Admissions Advisor Derby, England
Job description
Job details
Department
The Registry
Responsible to
Admissions Officer
Location
Kedleston Road, Derby Campus
Salary
£24,870 to £27,195 per annum (For exceptional performers, there is scope for further progression up to £31,274 per annum)
Closing date
Monday 1 May 2023
Contract type
Permanent
Post type
Full-time
Reference
0123-23
About the role
The Admissions team provides a vital service to enable the University to meet its student recruitment targets by delivering an excellent customer experience. The Admissions team remit covers UK and international students across the University’s undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.
This role manages a portfolio of courses, ensuring that applications are processed accurately and expediently in line with the University’s admissions strategy and policies. You will need to plan and prioritise tasks, balance conflicting deadlines, manage high and unpredictable volumes during peak periods, to meet KPIs such as turnaround times, and ensure compliance requirements are met. You will need to be confident working across various digital systems/technologies to process applications and enquiries.
You will work as part of a team and work closely with key stakeholders to ensure a process of fair and compliant admissions to the University. You will be expected to work independently and take ownership of your portfolio of work. Whilst a defined set of courses will be allocated each year, usually on a rotational basis, you will be expected to work collaboratively across all portfolios as required.
You will be the Data Steward for all data within your portfolio of work, ensuring the processing and management of the data is in line with data security policies and established procedures. You will ensure that data is captured in a way it can be used to feed management reporting.
You will support the wider work of the Registry department, providing an excellent applicant experience. You will assist key University operational activities such as Clearing and confirmation, open days, outreach events, and enrolment. You will be expected to undertake occasional evening and weekend work at specific times of the year, particularly in August and September.
Admissions staff will display positive attitudes, behaviours and attributes which support excellence, innovation and achievement.
The post holder will develop and maintain professional standards, actively engaging in Continual Professional Development and adopting good practice from the sector.
Principal accountabilities
- Assess, monitor and manage applications and related enquiries effectively, acting as the key contact for applicants and academics.
- Assess applications for suitability and make a decision to offer or reject in line with entry criteria, the offer strategy, governance requirements and service level agreements.
- Take responsible for issuing offers to applicants and understand an offer constitutes a contract between the University and the applicant. Continually adopt and adjust your approach and methodology to manage conflicting priorities when supporting applicant needs and recruitment targets.
- Have a good understanding of UKVI compliance requirements in relation to international admissions and ensure effective and timely management of international applications which includes assessing the application through to CAS issuance.
- Manage and maintain accurate applicant records and data to enable concise reporting for institutional decision making, strategy development, internal audits and external returns, for example HESA and university league tables.
- Maintain and help to evolve the applicant conversion culture to support institutional goals for candidate quality and recruitment targets.
- Uphold, understand and guard the Admissions Policy for the institution. Hold the same regard for other internal/external policies and procedures.
- Work with the Admissions Officer to implement practice that widens participation to higher education and upholds the values of equality and social inclusion in admissions.
- Deliver an excellent customer service to applicants and internal stakeholders.
- Attend and provide Admissions support for key recruitment and conversion events, for example Open days and outreach events. Help develop content/information and deliver presentations/talks as required for the purpose of training others within the admissions team or in admissions-related rolesas part of our governance role at the University and to assist with outreach activity for schools and college liaison.
- Actively engage and participate in the buddy system in place to enable continuation of service during the absence of colleagues. This will entail working outside of the parameters of your own portfolio of work and focusing on priorities across your own and buddy’s portfolio. This requires keeping the portfolio up to date and completing a comprehensive handover before any planned absence.
- Ensure clear, effective and timely communication as appropriate to internal and external stakeholders. Maintain accurate records to enable evidence-based challenge and support.
- Using available audits and monitoring processes ensure quality assurance of own work and effective prioritisation to avoid creating bottlenecks and delays. Use initiative to resolve problems and queries relevant to responsibilities.
- Act in a responsible, professional manner and comply with General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and data security legislation/policy. In doing so, ensure data is extracted, shared, handled, and stored appropriately and removed responsibly in accordance with the University’s retention policy.
- Attend all training and development opportunities as required to ensure relevancy of practice and compliance.
- Provide a good level of technical expertise, support and ideas to benefit effectiveness of operational activity, recruitment, conversion and compliance. Engage and participate in service projects and provide professional opinion and information as
- Provide information, advice and guidance on entry qualifications, available entry routes and the process of admission to university.
- Provide information, advice and guidance to academic staff on the agreed admissions procedures and policies helping ensure compliance and understanding.
- Deliver timely management information that may be required eg accurate data for HESA returns.
- Assist with delivering a programme of induction and training for new staff to help ensure a deep understanding of relevant procedures, delivery schedule, systems, data/reporting, compliance requirements and technicalities. This includes mentoring and supporting new team members,
- Assist with collating information for responses to FOI, Subject Access Requests and informal/formal admissions complaints as expected.
- On occasion, undertake supervisory responsibilities as required.
- Adopt the University’s Core Values and Underpinning Behaviours.
- Work flexibly including, when required, during evenings and weekends and/or at other sites.
Person specification
Essential Criteria
Qualifications
- HND or equivalent or comparable knowledge and transferable skills gained through professional experience
Experience
- Experience of working in a team within a busy administrative environment
- Experience of using data to manage workload
- Demonstrable experience of adapting to and managing change in the workplace at a personal level
- Experience of working in a customer service environment
- Understanding complex requirements, planning work and managing priorities
- Contributing to the creation of innovative solutions to problems, addressing the root cause and thus making a positive impact
- Strong capabilities in MS Office suite or equivalent experience
- Working collaboratively across boundaries to achieve common goals
- Building and maintaining strong working relationships across an organisation
Skills, knowledge & abilities
- Excellent attention to detail
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Excellent interpersonal skills including the ability to explain complex queries with tact and diplomacy when dealing with a wide range of contacts both internal and external
- Strong customer services skills
- Excellent organisational and time management skills
- Good judgement of situations and people and the ability to respond appropriately and professionally
- Ability to adapt and be flexible
- Ability to understand and apply regulations such aseg GDPR
- Excellent digital literacy and ability to confidently use a range of tools such as Microsoft Office Suite, CRM systems and database products
- Good analytical skills
Business requirements
- Able to work flexibly from home and at our Kedleston road site
- Willing and able to work outside of normal hours during peak periods in the year, particularly during August and September. Prior notice will be given for evening and weekend work
Desirable Criteria
Qualifications
- HND or equivalent
- Customer service qualification
Experience
- Experience of working in an admissions/recruitment team
- Experience of working in the Higher Education sector
- Understanding of a post-16 vocational institution
Benefits
As well as competitive pay scales, we offer generous holiday entitlement. We also offer opportunities for further salary progression based on performance, and the opportunity to join a contributory pension scheme.
