Student Welfare Officer

Reporting to: The Principal

Liaising with: The Vice Principals (Academic Affairs)

Accessible to: The Managing Director

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. This means that the College can now also provide a range of undergraduate and postgraduate degree level courses.

Job description: The Student Welfare Officer will:

• Act as a central dissemination point for all departments in relation to student welfare issues.
• Work closely and extensively with professional/specialist support services, escalating specific issues and referring students to such services internal and external as required.
• Promote the physical, mental and social wellbeing of students.
• Be a point of contact for issues relating to the wellbeing of society members, with the aim of fostering positive experiences and relationships within the College.
• Undertake casework providing support and guidance to students and staff in respect of a range of practical advice issues pertaining to the student’s particular problem/issue.
• Contribute to the provision of a professional and specialist advice and guidance service to all students, to encourage their academic progress and student retention.
• Provide pastoral support for students needing guidance in order to provide an ongoing, accessible and visible welfare focal point and to identify students who may need help before they reach crisis point, liaising closely with personal tutors (and other internal/external partners as appropriate).
• Ensure that students in need or crisis are dealt with tactfully, sensitively and confidentially, providing a professional, specialist advice service in line with College policies and procedures.
• Responsible for liaising with relevant colleagues to ensure students receive necessary services.
• Advise students and colleagues on the validity of extenuating circumstances claims, including providing evidence to support mitigation addressing welfare issues.
• Use effective communication skills, both oral and written; to deal efficiently, effectively and tactfully with people at all levels.
• Provide active guidance to new students during the induction period.
• Organise extra-curricular activities including various parties, study tours and so on.
• Produce a range of information leaflets for students on the range of issues facing them.

Additional responsibilities and involvement will include:

• In addition to the above areas of responsibility, the position may be required to undertake any other reasonable duties relating to the broad scope of the position.
• Attend committee meetings as shall be required/deemed appropriate from time to time.

Person Specification

Essential requirements:

• A thorough working knowledge of providing 1-1 pastoral support to students who are in distress, in crises, affected by mental health difficulties or with other complex issues.
• Experience of dealing with and managing highly sensitive and confidential information.
• The ability to write clearly and succinctly for a range of internal and external audiences.
• Good interpersonal skills, a team player and a flexible approach to working patterns.
• Experience of working with students from a diverse range of backgrounds.
• Experience of working independently and dealing with unforeseen problems and circumstances, using initiative to analyse complex information to problem solve.
• Graduate level qualifications in a relevant area (for example: social work, psychology, counselling) or equivalent.

Desirable requirements:

• Familiarity with the independent further and/or higher education sector in the UK.
• Well-developed client interview and case working skills and the ability to maintain boundaries and professional ethics within a confidential setting.
• A good understanding of the legislative framework relating to the Equality Act 2010.
• Ability to work outside normal working hours as required in order to maintain essential and professional services in responding to critical students’ events.

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 being the end of 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 £38-£40K 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.