Student Fees Adviser

Unit :  Academic Services
Salary :  £23,144 to £25,138
Location :  Milton Keynes
Please quote reference :  21632
3x Fixed Term contract positions until 31 January 2025 and 2x Fixed Term contract positions until 22nd April 2025 & 16th May 2025, Full Time (Part time considered)
Closing Date :  17 May, 2024 - 12:00

It is anticipated that a hybrid working pattern can be adopted for this role, where the successful candidate can work from home and the office. However, as this role is contractually aligned to our Milton Keynes office it is expected that some attendance in the office will be required when necessary and in response to business needs. We’d expect this to be more frequent during initial training and then occasionally thereafter.

Change your career, change lives

The Open University is the UK’s largest university, a world leader in flexible part-time education combining a mission to widen access to higher education with research excellence, transforming lives through education.

The role

We have a fantastic opportunity for multiple Student Fees Advisers to join us in our busy Student Fees Office.  This is a great opportunity to join the OU Family and play an important part in our student’s journey.

In this role you will

• Assess and process all applications for financial support and perform all other required administrational duties to enable the registration and set up of the appropriate method of payment for students.
• Answer queries from and provide advice to students, other departments of the University and external organisations, primarily by telephone but also via email.
• Maintain students’ personal details, grant, module, and award records database
• Maintain confidentiality and comply with all GDPR requirements

You will be responsible for ensuring the satisfactory resolution of any student enquiry which is presented to you and need to show judgement in ensuring that this is achieved within the framework of University regulations and procedures.

Your customer service skills will ensure that interactions from students with The Open University are as effortless and seamless as possible.  Telephony is a key part of the role therefore you will need to be comfortable talking to our enquirers over the phone using your communications skills to explain relevant processes.

Part time applications of 18 hours and above will be considered. Although there is some flexibility around the work pattern for part time roles the preferred hours must cover 10am to 2pm.

What you will offer us

• You are passionate about delivering an exceptional level of customer service.
• Effective communication and IT skills that allow you to support our students with a range of enquiries.
• You are a motivated self-starter who can adapt to the needs of an operation.
• You thrive from working in a collaborative environment and being part of a highly experienced and supportive team.
• You bring energy to your role on a daily basis and are always striving for excellence.
• You are excited about the prospect of working for a highly respected organisation in which you will be able to make a difference to our students lives.

What you get in return  

We have a strong commitment to providing training and development in and beyond your current role. This includes thorough induction into the organisation and regular reviews of your training and development needs. 

We also offer a great range of benefits that support our employees and their families for the long term including;

• 30 days annual leave, plus Christmas closure days and Bank Holidays 
• Free Study (subject to staff fee waiver policy)
• An attractive pension proposition
• Access to student discount schemes including UNiDAYS
• Family friendly policies
• Access to Tax-Free Childcare Scheme and onsite nursey at our Milton Keynes campus.

For further information about please visit our staff benefits page.

If you are motivated by contributing towards The Open University’s students’ success, please apply following the detailed process in the section below.

Further information is available in the job description linked below including key responsibilities and full list of skills and experience required for the role.

If you would like to discuss the application or recruitment process before making an application, please contact Sam Rafferty at Resourcing Hub on 01908 655544 or [email protected] quoting the reference VRF 21632

What you get in return

We have a strong commitment to providing training and development in and beyond your current role. This includes thorough induction into the organisation and regular reviews of your training and development needs.

We also offer a great range of benefits that support our employees and their families for the long term. Staff Benefits include an attractive pension proposition and 30 days holiday per annum pro rata, plus Bank Holidays and Christmas closure days.

How to apply

Unless otherwise stated in the advert, all applications are completed online via the instructions on The OU Job’s page. Applications submitted via 3rd party websites will not be received.

Access details for disabled applicants are available from the Resourcing Hub, telephone: 01908 655544, quoting the vacancy reference above.

To apply for this role please submit the following as one document;

• CV
• Covering letter, up to 1,000 words, you should set out in your statement why you’re interested in this role and provide examples of where your skills and experience meet the required competencies for this role as detailed in the job description (skills and experience section).

Please save your document with the following file name as appropriate to the vacancy you are applying for: reference, surname, forename.

You will need to have your documents ready ahead of submitting the electronic application.

APPLY NOW

You will receive updates regarding your application from [email protected] . Please ensure this email address is added to your list of trusted senders so it does not go to your junk folder.

You can view your application communications on the Candidate portal .

Find out more about us and our mission by watching this short video (you will be taken to YouTube by clicking this link).

The Open University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion which is reflected in our mission to be open to people, places, methods and ideas. We aim to foster a diverse and inclusive environment so that all in our OU community can reach their potential.  We recognise that different people bring different perspectives, ideas, knowledge, and culture, and that this difference brings great strength.  We strive to recruit, retain and develop the careers of a diverse pool of students and staff, and particularly encourage applications from all underrepresented groups. We also aspire to make The Open University a supportive workplace for all through our policies, services and staff networks.

 

Job related information : 

Attachment	Size

Attachment	Size
G4 - SRF - Student Fees Adviser JD May 2024.docx	155.55 KB

• Terms and Conditions - Support Staff (PDF)

• Terms and Conditions - Support Staff (Word document)

Posting Date :  3 May, 2024 - 15:00