Heriot-Watt University
Student Success Advisor
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Role: Student Success Advisor
Grade and Salary: Grade 5: £26,707 - £31,236 per annum
FTE and working pattern: Full-time (35 hours per week), open-ended
Holiday Entitlement: 28 days annual leave plus 9 buildings closed days (and Christmas Eve when it falls on a weekday).
Use our total rewards calculator: https://www.hw.ac.uk/about/work/total-rewards-calculator.htm to see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University.
Purpose of Role
The Student Success Advisor (SSA) supports Heriot-Watt Online and Graduate Apprenticeship students from orientation through to the successful completion of their chosen programme of study. An instrumental part of a student’s success, the SSA will be responsible for supporting, engaging, and retaining students throughout their learning experience. The Student Success Advisor provides exceptional customer service, acting as the first point of contact for all student questions and queries. This role is responsible for providing personalized, proactive support across the full student lifecycle, empowering students to achieve their goals. The Student Success Advisor focuses not only on ‘at-risk’ students but proactively engages with all students. The SSA acts as the ‘champion’ of our global online and Graduate Apprenticeship student community, and acts as the student voice, ensuring that the student is at the heart of our decision-making. The Success Advisor also plays a critical role in growing and sustaining community, connection, and belonging between students and with the university.
The successful candidate will have excellent interpersonal skills and be able to confidently communicate with students, academics, and other internal stakeholders. A natural ability to build and nurture positive relationships is essential to this role.
Key Duties & Responsibilities
You will be part of a dynamic team dedicated to providing excellent customer and user experience for students.
Main duties include, but are not limited to:
- Student support, retention, and outcomes:
- Serve as the primary point of contact for students; helping them with any questions, information requests, or issues they may be facing.
- Provide comprehensive pastoral advice to students, including guidance on course selection, study skills, time management, and assessment preparation.
- Respond to requests in a professional and timely manner.
- Act as the main point of contact between a student and internal colleagues (e.g., Tutors, Programme Directors, Wellbeing).
- Build individual relationships with students.
- Provide welcome information and system demos to students and run orientation and induction activities for new students.
- Provide targeted updates and information about news and events relevant to online students.
- Make students aware of support available to them, including additional live tuition sessions, and increase participation in these sessions.
- Proactively monitor progress of students, providing proactive support and interventions to ensure students stay on track to graduation.
- Help students plan and structure their studies, as well as schedule courses and assessments.
- Help students identify, develop, and implement learning strategies and study skills.
- Support a wide range of activities related to student success, engagement, and retention, including webinars/live sessions, 1:2:1 calls, information sessions, social media, and student group meetings.
- Host online class events for students to interact and socialise with peers.
- Act as an encouraging voice to help students meet deadlines and achieve their goals, celebrating milestones and helping students to progress onto their next course.
- Attend graduation ceremonies.
- Introduce graduates to the Alumni community: The Watt Club.
- Work closely with other members of the Student Support Services team, academic staff, and administrative staff to coordinate support services for students.
- Ensure that students are aware of and have access to relevant academic resources and support services.
- Work with various stakeholders and teams (external and internal) to develop and deliver initiatives and activities which will enhance the student experience, build community, and encourage student retention and success.
- Refer students on to wider university support services where needed (e.g., wellbeing, Registry, Library).
- Develop a resource library of student support assets.
- Host community building and engagement events to increase students’ feeling of belonging.
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Data management and systems:
- Use CRM systems to manage, build, and nurture relationships with students.
- Use relevant systems to disseminate information and communications to students.
- Work with the Marketing and Recruitment teams to build personas for reporting and strategic purposes.
- Track individual student journeys to understand needs and improve processes where required.
- Regularly analyse students’ VLE engagement metrics to identify student progress and ‘at risk’ students.
- Troubleshoot student support issues and coordinate solutions in accordance with all university policies.
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Reporting:
- Review and maintain a repository of frequently asked questions, ensuring that these are always up to date.
- Provide weekly and monthly updates on student progress.
- Recognise patterns in student behaviour to constantly improve and reshape our offering to meet their needs.
- Regularly report on progress against Key Student Success Performance Indicators.
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- Other:
- Problem solve when faced with critical situations and determining when escalation is required.
- Represent the student in internal meetings.
- Work alongside the marketing, recruitment, and admissions team to support growth.
- Undertake any other duties as may reasonably be required by the Online Team, and support on ad hoc projects as and when required.
- Deal with matters with tact and discretion and maintain confidentiality where required.
Essential & Desirable Criteria
Essential
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Demonstrable experience of working in a customer-focussed environment, providing excellent customer service.
- Demonstrable experience building strong relationships and networks.
- Competent in the use of relevant IT packages including Microsoft Excel, Word, and Outlook.
- Excellent attention to detail and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.
- Ability to work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders to achieve shared goals.
- Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team.
- Demonstrable professional and proactive approach.
- Demonstrable ability to work quickly, flexibly, and accurately in a dynamic and changing environment.
- Ability to think critically and identify potential issues before they arise.
Desirable
- Educated to SCQF Level 6 or similar or equivalent experience.
- Experience in a student-facing role – administration, student success, student support/services.
- Experience working in, or an active interest in, education technology, online education, and/or higher education.
- Demonstrable experience working with diverse and international colleagues and audiences.
- Experience working with databases i.e., Student Records, CRM systems, and email tools.
- Experience of enquiry management systems.
- Background or previous experience in coaching or advising.
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data and make informed decisions to improve engagement and outcomes.
How to Apply
Please submit via the Heriot-Watt online recruitment system:
- A cover letter outlining your interest in the role and suitability for the post.
- A current CV.
Applications can be submitted up to 11:55pm (UK time) on Monday 20th July 2026.
We are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role. Candidates must either already have the right to work or be able to independently obtain a working visa.
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