Head of College Services

Do you love working in multicultural customer-facing environments? Would you enjoy using your ability with people and processes to drive great service levels at our vibrant international college? 

The University of Essex International College  has been set up in partnership with the University of Essex to provide new routes for international students wishing to study degrees at the University. The University of Essex is one of the most international universities in Britain and is also known for its bold approach to teaching, research and innovation. Located in the historic Constable Building on the University’s Colchester campus, the college delivers undergraduate Foundation, International Year One, Pre-Master’s and Pre-Sessional English programmes and a range of other support and extracurricular services.

About the role:

Reporting to the College Director, you will have strategic and operational oversight of the entire student journey from pre-arrival in the UK to registration at university and beyond. Your team is responsible for providing high quality business support and ensuring the College offers outstanding student experiences.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Ensuring effective and efficient delivery of all non-academic College functions, including student services, compliance, arrivals, student welfare, communications, progression, college operations and academic administration.
• Effective and efficient management of budgets in line with agreed targets, and oversight of student finance.
• Ensuring the College is compliant with all relevant requirements, including GDPR, Health and Safety and UKVI regulations, and aligned with relevant QAA Quality Code expectations and indicators of sound practice, with particular reference to visa, Under 18 and disability issues.
• Contributing to the development and implementation of Kaplan International Pathway policies related to student experience within the College, and delivering outstanding student experiences from pre-arrival to completion of studies and registration at the university.
• Managing and maintaining the College student management system, ensuring that: data is accurate and updated in a timely manner in accordance with relevant procedures; confidentiality is maintained; and data are reported as required.
• Developing and maintaining strong links with relevant academic and non-academic staff in the partner university to support student progression to the University of Essex.
• Enhancing student satisfaction by developing, reporting and acting on comprehensive student feedback mechanisms.
• Managing complaints procedures and student disciplinary issues.
• Ensuring a cooperative working relationship and a timely and effective flow of data with the University of Essex and Kaplan International Pathways. 
• Supporting marketing and recruitment activities for the College through helping to host visits and running effective local promotional activities in partnership with the Kaplan Sales and Admissions team.
• Representing the College on relevant groups and deputising when required on non-academic matters for the College Director in his/her absence.
• Any other duties as required from time to time by the College Director.

Reporting:

As Head of College Services you will report to the College Director.

About You:

You will be a customer focused professional with outstanding management/team leadership experience, preferably gained in the education or EFL sector, who enjoys working with international students. In addition you will be enthusiastic and performance-driven, with a desire for development within the role, and a willingness to work across, up and down the College structure, and with external partners and stakeholders.

Key skills and knowledge will include:

• A UK undergraduate degree or equivalent.
• A sound understanding of UK further and higher education and experience of managing support activity and staff in an international education context.
• Understanding of and experience in student administration, student support and/or student welfare issues and systems, preferably in an international context, as well as a good knowledge of UKVI and Student visa regulations.
• Strong leadership, project management and organisational skills.
• A commitment to outstanding customer service and an interest in helping international students.
• Excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate issues to a wide audience, including those for whom English is not a first language.
• Advanced IT skills, including MS Office and Excel, and experience working with student management systems.

Application method:

Please apply with your CV and covering letter by 23rd July 2021.

At Kaplan International, we are committed to working in a diverse organisation and strive to provide equality of opportunity for all. We encourage and welcome applications from individuals, regardless of age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment or identity, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnership. If you would like to be considered for an interview under the Guaranteed Interview Scheme, please complete this form  or email us on [email protected]

As part of our commitment to safeguarding, successful candidates will be subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check. 

Applicants must be able to provide proof of eligibility to work in the UK. 

About Kaplan International Pathways 

Kaplan International Pathways , a division of Kaplan Inc., offers international students a wide range of flexible study options - from University preparation programmes in the UK, Australia, USA and Japan through to full degree programmes in Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia. Through our academic partnerships with leading universities, our expertise in student recruitment, our exceptional teaching and a real focus on customer service and pastoral care, each year we are proud to welcome thousands of students from more than 100 countries through the doors of our colleges. 

In the UK, we operate 9 campus-based colleges in partnership with Bournemouth University, University of Glasgow, University of Liverpool, Nottingham Trent University, University of Nottingham, University of Brighton, University of Essex, University of York and University of West of England, Bristol and an off-campus college in London offering pathways to 7 leading well-ranked UK universities.