Assistant Student Support Officer

The University

At Durham University we are proud of our people.  A globally outstanding centre of educational excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, a unique and historic setting – Durham is a university like no other. 
Across the University we have a huge variety of roles and career opportunities, which together make us a large and successful community, which is a key hub of activity within our region and nationally.  Whether you are at the very start, middle or end of your career, there is a role for you. We believe everyone has their own unique skills to offer. 
We would be thrilled if you would consider joining our thriving University.  Further information about the University can be found here

The Role and the Department

John Snow College is a friendly, diverse, active and inclusive community based in Mount Oswald, Durham. Proud of our heritage, we celebrate both Durham University's traditional values and the modernity of our College life.

We are recruiting for a part time (0.5 FTE, 17.5 hours per week) Assistant Student Support Officer for a 12-month fixed term contract, starting from the 1st of August 2024. The postholder will work from Monday to Wednesday morning. 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 the Assistant Principal, the lead officer for student support within John Snow 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.

Working at Durham  

A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University: you will also receive access to the following fantastic benefits: 

•    27 Days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year – a total of 39 days per year.  The University closes between Christmas and New Year. 
•    No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered.  We have parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies.
•    Lots of support for health and wellbeing including discounted membership for our state of the art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme.
•    On site nursery is available and access to holiday camps for children aged 5-16 throughout the year.
•    Family friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, which are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers).
•    There is a genuine commitment to developing our colleagues professionally and personally.  There is a comprehensive range of development courses, apprenticeships and access to qualifications and routes to develop your career in the University.  All staff have dedicated annual time to concentrate on their personal development opportunities. 
•    The opportunity to take part in staff volunteering activities to make a difference in the local community
•    Discounts are available via our benefits portal including; money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, the cinema and days out at various attractions. 
•    We offer generous pension schemes. 

Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion

Our collective aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and we believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work.  As a University equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key part of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do.  We also live by our values and our Staff Code of Conduct.  At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive. It’s important to us that all of our colleagues are aligned to both our values and commitment to EDI.

We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.  If you have taken time out of your career, and you feel it relevant, let us know about it in your application.  If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role.

What you need to demonstrate when you apply/Person Specification  
  
When you apply it is important that you let us know what skills/experience you have from a similar role and/or what skills/experience you have which would make you right for this role.  Further information about the role and responsibilities is at the end of this job description.  Where a criteria has an asterisk* next to it, it may be given additional weighting when your application is considered.    
  
Your application should cover the following criteria:

Essential Criteria

Qualifications/Experience
1.    Five GCSE’s at least Grade C or level four (or equivalent) including English Language and Mathematics.

2.    Post-16 qualification or equivalent experience.
3.    Experience in a similar role or environment.   
4.    Experience of working collaboratively with other team members to ensure the delivery of high-quality services. 

Skills/Abilities/Knowledge
5.    Excellent spoken and written communication skills and the ability to develop effective working relationships with a range of stakeholders, both internally and externally.
6.    Strong digital competence across a range of digital devices and apps including email, digital communication tools and Microsoft 365 applications.
7.    Committed to continuing professional development to maintain skills
8.    Ability to solve problems yourself and as part of a team and plan appropriate solutions and make pragmatic decisions.
9.    Ability to participate in networks to share and discuss good practice and exchange information.  

10. Ability to work flexibly and adapt quickly to new working environments.

 
Desirable Criteria

1. Relevant professional recognition and certification of achievement of skills and knowledge

2.   Ability to contribute to operational planning activities. 

How to apply

To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification above.  Where there are desirable criteria we would also urge you to provide any relevant evidence.  Please don’t forget to check if there is any weighted criteria (see above).

While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview.  

Submitting your application 

We prefer to receive applications online.  We will update you about your application at various points during the process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to ensure you receive all emails 
 
What you are required to submit:

·       A CV

·       A covering letter 

·       A Word document with detailed examples of how you satisfy each of the essential and desirable criteria within the person specification. Please bullet point your answers in the same order as in the essential criteria. 

 
Contact details 
If you would like to have a chat or ask any questions about the role, Gini Bedford ([email protected]) would be happy to speak to you. 

Typical Role Requirements  

Service Delivery

• Show a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and the University’s values. (above)
• Respond to queries and provide information/advice on student support related matters, escalating more specialist and complex queries or issues to more experienced team members or relevant specialist services.
• Use your experience and problem-solving skills to investigate and resolve student support issues and make recommendations based on your findings.
• Enhance Durham University’s reputation by providing support to the running of internal and external outreach activities such as Open Days.
• Continually review what is required from staff, students and others who you work with to make sure the best possible service is provided.
• Monitor feedback on the student support services provided by the Colleges and identify changes that will improve the service level that is provided and compliance.
• Ensure that information used to analyse college student support services is accurate and provide reports and analysis of patterns and trends to senior colleagues.
• Prepare reports for consideration by senior managers.
• Contribute to student engagement and communication activities, events and presentations.
• Act as first point of contact for student wellbeing issues and refer them to appropriate support services when necessary.

Planning and Organising

• Plan and organise own workload to deliver the role.
• Organise and schedule assigned resources, activities and events.
• Monitor student support processes and activities to ensure team priorities are met.
• Collect and maintain student support data and ensure the accuracy and safety of the information.
• Help manage and coordinate events and other activities.

Teamwork

• Provide specialist support and advice to team members on student support activities.
• Make changes to the services provided by your team in discussion with other team members.
• Identify opportunities and contribute to decisions on how to improve student support  services being delivered by the team.
• Seek feedback from students, staff and anyone else that you come across as part of your role on their requirements from your service and recommend improvements to senior colleagues.
• Contribute to collaborative decision making within the team in regard to service provision to deliver an excellent student experience in accordance with policy and procedures.  

Communications/Liaison

• Update and apply changes to processes and procedures.
• Use your knowledge and expertise to provide advice and guidance to resolve problems and respond to a wide range of queries.
• Provide instruction and demonstrations to others within  your area of working.
• Create good working relationships with other team members and anyone else that you come across as part of your role to work together on joint activities.
• Liaise with staff in other student support areas to ensure that services are being delivered in an efficient and collaborative way.
• Contribute and engage with staff and students on promotional activities and events
• Create good working relationships with internal and external partners and suppliers to work together on joint student support initiatives.
• Build relationships with key student support contacts and contribute to internal and external networks such as the Student Support Community of Practise to share good practice and exchange information.
• Any other reasonable duties.

Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement Privacy Notices - Durham University  which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.   
  

When appointing to this role the University must ensure that it meets any applicable immigration requirements, including salary thresholds which are applicable to some visas.