Admissions Manager (Locum Partnerships) [0.67FTE / 25 Hours per week]

At UniQuest, a part of Keystone Education Group, we deliver a suite of admissions services and products spanning the entire applicant journey, from initial enquiry through to confirmation. Delivering success and impact for our partners is central to our work, ensuring we meet their needs and encourage ongoing collaboration. Our team comprises the best people from across the UK, India and the Philippines.

As Admissions Manager (Locum Partnerships), you will be responsible for a high number of UK direct reports and the HR-related responsibilities associated with managing staff, including recruitment, interviews and onboarding, pastoral support, coordinating meetings (one-to-one, team and ad-hoc), objective setting, coaching and development, performance management and review, leave and absence approval/monitoring, and operational planning. You will not be responsible for the day-to-day workload management of direct reports, which will be managed by UniQuest’s Locum partner days-to-day supervisor(s) under each partnership arrangement.

Because UniQuest Admissions Locum partnerships are short-term by nature, you will work in a fast-paced environment, identify potential onward business opportunities, plan operations, and identify the best-fit Locums for service delivery within existing partnerships and timelines. You will work closely with other Admissions Managers, Heads of Admissions and the Director of Admissions to ensure successful delivery of Locum Partnerships on time and to expected standards. You will lead meetings and engage with internal and external colleagues and stakeholders, interfacing with other UniQuest departments including business support, HR and finance, while keeping company CRM and records up-to-date and maintaining working knowledge of partnership contractual arrangements.

You will work efficiently and flexibly to respond to changing needs in the sector, identifying new opportunities through discussion and engagement. As part of the Admissions Leadership team, you will contribute to ongoing development of our services and embed a culture of continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Head of Admissions (functional area/management remit) – Responsible for leadership and management within the UK.
• You may have direct-report responsibility for roles based in the UK, including Senior Admissions Officers and Admissions Officers.

Key internal and external relationships

• Internal: Partner Relationship Managers (Conversion), Commercial team, Business support, HR.
• External: University Admissions Locum Partner(s) key operational contacts.

What we value in an effective team member

• Communication across all directions
• Problem solving and initiative
• Independent work to a high standard
• Intelligent prioritisation

Key accountabilities

• Manage all HR-related responsibilities for designated UK-based direct reports in line with company policies and deadlines.
• Build and maintain trusted relationships with direct reports and maintain professional boundaries.
• Develop understanding of direct reports’ activities and output through regular one-to-one meetings and appropriate record-keeping, raising concerns through senior leadership channels if needed.
• Lead, support and develop UniQuest Admissions Locums through coaching and development plans to deliver best-in-class admissions practitioners.
• Foster excellent working relationships with internal colleagues and partner stakeholders.
• Maintain required records and produce regular reports for internal departments and the Admissions Senior Leadership Team.
• Engage with the admissions leadership team to drive continuous improvement within the division and for partners.
• Apply initiative to solve problems, identify root causes and provide solutions and mitigations, escalating as appropriate.
• Undertake other duties as required, commensurate with the role and business needs.

Essential experience, skills and competencies

• Minimum of 3 years’ experience line-managing multiple direct reports (a team or division).
• Experience managing HR protocols in line with organisational policies (appraisal, staff development, leave and absence, performance, recruitment, onboarding and offboarding).
• Excellent time management and ability to manage conflicting priorities and meet deadlines.
• Understanding of GDPR and DPA principles.
• Exceptional communication skills in spoken and written English.
• Experience producing reports and performing data analyses with narrative.
• Experience working with organisational databases/CRMs to keep records up to date.
• Ability to build rapport and relationships with internal and external stakeholders at all levels.
• Experience working within contractual frameworks and managing operations within those terms.
• Experience managing capacity planning for efficient operations and services delivery.
• Experience identifying, addressing and resolving performance issues, including difficult conversations.
• Positive, professional, proactive attitude with initiative.
• Ability to work under pressure and multi-task.
• Ability to motivate and inspire others in a remote work environment.
• Ability to work respectfully with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds.
• Ability to handle difficult issues with tact and sensitivity.
• High personal standards of achievement; honest and conscientious.

Desirable experience, skills and competencies

• Working knowledge of higher education admissions scenarios is desirable but not essential.

We offer a rapidly growing company and a team of professionals across admissions, account management, email marketing, technical solutions, product and partnership teams. We work with a wide variety of education organisations globally.

UniQuest recognises and rewards our staff with benefits including 25 days holiday (plus days off between Christmas and New Year), regular events, personal and professional development, and wellness support.

About Keystone Education Group: UniQuest is part of Keystone Education Group, which is dedicated to helping everyone find the right education. Our team across companies has grown to more than 800 employees.

Keystone Education Group is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment for all employees.