Student Services Adviser

Salary: £25,742 to £26,444 with progression to £27,979 per annum (pro rata)

Newcastle University is a great place to work, with excellent benefits. We have a generous holiday package; plus the opportunity to buy more, great pension schemes and a number of health and wellbeing initiatives to support you.

Closing Date: 27 May 2024

The Role

The Student Life unit is seeking a Student Services Adviser to provide an efficient and professional customer service to all users of the Student Services; offering information and specialist advice on a broad range of issues and completing various administrative tasks for customers.

The post holder will develop a wide-ranging, comprehensive understanding of all University services in order to resolve the complex, unique and diverse enquiries that present at the Level 2 Student Services Helpdesk.

This is a fixed term maternity leave cover which is 0.8 FTE (29.6 hours) over 5 days, working hours does depend on cover needed but working day will ikley start between 9 and 10.30

Occasional evening and weekend work is required during key business times such as student arrival and registration.

Informal enquiries should be directed to Michelle Monaghan, Student Engagement Team Leader: michelle.monaghan@newcastle.ac.uk

To apply please upload your CV along with a cover letter where we ask that you evidence how you meet the skills, knowledge  and behaviors criteria as described in job description.

For further information about Student Services at Newcastle University see: https://www.ncl.ac.uk/studentservices/

This is a part time 0.8 FTE, fixed term role until 28 February 2025. 

Key Accountabilities

• Serving current students, graduates and colleague users of the Student Services, to provide a welcoming, effective and efficient service to all customers
• Working between three Operational Zones, including Helpdesk, Telephony and with the potential for Live Chat, becoming an expert in each zone with an understanding of the unique requirements specific to each zone
• Completing various tasks efficiently and promptly for all service requests, in accordance with service standards and procedures and using various IT systems to perform this.   Examples of such routine tasks follow
• Triaging crisis enquiries at Helpdesk and ensuring immediate care is provided by Wellbeing colleagues and other services as required
• Triaging Careers Service queries and advising route for support via email, telephone, TargetConnect and face-to -face. Offering CV feedback online and in person. Offering initial support to Start Up via email and one-to-ones
• Managing Interaction Zone drop-in service, to include triage for Careers Service, Immigration Visa service, Student Health and Wellbeing, Accommodation, Finance, Student Progress, Global Opportunities, Police Officer and bookings for wide range of stakeholders within Student Services
• Collecting and logging time-sensitive critical documents such sponsor letters, medical evidence and then facilitating next steps to ensure documents progress to the correct service area
• Checking and confirming accommodation contract status on electronic database, Kx; advising on application status and referring to drop-in when appropriate
• Managing appointment arrivals and room bookings for one-to-one appointments for support services or specialist colleagues as appropriate.  There are various interview / meeting rooms and several colleagues who regularly hold meetings with students
• Managing the various Careers Service inboxes and ensuring timely and informative responses
• Developing and updating an extensive list of Student Services FAQs as required, to ensure up-to-date information is available to the team of Student Services Advisers; this resource is used to respond to a wide range of queries at the Helpdesk, Phones and potentially via Live Chat
• Facilitating receipt of customer feedback through face-to-face feedback, and customer service cards; utilising new technology to capture feedback and disseminate to relevant stakeholders ensuring high standards of service are maintained and SLAs are met
• Issuing new smartcard student identification in accordance with University procedure and policy, and producing replacement smartcards
• Issuing verification documents, including Transcripts, Certificates of Registration, Bank Letters and Council Tax Exemption Certificates
• Utilising specialist knowledge to answer queries and also to determine when it may be necessary to refer queries to other University schools, specialist teams or services
• Managing and utilising floor space during different activities within the academic calendar, in particular early and late registration, ensuring a positive and stress free experience for all students
• Opening building doors at start of business and then ensuring all access routes are secure at end of day; check area for defects daily and ensure they are reported to building management
• Maintaining and updating information on SAP CRM student record systems as required, logging all interactions and actions taken, to ensure an accurate student record and complete audit trail
• Completing User Acceptance Testing on an annual basis to ensure the efficient operation of SAP CRM
• Managing, updating and creating local resources, including Business Process documents (such as the Helpdesk Operational Guidelines) for each area of business, each operational zone and each specific operational duty
• Rotating through a schedule of Team Projects taking responsibility for detailed knowledge of one or more specific aspect of the work of the Student Services Advisers team - briefing team members and liaising with other University services when appropriate, to ensure a professional and up to date service is provided
• Training new starters and providing shadowing on operational duties throughout the duration of the induction and training programme
• Participating in and supporting other Student Success projects across the academic year
• Other duties as may be required, commensurate with the grade of the post, including support for the work of other teams within the remit of the Student Services Advisers team

The Person 

Knowledge, Skills and Experience 

• Substantial experience of working within a complex, busy and varied customer focussed service
• Knowledge of and sensitivity to multicultural and disability issues
• Substantial experience of working, and supportive team-working, to provide a professional service to customers
• Experience of dealing with customers who may be in crisis, upset, assertive, etc
• Experience of successfully using complex IT systems in delivering an integrated high-quality customer service for students and other service users

Desirable

• Knowledge of the University’s organisational structure and the range of degree programmes offered by the University; course content; entry requirements 
• Knowledge of the full range of services and facilities available to students and of the main activities within the student life-cycle and associated issues faced by students

Attributes and Behaviour

• Uses clear, concise and accurate communication, tailoring the approach as required and encouraging a two-way communication process
• Projects a positive attitude through personal confidence and enthusiasm; inspires the trust and confidence of others
• Works co-operatively in a team; respects the value that different views bring to the team
• Works continually towards achieving success through understanding and meeting or exceeding customer expectations
• Is committed to getting the job done well, co-operates with others in achieving targets and takes responsibility for achieving own targets
• Manages own time and resources by prioritising and organising effectively, works in a planned and structured way
• Finds solutions to student queries, uses initiative to sort things out and confidently deals with a broad range of information

Qualifications

• A good educational background to at least GCSE standard or equivalent including demonstrated writing and numerical skills

Desirable

• Typing qualification or demonstrated data input skills 
• First Aid qualification 

 Newcastle University is a global University where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.  As a University of Sanctuary, we aim to provide a welcoming place of safety for all, offering opportunities to people fleeing violence and persecution.

We are committed to being a fully inclusive university which actively recruits, supports and retains colleagues from all sectors of society.  We value diversity as well as celebrate, support and thrive on the contributions of all of our employees and the communities they represent.  We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and encourage applications from individuals who can complement our existing teams, we believe that success is built on having teams whose backgrounds and experiences reflect the diversity of our university and student population.

At Newcastle University we hold a silver Athena Swan award in recognition of our good employment practices for the advancement of gender equality.  We also hold a Race Equality Charter Bronze award in recognition of our work towards tackling race inequality in higher education REC.  We are a Disability Confident employer and will offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role as part of the offer and interview scheme.

In addition, we are a member of the Euraxess initiative supporting researchers in Europe. 

Requisition ID: 27006

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