Head of Student Opportunities, London Campus

Introduction to YSJ university

Situated in the heart of the historic city of York, and with the addition of our London Campus, York St John University has a long and proud tradition as a distinguished higher education provider.

Our success is founded on the quality of academic teaching and research, our thriving campus environments, our professional and pastoral support, and our values of an inclusive, innovative and ambitious community with a strong sense of belonging.

The team

The London Campus, established in 2019, offers a diverse range of postgraduate taught programmes and top-up degrees, primarily in the fields of business and technology. With a student body exceeding 2,000 and projected growth in the coming years, the campus is poised for expansion.

Located across two floors in East London Docs, the campus is part of a vibrant, co-inhabited educational environment.

The role

Based at our East London campus, the role-holder will foster, establish and manage external partnerships and other forms of collaboration with companies and other external partners, for the development of student employment and development opportunities.

1. The post-holder will provide strategic leadership and team management by line managing a team of three, ensuring the delivery of high-quality career services.

2. Lead the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of the Year in Professional Experience, with a focus on placements, ensuring it adheres to best practices and aligns with student career goals and industry trends.

3. Build and cultivate a robust network of employer and stakeholder partnerships to expand organisational capacity, enabling the creation of work-based learning opportunities and enhancing graduate employability outcomes.

4. Lead the expansion and optimisation of online career development platforms, such as GraduateFirst, Handshake, and Student Circus, ensuring they are accessible and beneficial to students.

5. Collaborate with academic departments to integrate Work-Related Experiential Learning (WREL) into the curriculum, embedding employability skills and real-world learning experiences within academic programmes.

7. Lead the planning, delivery and evaluation of career and employability events, including part-time job fairs, employer engagement sessions, and industry speaker events, ensuring maximum student participation and industry engagement.

Required skills and experience

9. Experience of developing, delivering and managing Masters level modules relevant to industry experience/ professional work placement.

10. Experience of developing strong and successful relationships between the university sector and external organisations – such as businesses, charities, funding organisations etc.

12. A track record of implementing strategic plans and of working to strategic goals within the provision of careers, development and employability.

14. Able to create a vision for the team and explain how it fits in with the overall strategic vision of the University.

15. Ability to build and maintain positive working relationships and networks to create opportunities in the form of internships, placements, graduate jobs and mentorships for students.

16. Experience of working with international students

Additional information

For an informal conversation about the role, please contact David Coronado – d.coronado@yorksj.ac.uk.

The interview process will include delivery of a presentation on a selected topic to the panel. This role is eligible for Skilled Worker Visa sponsorship subject to UKVI criteria being fulfilled. For further information regarding this visa route please visit Skilled Worker visa: Overview - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

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