Senior Adviser, Student Support

Department: Student Information and Advice STEM

Weekly

Working Hours:

37

Contract Type: Permanent

Fixed Term

Contract:

End Date: Not Applicable

Welsh Language: Not Applicable

Change your career, change lives

The Open University is the UK’s largest university, a world leader in flexible part-time education combining a mission to widen access to higher education with research excellence, transforming lives through education. Find out more about us and our mission by watching this short video (you will be taken to You Tube by clicking this link).

As a Senior Adviser you will work within the Student Support Hub and will help students and prospective students make study choices that will lead to successful progression, qualification completion and customer satisfaction. The key duties are:

• To provide support, through the provision of advice to students and potential students across the student lifecycle on a wide range of queries from qualification, careers-based enquiries, change of study intentions to assignment extensions and tutor referrals, all received via a variety of channels to maximise student success.
• Where necessary to refer on to other staff with specialist expertise, as part of the Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) model; making interactions with The Open University as effortless and seamless as possible.
• To concentrate on the delivery of expert advice with a focus on a particular curriculum area and the associated Faculty, whilst also providing some advice across all curriculum areas when appropriate.

To provide advice to support students and potential students via a number of channels including inbound and outbound phone calls, emails, letters, online webchat, online forums, social media and face-to-face:

• Act as the first point of referral for students and potential students requiring advice and information, using judgement and expertise to assess queries and ensure that guidance needs are identified and addressed, referring on where appropriate.
• Act as the first point of referral for students and potential students who may present with challenging issues and/or behaviour, e.g.; where a student is distressed because they have missed a deadline critical to their studies.
• Using your experience and initiative, you will navigate and respond to issues, interpreting and applying procedures and guidelines as laid out within agreed policies.

To undertake associated administrative and operational processes to action student and potential student requests:

• Accurately record and maintain student and potential student details on university systems and databases.
• Ensure that complex guidance needs and issues are identified and met, referring/transferring calls appropriately and effectively to other specialist staff as part of an IAG model.

To work as part of a flexible operation to provide support and answer queries from students, potential students and Associate Lecturers within agreed timescales. To work to a rota as part of a Work Force Management System to ensure that all activity is dealt with promptly and effectively and within agreed Service Levels:

• Participate actively in the achievement of agreed service standards.
• Exercise judgement in dealing with complex issues, interpreting and applying guidelines with initiative whilst operating within defined boundaries.

To assist proactively in the development and continuous improvement of good internal and inter-team working and service provision:

• Attending and actively participating in team meetings and developmental activities.
• Contributing to business improvement ideas and initiatives, making recommendations to managers as appropriate.
• Showing initiative in helping the team to run smoothly and working with and supporting other teams as required.
• Undertaking other activities as directed by the Manager.

To continually develop skills and knowledge to maintain and improve personal performance in the spirit of continuous improvement and to adopt correct and evolving business practices and procedures:

• Undertaking all duties in accordance with internal policy and external legislation.
• Working with the Manager, to understand personal performance and areas for development.
• Providing feedback to contribute to colleagues’ performance development.

• A good standard of written English language, grammar and mathematics commensurate with the role.
• Experience of answering and actioning complex and diverse queries, using a wide range of information sources.
• Good communication skills: both oral and written, with effective telephone techniques and the ability to explain policies and processes in plain English as well as to write clearly, succinctly and correctly in plain English.
• Flexibility: including adaptability to changing circumstances, duties, work practices and systems and a commitment to ongoing development with the ability to demonstrate a rapid understanding of newly presented information.
• An ability to deal with and follow complex information and…