Head of Student Support

Position overview

Department: Student Support

Location: Devon House and Portsoken London (Hybrid role) - occasional remote working

Benefits:

The university supports staff maintaining a good work/life balance, offer flexible working and parental leave opportunities, an Employee Assistance Programme which provides free, confidential advice on both home and work concerns as well as optional private medical insurance, season ticket loans and being part of the cycle to work scheme.

Line Management Responsibility:

• Lead Mental Health Advisor
• Senior Student Wellbeing Advisor
• Student Support Administrator

Reports to: Director for Student Engagement

Start date (dependent on successful completion of relevant checks)

The role

The Head of Student Support team (SS) has leadership and operational management responsibility for the University’s student support provision across three key areas: Wellbeing and Mental Health, Disability Support and Student Money, necessitating ongoing communication and positive relationships with students, faculty, professional staff, and external service providers to ensure students receive high quality support and guidance. You will act as the institutional lead for safeguarding and Prevent and will lead on the response to students identified as being a risk to themselves or others.

This role will need to be ’hands on’, working proactively and flexibly with the team to respond to changing service requirements.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Provide leadership for student support. This includes the general pastoral support for students and additional services for students with enhanced needs (disabled, experience of care, estranged, mental ill-health etc)
• Line management of the Lead Mental Health Advisor, who leads on mental health services, students in crisis and line manages the Mental Health Advisors.
• Line management for the Senior Wellbeing Advisor, who leads the Wellbeing Advbisors and wellbeing and disability support service for all students.
• Responsible for the oversight and management of the SS section of TARGETconnect case records system. Collaborating with the Head of Academic Support on-going development of the system to best meet staff and service needs and reporting requirements. Ensuring data accuracy, system security and compliance with GDPR and other relevant legislation.
• Responsible for the oversight and management of the University’s external contract providers such as Spectrum Life, Togetherall and UWill to provide a out of office assistance to students including receiving and reviewing service reports, overseeing referrals to the counselling provision and liaison with relevant staff to ensure the good running of the service.
• Responsible for coordinating SS presence on First Point, the student helpdesk, with other student facing service managers.
• Oversee the SS content on the University’s website and on CANVAS (the VLE system) ensuring it is engaging, relevant and actively maintained.
• Oversee the administration of the University’s student hardship fund.
• Lead the University’s safeguarding activities. Act as the University’s Safeguarding Lead for children and vulnerable adults and ensuring appropriate duty of care towards adult students. This includes oversight of the University’s student risk register and the management of risk in relation to students experiencing serious mental ill health.
• Lead the University’s Prevent strategy and act as the University’s Prevent Officer and Chair the Prevent Duty Review Group. This includes responsibility for regulatory reports and returns and ensuring delivery of appropriate faculty, staff and student training. Liaison with Tower Hamlets, Channel, Police and other relevant parties in relation to Prevent concerns. Undertaking risk assessments of external speakers.
• Lead the University’s participation in the Student Minds Mental Health Charter Programme and steering the development and implementation of an institutional wellbeing and mental health strategy.
• Provide guidance to the Sexual Violence Liasion Officers with complex cases and provide case managers from within the SS team for students impacted by sexual misconduct.
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with external specialists and service providers, such as GPs, educational psychologists, dyslexia tutors and counsellors.
• Manage the collection of student feedback on support and services provided and utilise this information to facilitate staff reflective practice and service improvements.
• Maintain a thorough and up-to-date knowledge and understanding of policies, issues and legislation relating to safeguarding, Prevent, wellbeing and pastoral support for students.
• Liaise proactively with other University departments to keep them informed about student support developments.
• Provide Northeastern London Board with quarterly service reviews, including
  service data, relating to the University’s student support and service usage.
• Ensure student support provision is reflective of good practice in relation to diversity and inclusivity.
• Ensure services and all managed staff work in compliance with University’s health and safety procedures, bullying and harassment policy, GDPR and equality policy.
• Occasional requirement to work beyond normal office hours at short notice in order to respond to urgent student welfare issues. Occasional national and international travel may be required.
• Any other duties commensurate with the level of responsibility of this post, for which the post holder has the necessary experience and/or training and as instructed by the Director for Student Engagement.

Person specification criteria

To undertake this role, the following should apply – should you not have the experience below, please do highlight where transferrable skills would assist with you undertaking the role.

Education, Qualifications and Training

• Undergraduate degree [E]
• Qualification in management, nursing, social work, counselling, coaching or other professional qualification relevant to this role. [D]

Experience

• Good experience of staff line management, including staff induction, staff development and performance management [E]
• Significant experience of working in student-facing role(s) within the higher education sector. [E]
• Experience of supporting people with mental health issues, including appropriate management of students in crises. [E]
• Significant experience of understanding and appropriately applying or explaining regulations, policies and procedures. [E]
• Experience of developing and delivering training, preferably on matters related to wellbeing and student support. [E]
• Experience holding responsibilities in relation to safeguarding and/or Prevent. [E]
• Experience of providing support to international students on study abroad / student mobility programmes. [D]
• Experience in the development of policies, procedures or protocols. [D]
• Experience of managing TARGETconnect or other CRM systems in a student support setting. [D]

Personal Attributes, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• A good understanding of GDPR, the Equality Act and other legislation relevant to the delivery of student support and oversight of student welfare. [E]
• Ability to deal sensitively and confidentially with students’ concerns [E]
• Ability to make decisions whilst under pressure and in emotionally charged situations [E]
• Strong interpersonal skills to work with students and staff at all levels, including senior academic colleagues. [E]
• Excellent listening and written and oral communication skills. [E]
• Ability to work with tact, diplomacy and discretion, particularly when dealing with sensitive or confidential matters. [E]
• Ability to deal sensitively and confidentially with students’ concerns [E]
• Ability to make decisions whilst under pressure and in emotionally charged situations [E]
• Strong interpersonal skills to work with students and staff at all levels, including senior academic colleagues. [E]
• Excellent listening and written and oral communication skills. [E]
• Ability to work with tact, diplomacy and discretion, particularly when dealing with sensitive or confidential matters. [E]

About the University

Founded in 2012, Northeastern University London (formerly known as New College of the Humanities) has established itself as a prestigious higher education institution based in the heart of London. Northeastern University London is part of Northeastern University’s Global Campus Network. Positioned as top ranking in the USA, Northeastern has campuses in Arlington, Boston, Charlotte, Miami, Oakland, San Jose, and Seattle in the USA, and Toronto and Vancouver in Canada.

After becoming part of Northeastern University’s global network in early 2019, the University has undergone a period of rapid growth, having been granted Taught Degree Awarding Powers in February 2020 and moved to a new, state-of-the-art campus in 2021.

Northeastern University London offers a vibrant, collegiate community delivering broad and academically rigorous degree programmes, designed to equip graduates with the combination of skills and knowledge that are increasingly desired by organisations, employers, and society. It offers state of the art audio visual technology in its teaching and meeting spaces across the organisation.

Enquiries

Informal enquiries may be made to Jas Verdi, Director of Student Engagement, jas.verdi@nulondon.ac.uk. However, all applications must be made in accordance with the application process specified.

Application process

Applications should be made via ‘Apply’ button above.

Participation in the equal opportunities section is encouraged, but voluntary.

Things to consider

Please note this role may require a basic or enhanced DBS check. Please note this role may require a basic or enhanced DBS check. Our organisation acknowledges the duty of care to safeguard, protect and promote the welfare of our students and staff, and is committed to ensuring safeguarding practice reflects statutory responsibilities, government guidance and complies with best practice and Ofsted requirements. You must adhere to the above if you are offered a role with NU London.

Applications are welcome from all sections of the community and will be judged on merit alone. We welcome applications from all underrepresented groups, including the Global Majority. Candidates must be able to demonstrate their eligibility to work in the UK in accordance with the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006.