Assistant Student Support Officer

Expected interview date: Friday 17^th January 2025

The Role and the Department

The Colleges and Student Experience Division includes the 15 Maintained Colleges, the Student Enrichment Directorate, the Student Support and Wellbeing Directorate, and the Wider Student Experience Operations Directorate.

We are recruiting an Assistant Student Support Officer who will work equally between Trevelyan College and St Mary’s College. The Assistant Student Support Officer, along with other College staff including the Principal, Vice-Principal and Assistant Principal, will be an integral and visible part of the College community. They will be a primary point of contact for the College’s students and will provide them with face-to-face student support services. They will report to and work under the supervision of the Assistant Principal’s in each college.

The Assistant Student Support Officer will deal with individual student support cases, resolving them where possible and referring students where appropriate to academic departments, specialist services (such as the Counselling and Mental Health Service) and external support agencies to best address student concerns and issues. They will liaise actively with other parts of the University to provide joined-up support for students, and will maintain ownership of student cases even when referring them to other areas. The post-holder will also support pro-active wellbeing initiatives within the College.

Induction, guidance, training and support in the role will be provided by the Student Support and Wellbeing Directorate and by the College’s Assistant Principal.

Trevelyan College is a small, progressive College renowned for its friendliness – and its distinctive hexagonal architecture. Trevelyan encourages every student to venture out of their comfort zone and be the best they can be, promoting an environment of support, inclusion, and curiosity. Trevelyan College was founded in 1966 and named after George Macauley Trevelyan, who was Chancellor of Durham University from 1950-1957. Trevelyan’s motto is Vera Fictis Libentius, or ‘Truth more readily than falsehood’. In 2020, the College supplemented the Latin motto with an additional English one ‘Explore without limits’. This reflects the College’s focus on providing its students with the opportunities they need to challenge themselves and develop into future-ready graduates.

One of Durham's 'Hill Colleges', St Mary's occupies imposing neo-classical buildings with a wonderful view of the city and its Cathedral. Originally founded in the 19th century as the home for the first female students accepted into the University, St Mary's retains the traditions of a long-established College in supporting and nurturing academic excellence, whilst also encouraging students to take advantage of the many opportunities available to participate in. It has been a mixed-gend er college since 2005 and it is the friendliest of collegiate communities made up of undergraduate and postgraduate students, staff, alumni and other friends of Mary’s. We pride ourselves on the wide range of opportunities available to our students through our student-led common rooms, the supportive and respectful environment we foster and the talent of all our staff across our student development and support, catering, operations, administration teams.

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