Higher Ed Partners
Head of Student Success
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Head of Student Success | £65,000 – £70,000 DOE
Location: Hybrid St Albans
At HEP, we’re on a mission to transform access to higher education by helping our university partners deliver high-quality, accessible and career-focused online programmes.
Starting a degree as an adult takes commitment. Many of our students are balancing study with work, family and everything else life brings. Enrolling is just the beginning; the real challenge is helping students stay engaged, overcome barriers and progress all the way to graduation.
We’re looking for that data-driven, commercially minded professional to lead our retention and engagement strategy across our university partnerships. You’ll take ownership of the full student journey, from onboarding and early engagement through to progression, re-engagement and completion.
This is a high-impact leadership role where student success and commercial performance go hand in hand. You’ll use data, insight, technology and AI to identify risks early, improve continuation, reduce attrition and maximise student lifetime value. You’ll also work closely with our university partners to improve outcomes, strengthen relationships and support sustainable business growth.
What you’ll do
- Get students off to a strong start. Lead onboarding and early engagement, helping students understand what to expect, where to find support and how to succeed.
- Spot the signs early. Use data and predictive insight to identify students at risk of disengaging and deliver targeted, timely interventions.
- Drive retention and progression. Develop and evaluate strategies that improve continuation, reduce attrition and help students progress through their programmes.
- Bring students back. Design effective re-engagement campaigns for inactive students and those returning from a study break.
- Own the performance. Monitor retention, progression and engagement by partner, programme and cohort, translating performance data into clear action plans and measurable improvements.
- Think commercially. Understand the financial impact of student retention, manage resources effectively and identify opportunities to improve student lifetime value and the return on retention activity.
- Build high-performing teams. Lead, coach and develop managers and advisers, creating a culture focused on meaningful student outcomes, accountability and continuous improvement.
- Make technology work harder. Partner with Technology and Product teams to use CRM systems, automation and AI to improve engagement at scale while keeping human support at the heart of the student experience.
- Influence across HEP. Bring student insight to our university partners, Product and Partner Support teams, addressing underlying issues and improving the end-to-end student journey.
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What we’re looking for
- Proven experience in student retention, student success, customer success, lifecycle management or a related field, with a track record of improving engagement and retention.
- Strong commercial acumen, with an understanding of how retention, attrition and progression affect revenue, profitability, customer lifetime value or wider business performance.
- A data-led approach, with the ability to interpret performance metrics, identify trends and translate insight into measurable action.
- Experience leading and developing high-performing teams, with the ability to build a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.
- Experience using CRM systems, automation and multi-channel engagement strategies to deliver targeted interventions at scale.
- Strong stakeholder management skills, with the confidence to influence partners, challenge performance and bring people together around shared outcomes.
- An innovative, solutions-focused mindset and an appetite for using technology, including AI, to improve performance and the student experience.
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How we’ll know it’s working
- More enrolled students successfully start their studies.
- Improved continuation and progression rates across our university partnerships.
- Better retention performance by partner, programme and student cohort.
- More inactive and study-break students successfully return to study.
- Improved student engagement and satisfaction.
- A measurable improvement in the cost-effectiveness and commercial return of retention activity.
- Stronger partner relationships built on demonstrable student outcomes and performance.
Help more students stay, succeed and graduate — while driving the retention and growth that make it possible.
Apply now to learn more.
HEP is a Disability Confident and equal opportunity employer. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates regardless of race, colour, religion, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status or disability.
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