Student Academic Career and Employment Adviser (Full-Time) in London

Reporting to: The Principal

Liaising with: Vice Principals (Academic Affairs)

Accessible to: The Managing Director and Vice Principal (External Affairs)

Work Schedule: 5 days a week including Saturday duties (9am to 6pm)

Introduction: Founded in 2003, ICON College of Technology and Management is a private higher and further education institution based in the East End of London and has in excess of 2,000 students. The College seeks to improve its student offerings year on year and develop a student-centred learning experience based on current teaching and learning pedagogies and systems of assessment. The College also seeks to satisfy the ever-increasing demands on higher education required by the Office for Students (OfS) and the Department for Education (DfE) in terms of widening participation. The College has established a partnership with Lincoln Bishop University, allowing it to provide a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degree level courses.

The College has a diverse range of students in terms of ability and age range, with the current student population being classed as ‘mature students’. Over time, the student profile will change to reflect its new emphasis on ethnic minority groups and other under-represented groups in higher education. To meet this demand, the College has created a new role of Student Academic Career and Employment Adviser (SACEA). This role is being advertised to enable the College to provide both careers advice to students and organise seminars and other activities to improve students’ employment skills and capabilities.

Job description: The main duties of the newly appointed SACEA will be to:

• Liaise with employers
• Keep up-to-date with relevant job opportunities and engage with relevant external agencies to facilitate student employment opportunities
• Support students in their job seeking process, including enabling them to prepare relevant and robust CVs and job application letters
• Organise and run job search short seminars
• Organise outreach work, promoting ICON College courses and students to local and national employers
• Meet with students on an individual and group level to identify any challenges and barriers they may experience with finding employment
• Build rapport and show empathy, motivate people and influence their perception of work and the skills needed to be a successful employee and/or business owner
• Provide accurate data and commentary (qualitative and quantitative) and reports for internal and external committee meetings, as required, on student employment progression
• Undertake such other duties from time to time, as assigned by, and agreed with, the Principal and also liaise with the two Vice-Principals and the Student Welfare Officer

Additional responsibilities and involvement will include attending committee meetings as required.

Person Specification:

• Proven experience and competence of working in a career development/advisory role at another institution of further (FE) or higher education (HE) where working to tight deadlines is required.
• Experience of working in job recruitment and selection, especially where it relates to student job development.
• The ability to write clearly and succinctly for a range of internal and external audiences.
• The ability to organise and run individual and group job skills training exercises.
• Good interpersonal skills, a team player and a flexible approach to working patterns.
• A first degree or an equivalent Level 6 qualification and/or significant equivalent professional experience.

• Familiarity with the independent further and/or higher education sector in the UK.
• Front-line student facing services.
• Proven experience of careers placement or work experience advisory work.
• Provision of career management skills development and experience of establishing and supporting effective relationships with local and national employers in the context of graduate employment.
• Experience and/or understanding of the use of artificial intelligence (AI) techniques used by employers during the recruitment and selection process.

Applications will only be considered from applicants who are already entitled to work in the United Kingdom. The College cannot act, nor make an appointment, where it would be necessary for it to sponsor someone currently not eligible to work/reside in the United Kingdom. The College will immediately begin to review and interview suitably qualified applicants as soon as applications are received because this post needs to be filled as soon as possible. The post will remain open until a suitable candidate is appointed but with a notional closing date for the receipt of applications will be Friday, 11 September 2026. If you have not been invited for an interview within four weeks of submitting your application, please assume on this occasion that your application has not been successful.

BENEFITS: The College will offer a competitive salary within the range £42K - £44K depending on qualifications and experience (pro-rata for a part-time post holder). In addition, there will be 33 days holiday per annum for a full-time candidate, including 8 statutory Bank Holidays. For a full-time member of staff, there is a 3% pension contribution. At ICON College, we seek to positively encourage applications from suitably qualified candidates regardless of sex, race, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender, religion or belief, marital status, or pregnancy and maternity status.