University of the West of England Hiring for Student Support Adviser Job at Bristol, England , UK Full Time

About us: The Student Advice Team are passionate about the student experience and are always looking at ways to improve our service.

The role of a Student Support Adviser is to provide students with information and advice on a wide range of university matters including:

• Programme-related issues, options and module choices
• academic regulations, procedures and rules
• transferring to other programmes within the University
• personal circumstances
• what to do if unforeseen personal or medical issues affect their studies or assessments
• Changing Direction. Conversations regarding withdrawing from the University or taking time out from study
• Pregnancy support – we work with the student and the academic department to agree a plan to support their studies.
• Student Support Advisers can also help to co-ordinate support by signposting or referring students to other specialist services where appropriate.

About you: You will have the following skills and experience to carry out this role successfully

• Experience of providing advice and guidance in a complex organisation
• High level communication skills, ability to build rapport quickly with students.
• Evidence of building relationships with other services colleagues
• Able to deal calmly and sensitively with difficult or distressed people.
• Manage own workload

About the role:

• Hybrid working arrangement options available – working from Frenchay Campus as a main place of work as well as remotely (home and other campus)
• 8-10 appointments per day, with a written record of each, which is shared with the student via Infohub.
• Drop in sessions for emergency situations
• Working hours of 10.30am to 7pm (Mon to Thurs) and 11.00am to 7.00pm (Fri)
• Start of year – 15 x 10 minute appointments per day in a baseroom. (Due to ongoing situation with Covid-19, start of year appointments are likely to be delivered remotely via Skype/Microsoft Teams)
• Would be allocated a faculty specialism but would be required to advise students on other programmes when required.
• We cover all sites at UWE so adviser may be asked to travel to other campuses.
• Duty Adviser (duty phone and other tasks e.g. email). First point of contact for Information Point staff and other UWE staff.
• Proactive role in student engagement escalating concerns about low to non-engaged students. Liaising with Programme Leaders and other UWE Support Services.
• Engaging with a coaching approach and using coaching skills as part of the Student Support Adviser “toolkit” (training provided).
• Module/programme related queries.
• Attend meetings and working groups.
• Attend case conferences
• Co-ordinated support cases (working with other support services)

About UWE Bristol: We are one of the largest providers of Higher Education in the South West with over 30,000 students, 250,000 alumni and 3,800 staff. We are both globally connected and regionally embedded, with strong employer and partner connections. Our staff and students come from over 160 countries making this a diverse, dynamic and rewarding place to work and study.

We are an ambitious university. Together, our people are working hard to advance knowledge, inspire people and transform futures. We are looking for people with the skills and ambition to help us achieve those aims.

We have a lot to be proud of at UWE, our achievements include an impressive 88% overall student satisfaction in the most recent National Student Satisfaction survey, placing us 2nd of all universities in England and 7th in the UK. We are 6th in the UK for postgraduate student satisfaction (Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey) and importantly, 96% of UWE Bristol graduates are in employment or further study within six months after graduation. We have also achieved TEF Gold status, have been ranked 21st in The Guardian Best UK Universities 2021 and 29th in the latest Times Higher Education ‘Table of Tables’.

Bristol itself is a hub of social and cultural activity and is a big pull for students and employers alike. A city with a creative and fiercely independent mindset, a vibrant music scene, great restaurants and interesting business ventures. Bristol was the first British city to win the European Green Capital award in 2015, The Sunday Times newspaper named Bristol the best city to live in Britain thanks to its culture, nightlife and proximity to beautiful countryside while National Geographic listed Bristol as 11th in the world’s ‘cool list’ destinations, ahead of Paris and Amsterdam, so it’s not surprising Bristol is consistently named as one of the best places to live and work in the UK.

This post is based at our lively Frenchay campus where we have invested in the latest facilities and resources to give both our staff and students access to everything they need to succeed – with £300m having been invested recently on new state-of-the-art learning spaces and accommodation while incredible new facilities continue to be developed to enhance our offer even further.

Frenchay campus has excellent transport links; as well as being located near the motorway network we are within walking distance of two train stations, our bus terminus connects us to the local bus and metrobus network and we also have a range of cycling and changing facilities, making our campus the ideal place to work for those commuting to Bristol.

In addition to progressive pay rates, UWE Bristol offers a wide range of employee benefits including:

• a generous holiday allowance of 25 days pro rata
• up to 12.5 bank holiday/closure days per year
• flexible working
• excellent defined benefit pension schemes
• access to employee assistance programme
• ongoing learning and development opportunities
• family friendly policies and wellbeing initiatives
• onsite nursery at our Frenchay Campus.
• savings on purchases via Wider Wallet scheme
• option to participate in the cycle to work scheme

Further Information: If you would like an informal discussion about this opportunity, please contact Annette Britton on 0117 3288864 or email: [email protected] or Matt Amor on 0117 3282900 or email: [email protected]

This is a permanent post and is full-time working 37 hours per week.

We particularly encourage applications from BAME applicants as we are currently under represented in these areas – although all appointments will be made on merit.

The University’s normal practice is that new appointments will be made at the starting point of the grade.

The University will be implementing a hybrid way of working once restrictions from Covid 19 end, therefore you will be expected to come onto campus to work for part of your working week. Exact days to be agreed.

UWE is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity to create an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds who share our ambition to be a university recognised for the success and impact of our practice-oriented programmes; our strong industry networks and our inclusive global outlook.

We are unable to provide sponsorship for this role under the Home Office Skilled Worker visa route. As we are unable to sponsor anyone requiring a visa for this role candidates must therefore be able to provide their own right to work in the UK.

Please refer to the Home Office Right to Work Checklist which provides details of which documents are acceptable. Should you be shortlisted you will be asked to provide your right to work documents at your interview.