Student Wellbeing and Transition Advisor

Role: Student Wellbeing and Transition Advisor

Grade and Salary: Grade 7 (£37,694 to £47,389)

FTE and working pattern: 0.6 FTE Part-time (open-ended).

Holiday Entitlement: 33 days annual leave plus 9 buildings closed days (and Christmas Eve when it falls on a weekday)

Purpose of Role

• To provide advice, guidance and support to students from Widening Participation (WP) backgrounds and students identified as at risk of leaving university or contacting the Thinking of Leaving Service. 
• To develop and upgrade our support provision for specific groups of students including in particular: postgraduate taught and postgraduate research students, asylum seekers and refugees, students who are pregnant and armed forces veterans and reservists, and students from armed forces families.  
• To assist in the development and delivery of personal tutor training and guidance for academic staff. 
• To contribute to the development and delivery of Get Ready for Success and Kick-Start Your Success, and play a key role in the development and delivery of pre-entry, induction and transition, and retention support activities.

A key element of the role is providing information, advice, guidance and support to students, including students with particular vulnerabilities, in an effective and timely way, and to excellent standards. Students can present with multiple and complex issues which may require detailed casework and also immediate crisis support.  Laision and joint work with other colleagues across the University as well as referral to other appropriate sources of support will be required where appropriate.  In developing support for students, and in individual casework, liaison with networks and services outside the University could be required.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

• To provide advice, guidance and support to students accessing the Thinking of Leaving Service; providing information, advice and guidance to “At Risk” students i.e. those who are identified as being at risk of leaving the university early. 
• To provide advice, guidance and support for students from Widening Participation backgrounds – particulary students who are care experienced, carers or estranged – students who are or become asylum seekers and refugees, and students who are pregnant.
• To support the specific groups of students in the postholder’s remit with practical advice to help them maximise their income by accessing internal and external financial support (e.g. through the Discretionary Hardship Fund, SAAS etc.).  Referral to and liaison with the University’s Finance and Scholarships teams will be required and the postholder will help ensure that students are able to make financially informed decisions about their studies.
• To organise and deliver activities/workshops as well as dedicated one to one support for Postgraduate Research students.
• To contribute to the organisation and delivery of new student induction programmes. 
• To contribute to the development and management of the Get Ready for Success and Kick-Start Your Success programmes.
• To contribute to the recruitment process of and co-facilitate training sessions for student helpers for work in induction programmes, Get Ready for Success, peer mentoring, Kick-Start Your Success and other support and transition activities.  To supervise and organise the work of student ambassadors during these programmes. 
• To work with the Student Experience Manager in the co-ordination and management of induction and transition at the institutional level. 
• To work with the Student Experience Manager in the development, promotion and delivery of a training programme for personal tutors. 
• To contribute to the development of programmes of student peer mentoring. 
• To contribute to the development of online and other resources and information to support student transition and retention, and the student experience generally.  Information and resources may be generally applicable or targeted at specific groups of students.
• Co-ordinating and facilitating pre-entry activities and one to one support for students from Widening Participation backgrounds to ensure their successful transition to the University.
• To work with the Student Success Advisors on more complex at risk cases referred to the postholder, particularly as a result of the development of learning analytics.
• To contribute to the professional development of the Student Success Advisors. 
• To deputise for the Student Experience Manager in their absence, including providing line management to the Student Success Advisors.

Essential & Desirable Criteria

Essential

• Educated to first degree level or equivalent or equivalent practical experience in the workplace
• Experience of working within a similar environment as outlined above
• Competent in the use of relevant IT packages 
• Proven relevant experience in advice, guidance and support, and assessing support needs of young people or vulnerable adults, which will have been acquired over a number of years.
• Experience in delivering training or group work programmes
• Good knowledge and understanding of relevant legal, statutory and governance applications and turning them into good practice
• Excellent interpersonal, influencing and presentation skills, able to understand and communicate complex issues effectively
• Demonstrable excellent customer service 
• Demonstrable ability to work quickly, flexibly and accurately in a dynamic, changing and pressured environment
• Experience of working closely with stakeholders across all levels of the organisation 
• Ability to research, analyse and present complex information effectively with good attention to detail
• High level organisational skills with the ability to prioritise major developments and to function effectively in a pressured environment
• Demonstrable professional and proactive approach
• Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team

Desirable

• Experience and understanding of access and inclusion issues in higher education.
• Knowledge and understanding of student funding.

How to Apply

Applications can be submitted up to 11:55pm (UK time) on Sunday 17th May.

Please submit your CV & covering letter via the Heriot-Watt on-line recruitment.

We welcome and will consider flexible working patterns e.g., part-time working and job share options.

Heriot-Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised, and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities.  Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all.

Heriot-Watt University values diversity across our university community and welcomes applications from all sectors of society, particularly from underrepresented groups. For more information, please see our website https://www.hw.ac.uk/uk/services/equality-diversity.htm [https://www.hw.ac.uk/uk/services/equality-diversity.htm] and also our award-winning work in Disability Inclusive Science Careers https://disc.hw.ac.uk/ [https://disc.hw.ac.uk/] .

Use our total rewards calculator: https://www.hw.ac.uk/about/work/total-rewards-calculator.htm [https://www.hw.ac.uk/about/work/total-rewards-calculator.htm] to see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University.

About the Team

Student Wellbeing Services are located within the Division of Student Life in the Registry & Academic Services Directorate. 

Student Wellbeing Services are primarily focussed on supporting students at the University’s Scottish Campuses (Edinburgh, Galashiels and in Orkney) and as part of a globally integrated service also work closely with colleagues based at our campuses in Dubai and Malaysia.

Student Wellbeing Services aim to provide a range of support, guidance, activities, and advice to help students to be their best, and get the most from their university experience.  We engage with students throughout the student lifecycle, from pre-enrolment to graduation and the Service is made up of four main service areas:

• Counselling and Support Service
• Disability Service
• Student Experience Team
• University Chaplaincy

The Student Experience Team is responsible for a range of support initiatives and activities designed to support student retention and enhance the wider student experience.  The team’s work includes one to one student support, organising and delivering workshops and activities, communications using a range of media, staff guidance and the creation of resources.  Our areas of responsibility include the following.

• Student induction and transition including pre-entry initiatives such as messages to offer holders and the Get Ready for Success programme
• Personal tutor guidance and training
• Supporting student retention by helping students overcome obstacles to study and alternatives to leaving the University early.
• Supporting students from Widening Participation groups from the offer holder stage to graduation.
• The Student Success Advisors are part of the Student Experience Team.  They are all recent Heriot-Watt graduates and provide support, organise activities and provide key messages to students based on their student experience.   

This post has been created in response to the increased student demand for our services and the increasing complexity of students’ needs.  The postholder will be one of two Student Wellbeing and Transition Advisors.  The team also comprises three Student Success Advisors and is line managed by the Student Experience Manager.  The postholder will work to share and enhance current areas of joint responsibility with the other Student Wellbeing and Transition Advisor and will also have their own dedicated areas of responsibility.

About Heriot-Watt University

At Heriot-Watt we are passionate about our values and look to them to connect our people globally and to help us collaborate and celebrate our success through working together. Our research programmes can deliver real world impact which is achieved through the diversity of our international community and the recognition of creative talent that connects our global team.

Our flourishing community will give you the freedom to challenge and to bring your enterprising mind and to help our partners with solutions that can be applied now and in the future. Join us and Heriot Watt will provide you with a platform to thrive and work in a way that also helps you live your life in balance with well-being and inclusiveness at the heart of our global community.