Careers Success Adviser (1617)
Careers Success Adviser
Full Time - Permanent - High Wycombe
Salary - £33,232 - £36,924
Buckinghamshire New University is an ambitious, modern university that is always open to fresh ideas and thinking. We believe in the transformative power of education, and in doing the right thing by our students, people and local community. That’s why our BNU community is a special place to work and study, and where people who want to make a difference can contribute and succeed.
Our University’s DRIVE values and are at the heart of all that we do. We are united in being dynamic, responsible, inclusive, visionary and empowering to ensure that we provide the best experience to our learners and offer excellent service to our partners and to each other as colleagues. Our commitment to these values is unwavering and they are central to our mission. We encourage applications from all backgrounds, communities and industries and we are happy to discuss any reasonable adjustments that you require.
Working in the Careers Success team , the Career Success Advisor will provide specialist employability advice and career support to all students, apprentices and alumni by acting as a professional specialist in student and graduate employability, personal development planning, theory and practice of career choice and development, graduate occupations, graduate destinations, and relevant labour market trends.
The post holder will work collaboratively to deliver a multidisciplinary, inclusive and responsive service, to ensure a positive student experience and outcomes, responding effectively to student diversity.
What we offer:
- a generous holiday entitlement (30 days per annum, plus bank holidays & closure days)
- Hybrid working (dependant on business needs)
- training & development support opportunities
- contributory pension scheme
- discounted gym membership for our on-site gym
- a range of staff discounts with major retailers.
Please click here to see our wide range of benefits available for employees.
Please click here for our behavioural based interview question bank.
Please click here to view our employee handbook.
If you have the qualities and attributes representative of the University’s values and ambition, we would be delighted to hear from you.
For further information about this role please contact Christopher Little (Careers Success Manager) at Christopher.Little@bucks.ac.uk
All applications are to be made in full and online.
BNU is proud to have a diverse community and a strong track record of diversity, equity and inclusion. Our aim is to continue to build an environment where everyone thrives and can be themselves. We therefore ensure that our interview/shortlisting Chairs complete the relevant e-learning and/or inclusive recruitment training.
We therefore particularly encourage applications from candidates who are likely to be underrepresented in BNU’S workforce. These include people from global majority backgrounds, disabled people, and LGBTQI+ people, particularly in more senior roles.
Closing Date: 17 November 2024
Interview Date: 28 November 2024
If you are successful in securing an interview for the role, you will be required to provide proof of eligibility to work in the UK.
BNU is a Disability Confident employer and as such you will be given the opportunity to declare a disability as part of the application process. The University is also committed to achieving the Race Equality Charter.
Job Description
JOB DESCRIPTION
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Job Title: Career Success Advisor |
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Faculty/Directorate: Directorate for Student Success |
Grade: F |
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Location: High Wycombe (requirement to work across all campuses) |
Hours: 37 |
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Responsible to: Career Success Manager |
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Responsible for: Providing specialist employability and career success advice and support. |
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Job Purpose: The Career Success Advisor will provide specialist employability and career success advice and support to all students, by acting as a professional specialist in student and graduate employability, personal development planning, theory and practice of career choice and career development, graduate occupations, graduate destinations, and relevant labour market trends. The post holder will work collaboratively to deliver a multidisciplinary, inclusive and responsive service, to ensure a positive student experience and outcomes, responding effectively to student diversity.
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Main Duties & Responsibilities of the role:
- To provide impartial, confidential advice and guidance to students and alumni on employment opportunities, career paths, further study and other employability matters and refer to other parts of the Directorate to support the complex needs of students.
- Develop and deliver a full range of fully inclusive employability and careers advice and support to students, apprentices, postgraduates and alumni including, but not limited to: employability training such as workshops, seminars and blended delivery on career management topics; innovative and client-centred coaching, advice and support (individually or in groups); writing guidance/learning materials to support the provision of a high quality career success service, in collaboration with curriculum leads, Student Union and academics as appropriate.
- Build close working relationship with allocated schools and act as an initial point of escalation and referral from academic staff on employability / student opportunities and careers issues to help students develop their employability.
- To work collaboratively across the university to better prepare students to take advantage of work experience, placement and graduate level opportunities in support of improved graduate outcomes and to increase student engagement with PlacementPlus and other services and resources.
- Contribute to the effectiveness of a retention-focused referral process by ensuring students considering withdrawal are offered appropriate impartial information, advice and guidance.
- To represent the Service and Directorate at open days, career fairs /events, external meetings and networking events as required.
- To ensure appropriate monitoring, evaluation and reporting systems are in place to support student progression and employability outcome and to monitor, evaluate and report on the outcomes of students from disadvantaged or low participation backgrounds.
- Ensure new learning technologies are embedded in the delivery of interventions and support where appropriate, facilitating effective and efficient working with students and academic colleagues.
- To assist with quality assurance processes, including the Matrix Standard, as required by the Head of Career Success, as well as analysing user feedback.
- Contribute to ongoing improvements to the service, based on evidence of impact, efficiency and sector best practice, leading improvement projects on behalf of the team as agreed with the Head.
- Project manage key university-wide employability initiatives e.g. Graduate Internships, Placement Plus requiring specialist knowledge.
- Develop and maintain a good working knowledge of graduate employment trends and opportunities, legislative requirements and keep abreast of the aims and objectives of national bodies concerned with careers work, such as the Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services (AGCAS) , undertaking continuous professional development, as agreed with the Head
- Comply with the Data Protection Act 2018 and GDPR; Health and Safety; and Equality and Diversity requirements and legislation in all working practices.
- Such other duties temporarily or on a continuing basis, as may reasonably be required.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
A = Application T = Test I = Interview
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Education, Qualifications & Training |
Means of Testing |
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Degree. D A |
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Diploma in Careers Guidance or other relevant postgraduate qualification |
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HE teaching qualification or associate fellow/fellow of HEA or equivalent professional experience or significant experience in the delivery of high quality employability and professional development activity and training |
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Knowledge & Experience |
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Up to date knowledge of careers, employability or placement learning support work in higher education |
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Recent significant experience as a Careers Advisor or Careers Consultant or Employability / Enterprise Educator or similar in HE and providing specialist employability support to groups and on a one-to-one basis |
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Knowledge and experience of graduate recruitment practices and best practice in relation to equality and diversity with respect to employability |
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Experience of leading operational activities in an employability-related service area and acting as a point of escalation |
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Experience of providing advice and guidance to academic colleagues and internal/external stakeholders to support decision-making, in a relevant area |
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Experience of organising, supporting and delivering events/projects |
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Experience of designing, writing and delivering programme in career management / employability with a working knowledge of the principles of inclusive curriculum development |
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Experience of carrying out a range of complex administrative activities and data analysis and reporting |
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Skills |
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Digital and IT Literacy: Proficient in the use of MS office applications, social media, virtual learning environments (VLE) |
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Excellent verbal and written communication, including ability to write reports and write and deliver presentations to diverse audiences |
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Excellent interpersonal skills particularly listening and questioning and the ability to develop rapport, persuade and negotiate |
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Willingness to incorporate e-learning technologies into working practices (e.g. Teams, lecture capture technology, interactive voting technologies, webinars etc) |
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Ability to work independently and as part of a team |
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Flexible approach to work and commitment to providing a professional service |
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Ability to plan, organise and prioritise own workload and resources, including managing projects, anticipating issues and planning workable solutions |
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Ability to work effectively under pressure and to deadlines |
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Ability to gather and analyse data, recognising and interpreting patterns and trends |
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Special Requirements |
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Willingness and ability to travel to off-site locations as required |
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Some activities will require evening or weekend working e.g. open days, recruitment events etc) |
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Behavioural INDICATORS
The Bucks Behaviours Framework (BBF) is a framework for all University staff that sets out the key behaviours that exemplify the DRIVE values and ethos of the University. The nine categories provide a clear steer on behavioural expectations that will help support a step change in the performance and culture of the University. The three key behavioural indicators for this post are as follows:
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Managing Excellent Service: Making every contact count by providing the best quality service to all our customers (internal customers, students and all our stakeholders). Building genuine and open long-term relationships in order to improve customer services. |
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Developing Self and Others: Showing commitment to own ongoing professional development. Supporting and encouraging others to develop their professional knowledge, skills and behaviours to enable them to reach their full potential. |
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Working Together: Working collaboratively and across boundaries with others in order to achieve objectives. Recognising and valuing the different contributions people bring to this process. |
