Student Experience & Operations Director

Contract type: Full Time (37.5 hours) – Permanent

Location: University of Huddersfield - London

Salary: up to £55,000 per annum

This role leads a highly effective multidisciplinary Student Experience department, which includes Registry & Operations, Student Wellbeing, Progression & Engagement colleagues. It is responsible for delivering an excellent student experience and outstanding level of service delivery to ensure full compliance with UKVI, OFS and safeguarding regulations, meet Study Group’s student experience quality framework and the University Partner’s requirements.

The role works in a matrix structure requiring collaborative working and building of professional relationships across the study group network and university partner. It will liaise with central operations teams and provide support across the Centre’s academic, and student experience teams to ensure all act effectively as one team, enabling students to thrive and study legally, safely and successfully.  It will embed Study Group policies and Standard Operating Procedures to drive operational excellence, continuous improvements and consistency across the network. 

It will monitor student outcomes and Study Group KPIs, and work with colleagues to meet targets. This includes but is not limited to meeting contractually required progression rates to the university partner, contributing to recruitment activities to support growth of the centre and driving a cost-conscious working environment.

ABOUT THE ROLE

• Participate actively as part of the  Campus Leadership Team, performing the role of “critical friend” to other members of the team and helping to solve day to day problems.
• Contribute to the planning, development, communicating and enacting of the campus’s action and enhancement plans.
• Share strengths and ideas for enhancements with central operations teams to continue to enhance delivery and avoid any gaps in provision of services to students.
• Build effective partnerships with counterparts at the University, attend relevant University Partnership Boards as required and seek to maximise opportunities for students to engage with the Partner.
• Lead with integrity and instil Study Group and UoH values within the Student Experience teams, motivating them to deliver excellent customer service and contribute to the best possible student outcomes and student experience.
• Provide effective performance management of direct reports, including, but not limited to, setting personal objectives and KPIs; regularly reviewing performance of direct reports; and conducting formal performance reviews according to company policy and procedures.
• Facilitate, encourage and support staff to participate in regular personal development activity.
• Recruit new staff as required according to Study Group policies and procedures ensuring they are suitably qualified and experienced to carry out their duties in a professional manner.
• Support and coach colleagues in the correct application of the UoH’s Handbook of QA processes for Taught Courses and any generic Study Group processes and procedures; seeking out opportunities to reduce non-value-add time and striving for operational excellence.
• Liaise with the central Visa Compliance Team to ensure Study Group’s duties as a sponsor are carried out accurately and effectively.
• Ensure compliance of visa and attendance processes and related systems to UKVI regulations, OfS requirements and Study Group minimum requirements
• Plan and manage new student arrivals arrangements and documentation.
• Ensure all students are recorded on UoH management systems as well as local systems
• Oversee monitoring and review adherence to visa and attendance processes and related systems.
• Report non-compliance to Centre Director and lead and work with central colleagues on necessary corrective actions.
• Ensure staff are trained and support staff in their roles within all processes and related systems.
• Take the lead with support from others for any local UKVI inspection, or similar.
• Oversee the customer service operations of the ISC, ensuring consistently high levels of student, staff and visitor satisfaction.
• Set and manage agreed levels of administrative support for the Academic Management Team.
• Oversee the collection, storage, accuracy and dissemination of all relevant Student data to ensure it is done in as timely, securely and efficiently a manner as possible, including the requirement for any manual spreadsheets and master lists.
• Ensure the Campus is compliant with GDPR legislation at all times.

ABOUT YOU

• A Bachelor’s degree  
• Management qualification or Associate Fellowship would be advantageous (or a willingness to undertake such).
•  Experience of managing in a complex multi-disciplinary environment, with evidence of success. 
• Leadership and management experience in a teaching and learning environment. 
• Experience of implementing strategy to strive towards the achievement of an ‘outstanding’ student experience and excellent student outcomes. 
• Experience of managing a budget allocation, as well as control and account for those financial and material resources.
• Welfare, safeguarding and DSL experience.  
• Experience of providing feedback to another person about their performance, which achieved a positive improvement. 
• Experience of HR duties, such as delivering training, taking part in the recruitment process and performance management. 
• Ability to delegate activities, set deadlines and take responsibility for overseeing their successful completion to meet challenging deadlines. 
• Experience of planning and delivering change or continuous improvement, which achieved a positive impact on the student experience and student outcomes.  
• Experience of successfully motivating and leading teams to embed successful practice in the student experience through a process of change. 
• Experience of successfully leading on internal communication, which includes disseminating complex messages or changes to operations.  
• Experience of working with international students and an understanding of welfare, well-being and cultural issues that may arise. 
• Experience of data management and interpretation, and quality assurance. 
• Experience of working across, up and down an organisation as well as with external partners and both national and international stakeholders.  

ABOUT US

Study Group is a leading international education provider that is dedicated and passionate about helping students around the world, creating a brighter future and reaching their full potential. With university partnerships and a variety of face-to-face, online, and hybrid study programmes, we can provide students with the resources and guidance they need to succeed. Our global network of offices and university partnerships ensure that students receive the best educational services available. Additionally, our Insendi platform enables us to deliver innovative, accessible, and intuitive digital learning experiences with the most advanced digital tools available.

ORGANISATIONAL COMPLIANCE

Study Group is proud of its high standards in safeguarding and recognises its importance in enabling the best possible student experience and outcomes. For successful applicants the following checks will be conducted- Criminal Background Check (country specific), x2 References, ID and Right to Work checks as well as Education Verification.
We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and we strive to create a diverse and inclusive workplace. We are committed to providing equal opportunities for all individuals, regardless of race, gender, religion, nationality, or any other factor. We believe that the best person for the job should be selected based on skills and experience alone. Your information will be kept confidential and stored securely. Please see our Privacy Policy.
We adopt a rolling recruitment process meaning that we review applications as they are submitted. To avoid disappointment, please ensure that you apply ASAP.