Student Information and Advice Manager
University of the Built Environment · Reading, United Kingdom · hybrid
JOB DESCRIPTIONEmployment status and working hoursPermanent, full time.
Full-time hours at the University are 35 per week with the standard working pattern Monday to Friday from 09:00 to 17:00, with some flexibility in start/finish times.
Organisation structureEducation and Students, Student Advice.
Your line manager will be Ella Wheeler, Head of Student Support.
Place of work flexibilityThe majority of your working week will be spent at our office in Reading and the rest at your home*. The exact split of days/hours is negotiable but must include a minimum of three working days each week in Horizons (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday). The office closes on Fridays. *Working from home is only possible if your environment is suitable – please see the ‘Working from home’ section on our Careers Site for further information.
High level summary of job roleAs the Student Information and Advice Manager, you will oversee the operational delivery of high-quality information, advice and guidance to a diverse cohort of students, including undergraduates, postgraduates and degree apprentices.
You’ll balance day-to-day team leadership, active performance management, meaningful liaison and problem solving with colleagues across the organisation, and quality improvement.
Working closely with the Head of Student Support, you will take a data-led approach to lead the Student Advice team to continuously develop their service, including preparing for and supporting new ways of working as our organisation changes and grows. You will ensure the team continues to work in line with the Matrix Standard for information, advice and guidance.
You will deputise for the Head of Student Support when required and act as a strong link between the Student Advice and Student Community teams, ensuring your service listens to student voices and provides excellent student experiences.
Specific job role accountabilities and responsibilitiesTeam leadership and operational management- Lead, motivate, and line-manage a team of seven Student Advice officers in their roles delivering student support across phones, email, and online platforms.
- Manage day-to-day operational issues, workflow distribution, working patterns, rotas, and escalation handling to ensure consistent, timely support for students and apprentices.
- Foster an open, collaborative, and accountable team culture, encouraging professional development and the maintenance/building of positive cross-organisational working practices.
Performance management and supporting change- Set and review clear performance targets, and service level agreements (SLAs) for individual team members and the team as a whole.
- Manage SLAs for student enquiries across the organisation, supporting other teams where required to ensure excellent customer service.
- Conduct regular one-to-ones and team meetings, quality assurance checks on advice delivery, and constructive performance reviews, proactively managing underperformance and ensuring the maintenance of positive workplace behaviours.
- Act as a change champion, supporting staff through organisational change whenever it arises, focusing on enquiry systems and best-practice digital support.
- Support team members to design and run their own specialist areas of knowledge/projects to drive service improvements.
Process improvement and stakeholder engagement- Identify friction points in procedures and processes, particularly where they impact students, working cross-functionally across the University to resolve issues at source.
- Establish strong working relationships across departments to ensure the Student Advice team receives accurate, up-to-date policy, regulatory, and procedural information.
- Regularly review operational workflows to improve advice quality, response times, and overall student satisfaction.
Service development and knowledge management- Work with the Head of Student Support to implement a vision for the advice service aligned with organisation strategy, contributing to continuous service evaluation and redesign if and when required.
- Support a shift toward proactive knowledge management, aiding in the creation and maintenance of a robust, student-facing knowledge base to enable student self-service.
- Analyse service interaction data and student feedback to identify common enquiry trends and feed findings into service improvements.
Other important features of the job roleLine management responsibilities: Yes, and the number of direct reports is seven.
Budget responsibility: None.
In this role you will liaise with the following: Students and apprentices, Academic teams, Academic Registry, Student Services teams and the majority of university support/professional services teams. Occasional contact will also be required with employers, regulators and accreditation bodies.
PERSON SPECIFICATIONE = Essential person requirement; D = Desirable person requirement
How the person requirement will be assessed:
A = Application; I = Interview; T = Test or other assessment
Please be aware that as part of safer recruitment and onboarding processes, we will seek original documentary evidence of the relevant academic and/or professional qualifications which you include within your job application. This is all part of our comprehensive pre-employment screening which also includes checking your identity, right to work, criminal record history (basic disclosure unless specified otherwise), and three years employment history. This is all part of our commitment to safeguarding our students. Keeping our students safe is a responsibility shared by everyone within the University.
Qualifications and trainingGCSE Maths and English language Grade C or 4 or above (E, A).
Team leadership or management qualification at level 3 or above (D, A).
Qualification in information advice and guidance (IAG), coaching, counselling, or other client support discipline at level 2 or above (D, A).
Previous experienceProven experience of managing a large, busy, customer-facing team (E, A, I).
Track record of successful performance management (E, A, I).
Working with developers or technology teams (as a non-technical partner) to improve clients’ online experiences (E, A, I).
Successfully managing or resolving challenging cases involving staff, stakeholders or clients (E, A, I).
Proven experience of working sensitively and effectively with clients and colleagues from diverse backgrounds, cultures and lived experiences (E, A, I).
Successfully using data to improve processes and services (E, A, I).
Designing and working with client/student representatives, feedback activities and complaints (D, A, I).
In a management role within the education sector (D, A, I).
Leading staff who are working remotely (D, A, I).
Behaviours and attitudesAlignment to the University’s core values and growth mindset approach, which reflect our culture. Refer to the specific behaviours within the Competency Framework (E, I) – summarised within the careers site.
Skills, knowledge, other requirementsSkilled in problem solving, diplomacy and conflict management (E, I, A).
Capabilities in identifying inefficiencies/underperforming processes and designing client-focused, efficient alternatives (E, I, A).
Proficiency with online enquiries management or CRM systems (E, I, A).
Proven performance management skills with the ability to set clear objectives and boundaries (E, I, A).
Strong attention to detail and ability to absorb and disseminate complex information (E, I, A).
Proven ability to develop and deliver a long-term vision for operational improvement (E, I, T).
Capable of taking a calm, client-focused approach in a busy environment where there might be multiple workstreams and conflicting priorities (E, I, A).
Excellent communication skills across digital channels, over the phone and in person, with the ability to adapt to different audiences and situations (E, I, A, T).
Understanding of information, advice a