You will be confident using Microsoft Office (or equivalent), able to produce accurate records, and have strong interpersonal skills for both written and verbal communication. An understanding of data protection requirements and the importance of inclusive practice is essential. Awareness of the diverse backgrounds and experiences of students, and the barriers that may affect engagement, would be welcomed.

To be eligible for this Graduate Internship, applicants must be a University of Derby graduate who has completed their qualification within the last two years. The role requires a flexible approach to working, including occasional evening and weekend activity in line with the academic year, such as supporting Clearing, Open Days and Graduation.

Principal Accountabilities

• Proactively identify and contact students who are not engaging through phone and email communication, using supportive conversations and timely nudges to explore attendance or engagement gaps.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date student records by logging interactions and tracking engagement activity in line with data management requirements.
• Use a student-centered approach to identify barriers to engagement and signpost students to appropriate internal services, ensuring recommendations are clear, timely and responsive to individual needs.
• Work under the guidance of the Student Engagement and Achievement team to continually aim to improve student engagement.
• Work in accordance with university policies and procedures (including Equality and Diversity and Data Management), promote social mobility, equality and diversity for students and staff and sustain an inclusive environment.
• Undertake training as required, taking responsibility for maintaining and updating knowledge and skills.
• Support University wide duties in line with demand throughout the academic year. This will include supporting at Clearing, Open Days and Graduation.

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential Criteria

• A recent graduate of the University of Derby who has graduated within the last two years.

Experience

Essential Criteria

• Experience of working with Microsoft Office packages or equivalent.
• Experience of producing accurate, well-structured notes and maintaining up-to-date records.

Skills, Knowledge & Abilities

• Comfortable in supporting students in potentially difficult conversations, using empathy and judgment to identify the most appropriate support options.
• Confidence in asking open questions and engaging in reflective, supportive conversations.
• Student-centered approach, with a genuine commitment to supporting student engagement.
• Professional and confident telephone manner, able to guide students with clarity and reassurance.
• Strong interpersonal skills, enabling clear and effective interactions in both written and verbal formats.
• Ability to understand and apply regulations/rules e.g., GDPR.

Business Requirements

• Willingness to provide support at University events from time to time e.g., Graduation, Clearing and Open Days, (some of these events occur outside of normal working hours, such as evenings and weekends).

Desirable Criteria

Experience

• Previous experience in a customer service, call center, or office-based role.

Skills, Knowledge & Abilities

• Awareness of the support needs and lived experiences of students from diverse backgrounds, including an understanding of barriers that may affect engagement.

Benefits

• Generous annual leave entitlement of 38 days inclusive of bank holidays and concessionary days (pro rata).
• Local Government Pension Scheme.
• Suite of holistic wellbeing benefits and support including family-friendly policies, generous sick pay provision and comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme.
• Access to a variety of staff discounts at high street retailers.
• Discounted onsite gym.
• Cycle to Work scheme.
• A flexible working environment.
• A commitment to personal and professional development.

Important Information

Visa Sponsorship Eligibility

The University is unable to sponsor the employment of international workers under the Skilled Worker route for this role; however, applications are welcome from candidates who are able to demonstrate an alternative right to work in the UK.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion

The University of Derby is committed to promoting equity, diversity and inclusion, regardless of age, disability, trans status, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief (or none), sex and sexual orientation.

We are Disability Confident Employers, demonstrating our commitment to disability inclusion, and invite applicants to highlight adjustments they may require to ensure equitable participation in our recruitment processes.

Further, we are committed to ensuring an environment which is trans and non-binary-inclusive for all our staff, students, partners, and visitors, and continuously review our policies, guidance and training.

When applying to join the University, you can choose your preferred title, including the gender-neutral title 'Mx'. We also ask our candidates if they would like to share their preferred pronouns. This is voluntary but demonstrates our commitment to inclusivity for trans and non-binary candidates. Once employed, you can add pronouns and preferred names onto our system.

The University of Derby undertakes anonymised shortlisting during the staff recruitment process. This means that, when shortlisting, panel members will not be able to see an applicant’s name and will see an applicant number instead. This demonstrates the practical steps we are taking to remove barriers to recruitment by minimizing the possible impact of our unconscious bias.

However you identify, we actively celebrate the knowledge, experience and talents each person brings. Our students come from a wide range of backgrounds; therefore we are particularly interested to hear from applicants who will help our leaders and teams be more reflective of our student population.

Read more about equity, diversity and inclusion at the University of Derby.

Environmental Sustainability

At the University of Derby, we are passionate about embedding sustainability into everything that we do. We aim to bring environmental sustainability into all aspects of the University, including teaching, research and operational activities. In line with the University's strategic framework, we expect all our staff to embed sustainability into their working practices and support the University's objective to reach net zero carbon by 2050.

Apply today to invest in your career with University of Derby.

How To Apply

You can apply by submitting an online application. Once you have signed in or registered with us, you will be able to begin your application. If you are creating an account for the first time, please ensure you provide an email address that you access regularly as this will be our main means of contacting you regarding your application.

The University reserves the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications. We encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

If you require any