Student Success Senior Officer (Financial Wellbeing)

This role will be based on the University campus, with scope for it to be undertaken in a hybrid manner. We are open to discussing flexible working arrangements.

Are you passionate about supporting students throughout the student lifecycle? Do you want to empower students to develop their financial literacy skills?

As a Student Success Senior Officer with a focus on Financial Literacy, you will be based within the Student Success Unit of Educational Engagement. You will sit within the Plus Programme team but will support all University of Leeds students, and will be instrumental in developing the Student Success Centre and our overall financial literacy approach. This is a face-to-face delivery role with the expectation that you will be on campus the majority of the time. The role will be primarily involved in the following areas of work:

Steering the Financial Literacy approach You will be instrumental in drafting plans for the financial literacy strand of the Student Success Centre and developing this approach, in partnership with key internal services. Initially, you will undertake professional training to build upon your understanding and awareness of student finance processes and available funding within Higher Education. You will source similar training for staff within your team to ensure they are able to provide effective advice to students. Following this training, you will undertake independent research projects to inform our financial literacy provision including the creation of useful resources and events for students.

Student Interactions You will be oversee the development of financial literacy student appointments, referrals and drop-ins, to ensure this provision offers effective skills development and positively impacts students who require assistance in managing their finances. You will guide a team of staff running weekly pre-booked appointments, referrals and drop-ins, as well as responding to more complex or urgent escalated student cases, and acting as frontline staff on pop-up Student Success Stands across campus.

Collaboration You will develop strong working relationships across the University to foster the retention and attainment of our students. You will organise and run regular meetings with key internal stakeholders involved in student finance and funding, to discuss possible initiatives, events or research projects, as well as discussing specific student cases to ensure these students receive prompt and holistic support.

Workshops and Events You will oversee the development of a programme of ‘Focus on your Finances’ events across the whole student lifecycle, including budgeting and money management workshops and collaborative events with teams across the university. You will also support finance and funding presentations and information stands on Open Days and Offer Holder days as required.

Line Management & Supervising Through line management and supervisor responsibilities, you will provide advice and direction to team members, identifying training needs where relevant; and helping to ensure the team meet operational milestones.

Research & Evaluation You will coordinate evaluation activity for the financial literacy project, analysing and reporting upon data as required. You will undertake independent research projects related to financial literacy, making proposals based on your findings to ensure the project is impactful.

Please note that due to Home Office visa requirements, this role may only be suitable for first-time Skilled Worker visa applicants if they are eligible for salary concessions. For more information please visit: www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa

What we offer in return

• 26 days holiday plus 16 Bank Holidays/days that the University is closed by custom (including Christmas) – that’s 42 days a year!
• Generous pension scheme plus life assurance.
• Health and Wellbeing: Discounted staff membership options at The Edge, our state-of-the-art Campus gym, with a pool, sauna, climbing wall, cycle circuit, and sports halls.
• Personal Development: Access to courses run by our Organisational Development & Professional Learning team.
• Access to on-site childcare, shopping discounts and travel schemes are also available.

And much more!

To explore the post further or for any queries you may have, please contact:

Ciara Middleton, Plus Programme Lead Officer

Email: [email protected]

Closing Date: 12 Nov 2024

Section: Professional & Managerial

Salary: £32,296 to £37,999 per annum