Student Wellbeing Advocate in Newcastle upon Tyne

Salary: £32,080 to £33,002 with progression to £34,610 per annum.

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 23 July 2026

The Role

As a member of University Health and Wellbeing Services (UHWS), you will report to the Student Wellbeing Adviser Team Manager, under the day‑to‑day direction of School colleagues. You will work collaboratively with USHW colleagues and a wide range of School colleagues to provide localised support within the academic school. You will be responsible for providing advice, guidance and support to students, in relation to health and wellbeing needs to ensure they have the optimum opportunity to fulfil their potential and gain the best experience from their time at university. Successful candidates will require satisfactory disclosure from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). People Services colleagues will support you with this during onboarding.

There are 3 roles available:

• 1 x fixed term contract until 31st July 2028, 37 hours per week
• 1 x fixed term contract until 31st July 2028, 33 hours per week
• 1 x open‑ended (permanent), 29.6 hours per week

To apply please upload your CV and covering letter evidencing how your skills and experience align to the person specification of the job description, along with completion of mandatory questions. Interviews will be held on 25th and 26th August 2026.

Key Accountabilities

• Act as a point of contact within the academic school for students requiring support in relation to their health and wellbeing needs.
• Provide timely advice, guidance and signposting to students, including making referrals to other services (both internally and externally).
• Share information and promote wellbeing initiatives through a variety of mediums including e‑mail, canvas, notice boards, newsletters.
• Deliver training and induction sessions to staff and students.
• Use individual student data, such as PEC submissions, notifications of absences, late submissions of work and overall engagement with studies, to identify students and provide support before concerns escalated.
• Provide advice and guidance to school‑based staff, in relation to student’s health and wellbeing, promoting wider services within the university.
• Attend school meetings, as appropriate, to share knowledge and identify school‑based trends to inform and develop ongoing effective support for students across the University.
• Support Personal and Senior Tutors in ensuring the delivery of a high‑quality system of personal tutoring – in accordance with the Personal Tutoring system across the academic unit.
• Develop and tailor support to meet the needs of students within their specific academic schools through workshops, training, support groups, drop‑ins etc.
• Work collaboratively with other members of the University, and external agencies, on the creation and delivery of projects promoting the wellbeing of students.
• Contribute to the co‑ordination and delivery of wellbeing‑related projects in School (e.g., peer mentoring schemes, weekend open days, induction events etc.).
• Work collaboratively within the Student Wellbeing Advisor team to ensure consistency across the team in relation to the delivery of support where possible.
• Undertake any other projects, activities or tasks commensurate with the grade, as identified by the Student Wellbeing Adviser Team Manager and relevant School colleagues.

The Person

Knowledge, Skills, and Experience

• Evidence of relevant professional training and / or experience e.g., Higher Education Provider student support experience, physical and mental health disability support in a higher education setting, university student advice and guidance, welfare, social work, pastoral care.
• Experience of working with adults from a diverse background, with mental or physical health disabilities, preferably in a higher education setting.
• Demonstrable understanding of how intersectional elements of a student affect their access to and engagement with mental health support.
• Ability to disseminate information effectively via a range of media, including speaking to large groups of colleagues or students.
• Excellent literacy and report writing skills and the ability to write clearly and concisely.
• Ability to manage multiple caseloads and maintain GDPR compliant records.
• Excellent team skills and the ability to work effectively in many different team environments.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and discretion, whilst understanding the parameters within which such rules must be overturned.
• High levels of personal initiative and the ability to make decisions in stressful and difficult situations.
• Up‑to‑date working knowledge of local and national support services, current legislation and guidelines around disability, equality, diversity and inclusion issues, and an understanding of how disability impacts on the student experience (desirable).

Attributes and Behaviour

• Calm approach to difficult and distressing situations.
• Positive, solution focused, proactive can‑do attitude, to support activities across all the SHWS teams when needed.
• Strong commitment to continually updating knowledge, skills, and experience to provide the best service to students and colleagues.
• Creates an environment of trust and respect in which students and colleagues can say what they need to without fear.
• Understands and values the perspective of key stakeholder groups – student union, students and parents, academics and professional service colleagues, health professionals and managers.
• Acts with an in depth understanding of equality, diversity, and inclusivity.
• Stays aware of student issues and keeps an active ‘ear open’ for issues before they escalated.

Qualifications

• Undergraduate degree or equivalent level qualification plus experience in a similar role or significant vocational experience, demonstrating development through progressively more demanding, relevant roles.
• Fluent second language (desirable).

Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution. We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society. We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of our employees and the communities they represent. We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population. At Newcastle University we hold a Gold Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality. We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education. We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the interview and offer scheme. In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe.