Head of Student Success

Head of Student Success and Experience (Online Campus)

Grade 9 – £58,225 to £69,488

Full Time (1

FTE), Open ended

Location:

This role can be based on our Edinburgh or Dubai campuses – minimum 3 days per week on campus, up to 2 days per week home working.

Annual Leave: 33 days, plus 9 building‑closed days (and Christmas Eve when it falls on a weekday).

• Develop and execute a student success strategy aligned with the Online Campus objectives.
• Drive initiatives to enhance student satisfaction, retention, and progression across all programmes and portfolios.
• Establish KPIs for student success, measuring and improving student outcomes through data‑driven decision‑making.
• Contribute to annual student number planning and financial planning, updating forecasting based on data insights.
• Advocate for student experience excellence within the Online Campus Leadership Team and across Heriot‑Watt University.

• Lead the Student Success team, ensuring learners receive high‑quality support at scale.
• Create and oversee a proactive, data‑informed student support model, ensuring effective interventions that drive engagement and retention.
• Develop and implement strategies for onboarding, induction, and digital skills development for learners.
• Develop a community‑building strategy and champion initiatives that foster belonging, peer‑to‑peer engagement, and student‑led networks.
• Collaborate with marketing, academic, and operational teams to enhance student communications and engagement touchpoints.

• Own and refine key student success processes, from enrolment through to graduation, ensuring seamless coordination across teams.
• Develop a strong collaborative working relationship with the Head of Marketing and Recruitment (Online Campus) and Head of Registry (Online Campus), jointly reviewing and optimizing end‑to‑end student lifecycle processes.
• Work with the Head of Off‑Campus Students to ensure complaint management and escalation pathways support positive student experiences and timely resolution.
• Use data analytics to monitor student engagement patterns, identifying and addressing potential risk factors for retention.
• Drive continuous improvement in student support interventions, faculty‑student interactions, and pastoral care models.
• Contribute to and hold awareness of student policies related to assessment, curriculum, progression, and student support, ensuring accurate guidance.
• Use CRM and student records tools, as well as the VLE and other platforms, to monitor and enhance student engagement and communications.

• Establish ownership and manage the ideal Student Success tech‑stack (CRM, SRS, emailing platform, etc.) to ensure the scale and quality of the student success offering.
• Draw up business cases and secure buy‑in for systems and tech developments or enhancements needed to deliver on Student Success initiatives and KPIs.
• Ensure the team is properly trained in the use of relevant systems and platforms.
• Document processes and monitor use of relevant systems to ensure correct and optimal use.
• Work in partnership with the Head of Registry (Online Campus) to ensure CRM, student records and other systems align with academic operations requirements.

• Work closely with Recruitment, Marketing, Digital Education and Registry & Academic Services (RAS) teams to align student success efforts with strategies aimed at improving student recruitment and learning experiences.
• Ensure alignment between Student Recruitment, Registry & Academic Services (RAS) and Student Success processes.
• Provide insights into student behaviour and success metrics to inform marketing, programme design and institutional strategy.
• Support key institutional initiatives, including B2B/Employer partnerships and scholarship programmes.
• Lead the approach to tracking and reporting on student progression and satisfaction metrics.

• Recruit, develop and lead a high‑performing Student Success team, ensuring they are equipped with the necessary skills and resources.
• Foster a student‑first culture…