Education and Student Experience Manager

17552BR

Cardiff School of Biosciences

Managerial, Professional and Specialist Staff – MPSS

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Education and Student Experience Manager
Cardiff University School of Biosciences
An exciting and rewarding position is available for an Education and Student Experience Manager within the School of Biosciences. The post holder will, in partnership with the Deputy School Manager and Academic Leads, ensure the effective delivery of Education provision, the work of the Education Office, and Student Experience in the School of Biosciences across all Undergraduate (UG) and Postgraduate (PG) programmes. You will take specific responsibility for the student experience in the School, including Student Voice activities and maintaining and following up on actions from the Student Experience Enhancement Plan. You will also lead the UG and PG teams in the Education Office to ensure a positive, collaborative service for applicants, students and staff.

The successful candidate will have a positive, can-do approach, substantial experience of managing and motivating a team, specialist knowledge of administrative systems and processes, ideally with an education focus and strong project management skills. The role holder will enjoy working with students and staff at all levels in the School, College and University. This is an interesting, varied and rewarding post and an opportunity to develop your skills and areas of interest.

This is a full-time, open-ended position.

Informal enquiries are welcomed and can be directed to: Sally Walsh, Deputy School Manager (Education and Staff) [email protected]

Salary: £39,347 – £44,263 per annum (Grade 6).
See below for full job description and person specification.

Date advert posted: Monday, 30 October 2023 

Closing date:  Monday, 13 November 2023

Please be aware that Cardiff University reserves the right to close this vacancy early should sufficient applications be received.

Cardiff University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds.  We therefore welcome applicants from all sections of the community regardless of sex, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, trans identity, relationship status, religion or belief, caring responsibilities, or age.  In supporting our employees to achieve a balance between their work and their personal lives, we will also consider proposals for flexible working or job share arrangements.

Job Description

In partnership with Academic Leads and the Deputy School Manager, ensure the effective delivery of an excellent student experience, education provision, and the work of the Education Office in the School of Biosciences across all Undergraduate (UG) and Postgraduate (PG) programmes. You will take specific responsibility for the student experience in the School, including Student Voice activities and maintaining and following up on actions from the Student Experience Enhancement Plan. You will also lead the UG and PG teams in the Education Office to ensure a positive, collaborative service for applicants, students and staff.

* Take lead responsibility for all services provided by the Education Office Team, working closely with the Education Office Managers (two undergraduate and one postgraduate), including all activities throughout the academic cycle (recruitment, admissions, enrolment on programmes and modules, teaching, exams and assessment, programme review and development, timetabling, placements, PGR demonstrating and student cases). You will have particular responsibility for student experience, including welcome and community, student representatives, student-staff panels, student surveys and associated action plans and outcomes.

* Lead and manage the Education Office Managers, supporting, training, monitoring performance and dealing with welfare or professional issues. Escalate as needed to senior managers or expert support services. Work with the team managers in planning, organising and reviewing the work of the team, overseeing the effective allocation of work and taking senior responsibility for deadlines and delivery. Ensure the delivery of the team’s service to an excellent standard, adapting the service according to changes in workload and customer requirements in the short and long term.

* Work alongside academic staff in the delivery of teaching and teaching-related administrative work, including providing expert advice to academic colleagues to ensure the swift progression and resolution of complex student issues, applying excellent knowledge of University academic regulations and standards, and drawing on knowledge of colleagues across the University as necessary.

* Implement a process of continuous improvement of Education Office processes; identifying opportunities for development and supporting staff within the Team to innovate within their roles; oversee the implementation of new processes.

* Develop positive, collaborative working relationships with and provide senior professional support for academic staff within the School, particularly those in key Education management roles including the Strategic Director of Education, the Director of UG Education, the Masters (Level 7) Lead and the Student Experience Lead.

* Develop effective networks across the University and work collaboratively with colleagues in the College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, as well as Registry and other professional services to influence improvements in Education processes aimed at enhancing the student and staff experience.

* Contribute to long term strategic developments within Education and Student Experience in the School, leading and contributing to short- and medium-term projects as appropriate and interpreting school strategies to translate into effective operational and support processes.

* Gather and analyse data to inform decisions, establishing basic trends and patterns in data and creating reports as appropriate.

Continued in Additional Information

Person Specification

IMPORTANT NOTE TO CANDIDATES: It is the University’s policy to use the person specification as a key tool for short-listing and we only invite candidates to interview who clearly evidence that they meet (or partially meet) each of the essential criteria. During the application process you will be asked to attach a supporting statement. This statement must outline how you meet the criteria below and we recommended formatting this by using each criteria as a sub-heading and providing your relevant experience/evidence below it. It is crucial that you save your supporting statement with the vacancy number (eg. 1234BR) in the filename as failure to do so may result in it being omitted from your application.

Essential Criteria

Qualifications and Education
1. Degree/NVQ 4 or equivalent work-related experience

Knowledge, Skills and Experience
2. Substantial experience of successfully managing a team, with evidence of the ability to lead, motivate and support managers and staff to deliver an excellent, effective and collaborative service, reacting positively to changes in workload and priorities.
3. Specialist knowledge of appropriate education administrative systems and processes, with the ability to provide professional advice to internal and external customers.
4.  Proven proficiency in developing new policies, procedures and systems to adapt to changing regulations and priorities, improve service delivery and enhance administrative performance. Identify and communicate effectively to students and staff the potential wider impacts of such changes.

Customer Service, Communication and Team Working
5. Ability to analyse and communicate detailed and complex information effectively and professionally to a wide range of people.
6. Proven ability to develop networks in order to contribute to long-term improvements or developments.
7. Experience of effectively dealing with performance and welfare issues.
8. Evidence of ability to explore customers’ needs and adapt the service accordingly to ensure a quality service is delivered with the proven ability to use own knowledge to influence and negotiate with a wide range of students and colleagues at all levels.

Planning, Analysis and Problem solving
9. Evidence of ability to solve problems using initiative and creativity; identifying and proposing both practical and innovative solutions, using detailed understanding of methodologies to select the appropriate approach.
10. Evidence of ability to develop, undertake and deliver specific projects and supervise short-term project teams.

Desirable Criteria

1. Postgraduate/Professional qualification
2. Experience of working in a Higher Education environment in a student or education focused role.
3. Fluency in Welsh, written and oral

Additional Information

Continued from Job description

* Ensure an efficient and effective professional service is provided for all School Education and Student Committees, boards and panels.

* Undergo appropriate personal and professional development which will enhance your own performance and also retain oversight of same for all team members.

* Ensure that you and the team apply confidentiality, data protection and appropriate data management when undertaking all duties, particularly with regards the handling of enquiries by and about students and the handling of student personal information.

* Abide by University policies on Safety, Health and Environment and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. 

* Perform other duties occasionally which are not included above, but which will be consistent with the role

Job Category

Management & Executive