support.
• Experience of providing advice and guidance to a range of customers and colleagues.
• Experience of implementing policies and procedures.

Skills/Abilities/Knowledge

• Excellent spoken and written communication skills including the ability to develop effective working relationships, both internally and externally.
• Strong digital competence across a range of digital devices and apps.
• Committed to continuing professional development.
• Ability to plan and organise own workload and activities involving the service.
• Ability to solve problems and decide on and plan appropriate solutions.
• Ability to participate in networks to share and discuss good practice and exchange information.

Contribute to equality, diversity and inclusion, and the University’s values. Ensure that the University’s procedures and values are always reflected in all aspects of the service provided and adapt ways of working where this is not evident. Provide specialist advice and make decisions to resolve problems relating to the services you are responsible. Use your experience and problem-solving skills to investigate and resolve issues relevant to your role and make recommendations based on your findings. Manage, maintain and monitor designated equipment and systems to ensure safety, security and compliance. Provide the best possible service to staff, students and others who you work with by reviewing and making suggestions to improve the service. Collect and record data and information accurately. Organise and analyse data and statistics to ensure it is accurate and provide reports to senior colleagues. Implement any changes or processes to ensure the accuracy and integrity of data and information. Interpret and present information and data on student support activities within the Faculty Student Support Hub, providing reports as required. Draft relevant documents and guidance, including reports and information for SharePoint sites, as necessary. Maintain an overview of student wellbeing issues and report any incidents as appropriate. Support the welfare of our students and refer them to appropriate support services when necessary.

Planning and Organising

• Plan and organise your workload to deliver the role.
• Manage the delivery of frontline student support services in different departments within the University.
• Plan, manage and deliver assigned projects, activities and events in accordance with agreed objectives.
• Seek feedback from staff, students and anyone else that you come across as part of your role to ensure that the service is updated to meet customer expectations.
• Develop and improve services by taking part in meetings, communities of practice, working groups and committees.
• Liaise with other service areas to ensure the most diverse and accessible delivery and promotion of projects, events and initiatives.
• Act as a first point of contact for student support queries and welfare issues, for one or more departments, for students, academic and professional support staff liaising with Curriculum, learning and Assessment Service, the Colleges and professional support services where necessary.
• Build relationships with academic departments, Academic Offices, colleges, the Student Support and Wellbeing Directorate and specialist student support services, networking internally through Faculty Student Support Hubs and externally to share good practice, exchange information and work together on joint initiatives.

Any other reasonable duties.

The post is full time and fixed term for a 12-month period and may be offered on an internal secondment basis subject to the agreement of the current line manager. We welcome applications from candidates with disabilities, neurodiversity and long-term health conditions, and we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the recruitment and interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, adjustments will be made to support people within their role.