Student Experience Manager - Apprenticeships

Likely interview date – w/c 12 February 2024

The successful candidate will be contracted as a home-based worker. There will be a requirement to travel to Milton Keynes as business needs dictate, for which reasonable travel expenses will be paid.

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

The Student Experience Manager role is diverse and challenging, embracing the selection, induction and ongoing performance management and development of Associate Lecturers (ALs) and Practice Tutors, as well as contributing to module / programme teaching and learning design. The Student Experience Manager (SEM) will be working with colleagues across the Student Experience Team, Faculty of Business and Law (FBL) and the wider University. The successful applicant will also work closely with the FBL Apprenticeship and Enrolment Support Team (AEST) which offers information, advice and guidance to students, through targeted learner and learning interventions to students. Therefore, an ability to establish strong working relationships and work effectively across teams in a virtual setting is a key requirement for the role.

Main duties will include:

Managing and developing a motivated and effective cohort of Associate Lecturers:

• Recruiting, selecting and inducting Associate Lecturers (AL) and Practice Tutors in accordance with FBL and University requirements.
• Monitoring, evaluating and managing AL and Practice Tutor performance against learning and teaching objectives, working with colleagues to deliver staff development, identify and improve any under-performance.
• Developing resources and delivering training to support Practice Tutors, including regular appraisals.

Supporting students, including:

• Ensuring the needs of students, including those in a work-based learning context, are fully addressed to enhance student learning experience to support successful retention and progression to timely completion of apprenticeships.
• Contributing to the design, planning and delivery of effective teaching and learning for students through proactive contributions to FBL module teams in production and presentation.
• Contributing to the evaluation of the apprenticeship programme activities and providing reports to Heads of Student Experience and Faculty Staff.

Skills and experience required:

• A relevant qualification at Masters Level or equivalent.
• A recent successful record of managing and developing people through coaching, facilitation and mentoring.
• An understanding of the pedagogy underpinning distance teaching, work-based learning and the need to support students from a wide range of backgrounds.
• Experience of delivering work or practice-based learning.
• Experience of the design and/or delivery of degree apprenticeship qualifications
• Experience of assessing students against competency-based standards and/or apprenticeship standards, through use of e-portfolios.
• Evidence of providing practical support for work-based learners (for example, facilitating learner development of portfolios of evidence to address competency frameworks and standards).
• Experience of implementing effective quality assurance and enhancement initiatives, in response to external scrutiny (for example, Ofsted or Office for Students)
• An understanding of the effective use of ICT, multimedia and online technologies to facilitate teaching and the learning of students.

More information can be found in the Job Description.

If you would like to discuss the application or recruitment process before making an application, please contact Emma Jones at Resourcing Hub on 01908 655544 or resourcing-hub@open.ac.uk quoting the reference VRF 21406.

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 33 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
• Personal statement, up to 1000 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 below key competencies for this role:

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.

You will receive updates regarding your application from resourcing-applications@open.ac.uk. 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.