Job Scope

Main Responsibilities:

• Provide day to day line management duties for 3.0 FT Advisers and other Advice Hub staff who deliver a range of simple and complex student advice encompassing academic advice, housing, student funding and finance, welfare benefits, and general wellbeing and emotional support.
• Ensure that cases are distributed in a balanced way across the team and that regular case reviews are undertaken.
• Support with advice and casework delivery directly to students as and when required.
• Ensure that department staff have access to support, learning and development opportunities, and are motivated in their roles.
• Provide high-level expert advice to advisers, acting where appropriate as second-tier advice provision.
• Maintain and develop where required operational policies and procedures.
• Deliver annual impact reporting for the service to the Senior Management Team and Strath Union Trustee Board.
• Ensure a high level of student support and advice is embedded across the service, from point of contact to exit.
• Lead the development and delivery of strategic and operational planning for the Advice Hub, and contribute to wider organisational planning with particular focus on welfare-related matters.
• Manage the Advice Hub annual operating budget and other funding sources allocated to the Advice Hub, ensuring that appropriate monies are allocated to areas of needs and are tracked accordingly, ensuring as far as possible that best value for money is achieved in expenditure.
• Provide oversight of awards and payments made by the Participation Fund and Advice Hub Emergency Funds.
• Manage external relationships with the University of Strathclyde and other external partners to ensure best practice that is consistent with the Higher Education and Students’ Union sectors.
• Oversee the delivery of the Hear to Listen and Nightline projects.
• Act in the capacity of Strath Union staff support for Glasgow Students’ Nightline, ensuring that student volunteers have access to support and expertise on volunteer service delivery, safeguarding, and budget management advice.
• Ensure that the work of the Advice Hub is complaint with GDPR and data protection requirements and that all staff act in line with relevant legislation at all times.

Support:

• Support the work of the Advice Hub and Student Engagement departments, and other colleagues in delivering departmental projects and events.
• Support the work of the Student Executive and non-Executive Officers, particularly the Vice President Welfare.

Student Care:

• Ensure that students are signposted clearly where appropriate to relevant internal or external services.
• Ensure that students’ expectations are exceeded wherever possible.
• Deal with feedback in a courteous, efficient, and timely manner.

General:

• Comply with all Strath Union policies, procedures, and governing documents.
• Work within Strath Union’s Mission, Vision, and Values at all times.
• Be responsible for all health and safety requirements related to the role.
• Undertake any other tasks commensurate with the level of appointment that may from time to time be reasonably requested.
• The post holder is expected to portray a positive image of Strath Union, both internally and externally and to set high standards of personal integrity and professionalism at all times, leading by example.
• The post-holder is expected to undertake such personal and professional development as required to maintain appropriate knowledge and skills to fulfil the requirements of the role. This may include attending events away from the offices of Strath Union and outside of Glasgow.

Person Specification

Other

• This role needs to demonstrate understanding of the advice journey from beginning to end and be able to effectively implement robust, well informed, and safe advice processes.
• Students’ Unions are a specialised area where the Student Executive Officers are elected annually and as a result this presents various challenges and opportunities.
• The post holder will be a member of staff who will at all times be expected to portray a positive image of the Union, both internally and externally and to set high standards of personal integrity and professionalism, leading by personal example.
• The role is subject to a 6-month probationary period.
• The post-holder will be eligible to join the Strath Union workplace pension scheme.
• The post may include occasional evening and weekend work.
• It is expected that the starting grade for this role would be 7.1. Annual salary of £33,309.
• 31 days’ annual leave per year plus 11 public/bank/local holidays (pro rata as necessary).
• Hybrid working may be available for this role

Strathclyde Students’ Union is committed to promoting diversity and equality for all and welcomes applications from candidates of all backgrounds. We particularly welcome applications from applicants with disabilities, from ethnic minority backgrounds, and those with diverse sexualities or marginalised gender identities as these groups are underrepresented.