JOB DESCRIPTION

Employment status and working hours

Permanent, 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.

Organisation structure

Chief Operating Officer, Apprenticeship Business Management.

Your line manager will be Renata Dzwonkowska, Apprenticeship Funding and Compliance Manager.

Place of work flexibility

Your time will be split between the Horizons, Reading office and your home*. The exact split of days/hours is negotiable but must include up to 30 days per year spent at Horizons only on the core days (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday). *Working from home is only possible if your environment is suitable.

High level summary of job role

The Apprenticeship Business Management (ABM) team is a small, dynamic team that provides technical and administrative business support to a range of internal and external stakeholders, supporting the smooth running of all apprenticeship business operations and ensuring the University remains fully compliant with all regulatory frameworks.

As the Apprenticeship Business Support Officer, you will undertake a range of Department for Education (DfE) apprenticeship funding and compliance activities which aid the effective operation of the University’s apprenticeship business processes. You will work to achieve high levels of customer satisfaction whilst remaining compliant with both regulatory and contractual requirements. You will manage allocated aspects of the University’s apprenticeship business operations which relate to changes in apprentice circumstances, funding, compliance, and elements of financial reporting. You will have the opportunity to support both internal and external audit activities, as well as, where necessary, maintaining the management of several apprenticeship related contracts, including subcontracts with external partners.

Specific job role accountabilities and responsibilities

• Oversee, manage and be responsible for allocated aspects of the University’s apprenticeship business support operations, such as change of employer, change of apprenticeship, change of pathway, change of personal circumstances, Assessment of Professional Competence (APC), gateway, completions, End Point Assessment (EPA), workshop provision etc.
• Support the integration of the University’s apprenticeship provision into the wider business operations.
• Collaborate with others, both internally and externally, to make recommendations for developments of established processes and procedures within the apprenticeship provision.
• Contribute to the development, implementation and continuous improvement of lean administrative systems, processes, and practices.
• Using strong digital and analytical skills with keen attention to detail, support the tracking, monitoring, and reporting of apprenticeship business activity, and, where necessary, highlighting anomalies.
• Contribute to and support all activities which mitigate against loss of funding.
• Contribute to financial governance and reporting – draw up new apprenticeship agreements and liaise with finance where necessary; arrange co-investment terms and liaise with apprentice/employer to discuss and gain agreement.
• Use a range of internal and external systems e.g., SITS, PICS, ACE 360, Apprenticeship Service account, e:Vision, dashboards, process spreadsheets and other systems as required, to complete all required business activities.
• Work closely with employers and EPA Organisations to provide APC, gateway, and EPA data to ensure successful and timely completion of apprentice change of circumstance activities.
• Liaise with Apprenticeship Outcomes Officers (AOOs), Apprenticeship Outcomes Managers (AOMs), Business Development, Employers, and where necessary, the Apprentice to discuss and provide technical guidance on any change of apprentice circumstance, ensuring full compliance with the DfE apprenticeship funding rules.
• Support OFSTED and ESFA activities and actions.
• Commit to regular CPD training activities, to stay up to date with latest apprenticeship funding rules/processes.

Undertake allocated administrative duties to include but not limited to:

• Act as the first point of contact for all apprenticeship change of circumstance enquiries, taking the initiative to screen, allocate and prioritise emails, telephone calls and correspondence, taking appropriate action where necessary.
• Prepare documentation and process requests relating to apprentice change of circumstances, e.g. change of employer, change of apprenticeship, change of pathway, completions etc and apprentice progression, gateway, End-point assessment and completions.
• Invoice requisition and processing.
• Assist with accurate data entry and data maintenance to facilitate accurate reporting both internally and externally. Utilise strong digital skills and attention to detail to ensure Excel reports are coherent and accurately reflect our position.
• Request data from other internal teams to collate and sort, and/or assist with the preparation of reports and accurate statistical data.
• Support the administration of apprenticeship-related surveys.
• Undertake other such duties of a similar nature which fall within the scope of the post, and which may be required from time to time.

Other important features of the job role

Line management responsibilities: None.

Budget responsibility: None.

In this role you will liaise with the following: Admissions and Enquiries, Business Development, Student Engagement, Apprenticeship Outcomes, Employers, Apprentices, EPAO’s.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

E = 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 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), and three years employment history.

Qualifications and training

GCSE Maths and English language Grade C or 4 or above (E, A).

Further education level qualifications (D, A).

Degree level qualification (D, A).

Previous experience

Recent business support experience in either an apprenticeship facing role or in a role linked to ESFA/DfE funded programmes (E, A, I).

Experience of undertaking work activity and controls processes which are subject to externally set compliance requirements and external audit/review (E, A, I).

Experience within the education sector / built environment / higher education (D, A, I).

Skills, knowledge, and aptitudes

Strong communication skills (E, A, I, T).

Ability to work to deadlines and manage competing priorities in a highly pressurised environment (E, I).

Accuracy and precision, with good attention to detail (E, A, I, T).

Effective planning and organisational skills (E, A, I).

Digital skills confidence: We use MS Office which includes Teams, Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint and several other systems/technology (E, I, T).

Ability to monitor performance against targets/key performance indicators (E, A, I).

Proactive and professional manner with a ‘can-do’, solutions focused approach (E, I).

Ability to develop strong working relationships with both internal and external stakeholders (E, I).

Strong evaluation and analytical skills (E, I).

Ability to work to deadlines and manage competing priorities in a highly pressurised environment (E, I).

A clear understanding of Apprenticeship Funding and Compliance rules and regulations (D, A, I).

Financial planning and management skills (D, A, I).

Other requirements or special requirements

Alignment to the University’s core values of Passion, Integrity, Excellence and Support; all employees are expected to demonstrate our values at work (E, I).

Commitment to delivering positive outcomes for our students; we want our students to be successful (E, I).

You must be prepared to undertake mandatory online training should you be appointed including Data Protection, Health and Safety, Safeguarding, Prevent, and EDI (E, I).

PAY AND BENEFITS

Salary: Salary range £26,000 to £28,000 per annum.

Holiday: 26 days paid holiday (rising to 28 with service) plus paid bank/public holidays plus up to five paid closure days (typically between Christmas and New Year); all per holiday year Full Time Equivalent. Our holiday year runs from 1 August to 31 July. We also have a holiday buy and sell scheme in place. Sometimes the University does not need to close for five days per year and any balance (for example one day), can be used as a paid Wellbeing Day to take time out for your own physical or mental health.

Pension and life assurance: Pensions auto-enrolment to the People’s Pension which is a default salary sacrifice scheme. You may opt out of salary sacrifice but remain in the scheme, or you may choose to opt out altogether. We provide life assurance (death in service) cover as standard to all employees.

Family-friendly policies: Policies in place for all types of family-friendly statutory leave with enhanced pay available from day one of employment for some leave types. Access to Tax-Free Childcare (Government scheme).

Wellbeing: Full access to the Employee Assistance Programme as well as the Thrive Mental Wellbeing app. Several employees are trained Mental Health First Aiders and can support staff. We have a wellbeing policy and we focus on five pillars of wellbeing.

Sustainable travel: Cycle to Work and Electric Vehicle salary sacrifice schemes.

Parking: We have locked sheds for bicycles. For cars, for Horizons based roles, we may in the future be able to offer parking on site however you must not assume this will be possible. Every now and then we may have a spare parking space become available and you can ask to join the waiting list. The University is keen wherever possible, to encourage staff to commute as sustainably as possible.

Other health related benefits: Employer-funded Health Cash Plan (Simplyhealth) and voluntary dental insurance (Unum).

Other valuable benefits:

• Charity giving options available including one voluntary paid day, per annum.
• You will have access to Microsoft Office 365 applications for personal use.
• You will have access to range of lifestyle discounts and everyday savings.
• We offer learning platforms including LinkedIn learning.

On the Join the team page of our website, you will find the full list of employee benefits.

APPLICATIONS - THINGS TO CONSIDER

For an informal discussion about the role please contact Renata Dzwonkowska on 0118 467 2039 or email r.dzwonkowska@ube.ac.uk. For any other enquiries please contact HR on 0118 467 2454 / 2433 or email recruitment@ube.ac.uk

Did one of our employees recommend you? If you apply on the recommendation of an existing employee, please make sure to mention their name within your application.

We're passionate about sustainability and we have a five-year strategic plan: We expect job seekers to be curious about who we are and what we do. We point you towards a couple of resources about who we are and sustainability.

Closing date and next steps

We will receive applications until the advert closes on Wednesday 03 September 2025 at 17:00. We will not consider late applications. Our ATS does not screen applications, we humans do. Applications may be reviewed prior to the closing date and occasionally, you may be invited to interview ahead of the closing date.

Interview details

Dates for interview will be advised to you later in the process. We'll ask you to tell us about any dates you cannot make, up to 4 weeks from the closing date; this helps us to plan interviews should you be shortlisted, prior to contacting you.

Interviews are normally carried out over Microsoft Teams or Zoom. Depending on the job role and place of work, your interview may be at our Reading or London office. Please be prepared for a two-stage interview process, held on different dates. As part of the interview process, you will likely meet a member of the Senior Leadership Team.

Note for internal candidates

If you are an existing employee, we request you inform your current line manager of your intention to apply for this role.