Department
The Academic Section is part of the University's Professional Services and is headed by the Academic Registrar. The Section is responsible for managing all aspects of student and academic administration in partnership with Departments, Schools and Faculties. The Section plays a central role in delivering the University's commitment to excellence in education across the institution through the development and implementation of the University's Education Strategy, including the annual Education Action Plans, leading the delivery of University-wide projects and the development, review and implementation of effective policy in support of the University's academic mission. The Section is also the guardian of the student experience and leads, promotes and embeds the institutional commitment to putting students at the heart of everything we do.
Working in partnership with the Academic Registrar's Office, the main directorates of the Academic Section are: Academic Services and Student Life.
The Academic Services directorate is responsible for delivering effective, responsive and customer-focused academic services across the University, specifically relating to student records and progression, students systems and data, student assessment and graduation, quality and academic development, incoming and outgoing study abroad, higher and degree apprenticeships, academic partnerships and the postgraduate research framework. It also leads the operation of the institutional academic governance structures, including the operation of the Senate and its sub-committees.
The Student Life directorate draws together key elements of the student experience, particularly those relating to the educational aspects of student life and student success. This includes Student Support (including wellbeing, accessibility services, residence life, student finance, chaplaincy, the Student Services Hub), Careers Services and Student Engagement.
Duties of the Role
You will work in the Student Services Hub which is part of the Student Life directorate. The Student Information Team provides a frontline enquiry service dealing with initial queries from students on a wide range of subjects including:
Increasingly the service also deals with queries that need to be accurately referred to services outside the SSH.
All this means that in any one day you might be advising a student who wants to move flats; telling a student about scholarship deadlines; helping to explain the appeals process to a student; taking a payment; or booking a distressed student into a meeting with a member of the wellbeing team.
You will be dealing with students in person at the Information and Support Desks as well as answering phone and email queries. You will also be working with a lot of different IT systems to find information to help answer students’ queries and to record interactions. You will need to have a flexible approach to your work, as the nature of this role involves working on different desks in a working day.
A job share arrangement for this role can be considered. Please provide details on your application of which hours and days you are available to work.
Please note that continuation of a job share arrangement is dependent on there being two people available to undertake the arrangement.
Skills and qualifications required
You will help us ensure that the Student Services Hub retains a reputation as a welcoming and friendly place for students to contact with a wide range of queries, utilising your excellent customer service and communication skills.
You will be a quick learner who is able to develop and maintain a broad base of knowledge about how things work at Essex, and someone who takes pride in providing accurate and helpful answers to students’ queries.
The Student Services Hub is a busy environment and you will be used to working with the minimum of supervision whilst remaining patient and maintaining a confident and pleasant manner. Your effective organisation and administrative skills will enable you to work accurately and with attention to detail to ensure out students needs are met.
You will also need to work well with other members of the team and with colleagues across the University.
*Previous applicants need not apply*
At the University of Essex, internationalism and diversity is central to who we are and what we do. We are committed to being a cosmopolitan, internationally oriented university that is welcoming to staff and students from all countries, faiths and backgrounds, where you can find the world in one place.
To support this commitment we have our Global Forum, a staff-led network that promotes and celebrates the rich cultural diversity among Essex staff, and our Colchester campus based Faith Centre, which hosts regular services, meetings and events organised by our chaplains and faith representatives.
Please see the attached job pack, which contains a full job description and person specification which outlines the full duties, skills, qualifications and experience needed for this role plus more information relating to the post. We recommend you read this information carefully before making an application. Applications should be made on-line, but if you would like advice or help in making an application, or need information in a different format, please contact resourcing@essex.ac.uk
*More information: Working at the University