About the Opportunity Department Student Support Location Devon House and Portsoken London (Hybrid role) - occasional remote working Term Full-time; permanent Salary Range £65,000 - £69,900 per annum, depending on experience 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] Enquiries Informal enquiries may be made to Jas Verdi, Director of Student Engagement, jas.verdinulondon.ac.uk. However, all applications must be made in accordance with the application process specified. 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. Position Type Student Services Salary Range £49,530.00 - £76,770.00 per annum Additional Information About the University Northeastern University London (NU London) is a prestigious higher education institution based in the heart of London and is part of Northeastern University’s global campus network. Overlooking the River Thames near Tower Bridge, NU London offers academically challenging educational programmes designed to inspire innovative thinking, encourage interdisciplinary study, and provide global experiences. The bright and modern campus offers award winning, contemporary facilities for students and staff including state of the art audio visual technology in its teaching and meeting spaces. Inspired by excellence, infused with an energy of ideas and ability in motion, at NU London, being a part of our staff is to be a part of a collective of entrepreneurs and educators, builders and thinkers. NU London is growing quickly, offering opportunity and growth for our staff. Currently hosting 1,500 students, our aim is to have 4000 students by 2028/29. Choose NU London As well as the exciting opportunities this role presents, the University supports staff maintaining a good work /life balance, your health and wellness are of utmost importance to us, and our offerings encompass: 25 days annual leave, plus 8 bank holidays and winter break holidays (normally 2 days between Christmas and New Year). Access to personalised Continuous Professional Development (CPD) plans and opportunities. Support with private medical insurance. Eye test reimbursement. Cycle Scheme vouchers. 24/7 employee assistance/ support via our Employee Assistance Programme. Access to deals and discounts for food & shopping in the local area. Enquiries Informal enquiries may be made to Jas Verdij.verdinortheastern.edu However, all applications must be made in accordance with the application process specified. Application process Applications should be made via by 23:59 on 2025-02-06 Participation in the equal opportunities section is encouraged, but voluntary. Applications must include a covering letter of no more than one page that addresses the criteria for the role and a full curriculum vitae. The panel will be shortlisting for this position on a rolling basis so please apply as soon as possible. We reserve the right to close this post before the closing date if we receive a large number of applications. 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. For staff’s own wellbeing, for part time roles, the expectation is if you have multiple roles, they should not exceed full time (37.5 hours per week), and for full time roles, the expectation is that this will be your only role (apart from intermittent roles). 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.