Student Casework Team Manager

We are looking for an ambitious and innovative individual with the capability and drive to lead UWE Bristol’s Student Casework service.

About the role: The Student Casework Team Manager leads the work of the Student Casework Team. The team works across the institution and is responsible for supporting the formal processes through which we manage complaints from students or other stakeholders, appeals against formal decisions the University has taken, and the University’s Behaviour and Health Framework. The Behaviour and Health Framework is the University’s formal process for managing student conduct, professional suitability and fitness to study and is responsible for delivering effective interventions for students experiencing escalating difficulties.

As Student Casework Team Manager, you will play a key role in promoting institutional learning and enhancement activities, using insights from UWE casework and awareness of wider sector developments to inform proactive continuous improvement of the student experience. Based in Student and Academic Services, you will work with colleagues across professional services and academic schools to put our students at the heart of what we do.

You will empower team members to deliver a respected and responsive service, embedding a risk-informed approach alongside standard operating procedures to ensure the University responds to issues as quickly and close to the point of difficulty as possible. Proactive and pragmatic, you will take a solution-focused approach to addressing and resolving any operational issues that may arise, always mindful of the University’s strategic vision, agreed service standards and the expectations of external regulatory bodies.

About you: You combine knowledge and understanding of best practice in the design and delivery of effective customer service, customer support and the delivery of people centric issue resolution.

We are keen to hear from applicants with a wide range of backgrounds and don’t need you to have direct experience of working in higher education. For example, you might currently work with people in an advice or support capacity or have a broad understanding of the context, pressures and challenges facing young people and/or adult learners today. Alternatively, you might have experience in customer services, complaints resolution or client issue handling. More important to us are your ability to lead and motivate a team, to ensure effective prioritisation of a varied and complex workload and to deliver a high-quality people-centred service.

Energetic and resilient, you enjoy working at pace and are comfortable leading and working with uncertainty, incomplete information and complexity. You have excellent communication and influencing skills and establish credibility quickly with staff at all levels. You are passionate about the power of higher education to transform lives and will inspire your team individually and collectively to deliver the best possible support for students.

About us: UWE Bristol is an ambitious university. Together, our people are working hard to advance knowledge, inspire people and transform futures. We are looking for people with the skills and ambition to help us achieve those aims.

We are a well-established university, with over 30,000 students, 250,000 alumni and 3,600 staff. UWE Bristol is one of the largest providers of Higher Education in the South West. We are globally connected and regionally embedded, with strong employer and partner connections. Students come to study with us from all over the UK, as well as from 140 different countries, making this a diverse and interesting place to study. We achieved 89% overall student satisfaction in the National Student Satisfaction survey in 2018, this excellent result puts us as the top university in the South West and in seventh place nationally. In 2018 we were placed in the Guardian’s Top 40 Universities in the UK.

Bristol itself is a hub of social and cultural activity and is a big pull for students and employers alike. A place with a strong, creative, and fiercely independent mindset. A city with a buzzing music scene, great restaurants, and interesting business ventures. It’s not surprising Bristol is consistently named as one of the best places to live and work in the UK.

For further information of the duties and responsibilities of this role please refer to the attached job description.

Job Share: This post is available on a job share basis for applicants wishing to work part time.

This post is based at our lively Frenchay campus where we have invested in the latest facilities and resources to give our students access to everything they need to succeed – with £300m having been spent recently on new state-of-the-art learning spaces and accommodation to enhance our offer even further. Frenchay campus is within close proximity to excellent motorway links and within walking distance of two train stations, making UWE Frenchay Campus the ideal place to work for those wishing to commute to Bristol.

If you would like an informal discussion, please contact Ian Stratton on 0117 328 2013 (Ian.Stratton@uwe.ac.uk) or Heather Moyes on 0117 328 7125 (Heather.Moyes@uwe.ac.uk).

This is a full-time permanent post working 37 hours per week.

First stage interviews are expected to take place on 19 January 2023

Final Interviews are expected to take place on 02 February 2023. This will include a presentation and formal interview.

UWE is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity to create an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds who share our ambition to be a university recognized for the success and impact of our practice-oriented programmes, our strong industry networks, and our inclusive global outlook.

We may able to sponsor qualifying candidates for this role under the Home Office Skilled Worker visa route. Please read our Skilled Worker Guidance to assess if you will be eligible to be sponsored under the criteria.

Please also refer to the Home Office Right to Work Checklist which provides details of which documents are acceptable to prove your right to work in the UK. Should you be shortlisted you will be asked to produce your right to work documents at your interview.

Please note that UWE does not cover any visa or health surcharge costs.