Director of Student Futures Roehampton University

Appointment of Director of Student Futures

Contents

Introduction from the Director of Student Support and Success

Role Summary

Working at Roehampton

Roehampton Life

Strategic Plan and Vision

Equality, Diversity

Staff Benefits

Academic Structure

Introduction from the Director of Student Support and Success

The appointed post-holder will play a pivotal role in shaping the strategic direction of proactive student support and embedded career preparation, leading on ambitious plans to achieve successful graduate outcomes across all schools at the University of Roehampton We are extremely proud of the support and opportunities that we offer to our students from pre-arrival to beyond graduation.

The University of Roehampton is proud of its 182-year history of providing exceptional higher education opportunities It is the most research-intensive modern university in the UK, with some of the highest regarded academic departments in the country.

This is an exciting time for the university, with investment in new curricula, the construction of a new £35m state-of-the-art library and student accommodation, the development of a number of external partnerships across the globe and plans for more doctoral scholarships

We have a strong emphasis on supporting our students to reach their full potential in order to launch themselves onto successful graduate careers and teams within the Student Support & Success directorate lead the excellent work to make this happen Furthermore, we are ranked the best modern university in London in major UK league tables and we are embarking on a radical programme of enhancement in learning and teaching across all our academic areas

The University has a beautiful, vibrant parkland campus, is located in the heart of south-west London and offers excellent facilities for researching, learning, teaching, and working.

Dr Aleata Alstad-Calkins Director of Student Support and Success

Thank you for your interest in the role of Director of Student Futures.

The Role Director of Student Futures

Role Summary

The purpose of Student Support and Success is to drive student support, engagement, and success at the University towards the goal of improving student outcomes and enhancing student experience.

The Director of Student Futures will lead the strategic oversight and continuous improvement of employability-related activity, delivering a highquality service for all students, which maximises their career potential and achieves excellent outcomes.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Strategic Direction

Lead the strategic plans to deliver innovative approaches to embedding employability skills development and work experience opportunities which are aligned to academic priorities and put the user at the centre of our delivery model. Lead delivery of a service that is inclusive, joined-up, adaptive, data-led, proactive, predictive and personalised.

Champion, and lead the development and delivery of innovative, impactful, and responsive co-curricular Careers & Employability Programmes and Work Experience Teams for students and graduates across a range of activities towards enhanced Graduate Outcomes

Through the Employability Strategy and associated action plan, review the effectiveness with which strategic contributions of the employability service are operated as part of the core process for the University

Review and understand complex information and data that will inform team and institutional strategic direction, related to Graduate Outcomes, and TEF

Leadership and Service Delivery

Drive results through effective team and individual performance, taking responsibility for establishing clear priorities, service standards and new ways of working, engaging, and empowering staff, and ensuring suitable development options are in place to increase capability. Embed robust and efficient systems, processes, policies and ways of working. Embed the monitoring and measurement of strategic outcomes, and service performance into the work of your teams Understand and take account of the implications of the financial, commercial, political, and regulatory environment for the service Work in partnership with other senior leaders, creating an integrated approach and providing leadership of cross-university working groups and projects.

Provide senior leadership for Business Engagement, Skills & Employability and/or Academic & Strategic Employability when required. Lead the Employability Delivery Group and work with Employability Leads to support programme-specific objectives.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

Collaboration and Partnerships

Develop and maintain an external network, engaging in horizon scanning and building effective and influential relationships with stakeholders

As an established member of the leadership team and the institutional employability specialist, impacting change by providing narrative and insights from across the sector to ensure the Roehampton employability agenda is sector leading, agile and aligned to the needs of students and the labour market

Together with other university stakeholders, look to adopt a partnership approach to employer engagement, student engagement, academic engagement and partnership development, where opportunities are maximised for the institution and its students Ensure placements and work experiences are compliant with UKVI and documentation to demonstrate compliance is comprehensive and accurate. Work closely with academic schools to align strategic objectives and deliver robust, streamlined employability plans. Collaborate with the Business Development team to enhance employer networks.

Person Specification

The Person Specification focuses on the knowledge, skills, experience and qualifications required to undertake the role effectively. Please ensure that your application demonstrates how you meet the essential criteria. You will be assessed by your completed application form (A), at interview (I) and in some instances through an exercise (E)

Education and Qualifications

Essential Evidenced By

Educated to degree level or equivalent industry experience in relevant field. A

Knowledge and Skills

Essential Evidenced By Specialist careers, placements and employer engagement knowledge and experience in the HE environment.

Ability to work and think strategically; working closely to university aims and identifying institution wide strengths and synergies, issues and opportunities

Proven and excellent interpersonal skills including the ability to network externally with employers from a range of sectors and up to CEO level

Excellent organisational and presentation skills and the ability to influence at senior level both inside and outside of the organisation.

Proficiency in analysing, managing and presenting data.

Ability to initiate, plan and organise a range of one’s own and a team’s work efficiently and effectively

Ability to recognise and articulate the value of paid and unpaid work experience in developing student employability.

Work experience

Essential Evidenced By

Significant leadership experience with demonstrable excellent line management style.

Significant strategy development experience with demonstrable ability to lead teams through change.

Working with senior management and academic schools to advance the employability agenda and achieve successful student outcomes

Proven experience developing excellent employer relationships

Experience using key data insights to inform strategic direction.

Financial and budgeting experience.

Communication skills

Essential Evidenced By

Strong advocacy and communication skills e.g. advising senior staff about student destination statistics and employers.

Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to communicate effectively and persuasively with students, staff, organisations and professional bodies

Evidence of good networking and collaboration skills including maintaining good partnership working with a range of colleagues.

Strong, grammatically correct written English. The role holder may proof read or edit the work of others.

The ability to understand and interpret complex information and data, to be presented and disseminated to senior stakeholders

Other requirements

Essential Evidenced By

Understand the need for quality assurance procedures, following professional body guidelines where relevant and ensuring a high level of service at all times.

Strongly committed to enhancing the quality of the student experience through the provision of professional advice e.g. where to refer a student with specific professional development needs Highly committed to staff development through departmental plans and away days.

Must be able to organise and attend occasional events out of hours, such as weekends and evenings. Must have the integrity to manage personal data and highly confidential information

Ability to resolve problems that are predictable but occur less frequently, e g applying a rarely used policy or procedure.

Desirable

Essential Evidenced By

Postgraduate degree in related field. A

Working at Roehampton

Situated on a beautiful parkland campus in the heart of south-west London, the University of Roehampton has a proud history stretching back 175 years through our four Colleges. Our history informs our ethos, built on community and partnership.

We are committed to ensuring that all of our students, regardless of their background, fulfil their potential. They become the kind of graduate that employers value: a confident, critical thinker; adaptable, able to work well with people from all walks of life and with an ongoing passion for learning.

We are also committed to being a great place to work. We provide a supportive community for our diverse range of staff, with an excellent range of employee benefits and development opportunities. As a Roehampton employee, you will have access to a wide range of staff discounts and reward schemes, from health & wellbeing services to help covering the costs of your commute.

Our Colleges

Our University is comprised of four historic CollegesDigby Stuart, Froebel, Southlands and Whitelandswhich were all formed in the 19th century.

Our Colleges help us provide the friendly, welcoming community that makes Roehampton unique in London. They provide social events, welfare support and opportunities to compete in sport and other activities –including the annual Roehampton College Cup.

Top Ten University in the UK for Postgraduate Student Satisfaction

77% of the research we submitted has been ranked ‘world leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’, an increase of 11% since

Roehampton Life

We have a beautiful 54-acre parkland campus, with modern facilities, including one of the best university libraries in London. Our campus helps us provide a close-knit community for our students and an inspiring environment in which to study.

We are located in the heart of south-west London, close to Putney and Hammersmith and within easy reach of central London. Studying with us will give you the best of both worlds: the friendly atmosphere of a traditional university campus, with the culture of one of the greatest cities in the world.

Our campus facilities include a worldclass library, a state-of-the-art digital media centre, a gym, esports arena and plenty of options for food and drinksall open to every student. We have some of the most affordable oncampus student accommodation in London are also one of the only London universities to offer a free student bus service and free on-campus car parking.

Roehampton is London’s only green campus university and is surrounded by beautiful parks and gardens. Richmond Park, free to enter, is right next door and is one of the largest in Europe - three times bigger than Central Park in New York! Wimbledon Common is also a short walk or bus ride from campus and both Kew Gardens and London Wetlands Centre are nearby.

Strategic Plan and Vision

Our enabling strategies are built on three themes, each essential to our future success and underpinned by our existing strengths. The themes are:

Student Education, focused on delivering outstanding teaching and learning, and an excellent student experience.

Research and Knowledge Exchange, focused on building on our diverse research profile and increasing the impact we have on society. Sustainability, focused on how we will grow in an environmentally sustainable way and create the financial headroom to invest for the future, developing the infrastructure we need to deliver on our strategic aims.

Diversity and Equal Opportunities

The University of Roehampton is committed to promoting diversity and equality of opportunity and aims to create a culture and environment in which students and staff are treated fairly irrespective of race, religion or belief, ethnic or national origin, marital/civil partnership status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, age or parental, pregnancy or marital status.

The University of Roehampton prides itself on its diverse work force and welcomes applications regardless of gender, gender identity or expression (e.g. Trans), race, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability or religious belief.

The University encourages participation in staff networks and at present has two active staff networks with an ambition to support more as interest is expressed:

The Roehampton Pride Network is an open group for LGBT+ staff and allies. The network provides a safe and supportive environment for staff and works towards a creative and supportive culture where all members of the University community are able to participate and fulfil their potential in an environment where they are valued and respected.

For More Information:

https://www.roehampton.ac.uk/ working-at-roehampton/

The Roehampton BAME Network is an informal group for staff who identify as Black Asian Minority Ethnic. The network provides a safe, confidential and supportive environment for BAME staff to meet, express and share their views, experiences and concerns, providing a forum to make suggestions for change. It works towards creating an inclusive and transparent culture where all members of the University community are able to participate and fulfil their potential in an environment where they are valued and respected.

Staff Benefits

Roehampton is committed to providing an environment where staff are highly valued and feel supported in both their professional and personal lives. To support this, the University provides a wide range of employee benefits that can be access via the staff portal.

This includes:

Generous annual leave allowances and 3-4 days shutdown over Christmas

Access to a staff pension scheme 26 weeks paid maternity leave/enhanced adoption and shared parental leave

Staff with parental responsibilities can access childcare vouchers that are free of tax and national insurance.

The University is supportive of working flexibly.

Interest-free loans

Interest-free loan for a season ticket

Interest-free loan for Accommodation (deposit) when relocating to work at Roehampton

Cycle To Work Scheme enabling up to one third saving on purchase of a bike and equipment

Interest-free loan to support EU and staff from outside the EU to seek UK residency/registration

Health-related benefits

24/7 Employee assistance line providing emotional, financial and legal advice

www.carefirst-lifestyle.co.uk

Roehampton's RoeActive gym offers competitive rates for gym membership for staff.

Nuffield Health offers all University of Roehampton employees who are members of Roeactive an opportunity to join their gyms at a discounted corporate rate (of up to 30% off).

Access to an occupational health service

Free Eye Tests for staff who regularly use VDUs

Free flu jabs

Voluntary membership of a group health insurance scheme, PPP and BUPA is available on preferential terms when quoting Roehampton University.

You can also get discounted health insurance quotes from a wide range of providers via www.uni-health.co.uk

IT products

Eligible for the Microsoft Home Use Program, providing licenses for home use for Microsoft software.

Discounts on Apple products.

High street and local discounts

Staff can save money online and on the high street through an NUS Extra card, providing discounts at a wide range of well-known high street brands.

Eligible to join Costco

Discounts with the following local businesses:

10% off all food and drinks at the Kings Head pub, Roehampton Lane.

15% off of the a la carte lunch menu at Annie's in Barnes. Monday to Friday. Reservations only. Please quote 'Local Business Offer'.

25% off at Hair Republic hairdressers in Putney.

Professional Service Structure

Professional Services & Colleges

Organisation Chart – April 2023

Student Support & Success Directorate

Student Futures