JOB DESCRIPTION

Employment status and working hours

Permanent, part time for 17.5 hours per week.

In this part time role your weekly working pattern can be discussed at interview.

Organisation structure

Education and Students, Widening Participation.

Your line manager will be Charlotte Thackeray, Outreach and Inclusion Lead.

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 a minimum of one working day each week in Horizons only on the core days (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday). *Working from home is only possible if your environment is suitable – please see the ‘Working from home’ section on our Careers Site for further information.

High level summary of job role

As the Student Outreach Officer, you will support the University of the Built Environment's commitment to widening participation, social mobility and inclusive student recruitment by developing, coordinating and delivering a comprehensive programme of outreach activities and interventions.

You will build and maintain effective relationships with schools, colleges, employers, community organisations and other stakeholders to inspire learners from underrepresented backgrounds to consider higher education and careers within the built environment sector. You will deliver high-quality information, advice and guidance, design engaging outreach programmes, support student recruitment objectives and contribute to the University's Access and Participation Plan targets.

Working collaboratively with academic colleagues, professional services teams, student ambassadors and external partners, you will coordinate activities that raise awareness of higher education opportunities and careers across disciplines such as construction, surveying, real estate, sustainability and the wider built environment.

Specific job role accountabilities and responsibilities

Outreach planning and delivery

• Develop, coordinate and deliver a range of outreach activities, including:
  - School and college presentations
  - Subject taster sessions and masterclasses
  - Careers and progression workshops
  - Community engagement activities
  - Teacher and adviser events
  - Virtual outreach programmes and webinars

• Plan and manage outreach activities from conception through to evaluation, ensuring programmes align with the University's recruitment, access and widening participation objectives.

• Provide accurate and engaging information about higher education, student finance, admissions, student support and careers within the built environment sector.

Partnership and relationship management

• Develop and maintain productive relationships with schools, colleges, multi-academy trusts, local authorities, employers and community organisations.

• Act, where necessary, as a key contact for designated partner institutions and ensure effective communication and coordinated engagement.

• Work collaboratively with academic schools to develop subject-specific outreach activities that showcase the University's distinctive offer.

Student Ambassador coordination

• Support the recruitment, training, supervision and development of Student Ambassadors involved in outreach activities.

• Ensure ambassadors deliver a high-quality participant experience and act as positive representatives of the University.

Evaluation, monitoring and reporting

• Maintain accurate records of outreach activity, engagement and outcomes using CRM and tracking systems, including HEAT.

• Collect, analyse and report on participation data, feedback and impact measures.

• Contribute to evaluation processes and evidence gathering to demonstrate progress against institutional targets.

• Use insight and evaluation findings to inform future programme development and continuous improvement.

Safeguarding and compliance

• Act in accordance with University safeguarding policies and procedures.

• Ensure appropriate risk assessments are undertaken for outreach activities.

• Maintain awareness of safeguarding, data protection, health and safety and relevant sector guidance.

Other important features of the job role

Line management responsibilities: None.

Budget responsibility: None.

In this role you will liaise with the following: Student services, Marketing, Business Development, schools, colleges, built environment organisations.

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 safer recruitment and 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 unless specified otherwise), and three years employment history. This is all part of our commitment to safeguarding our students. Keeping our students safe is a responsibility shared by everyone within the University.

Qualifications and training

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

Degree level qualification or equivalent professional experience (E, A).

Previous experience

Working with schools, colleges, young people or community organisations (E, A, I).

Monitoring activities and maintaining accurate records (E, A, I).

Delivering presentations to a range of audiences (E, A, I).

Planning and delivering educational outreach, widening participation, student recruitment, community engagement or careers-related activities (D, A, I).

Monitoring activities, collecting data and producing reports to measure impact and outcomes (D, A, I).

Working independently as well as collaboratively within a team (D, A, I).

Organising events, workshops, presentations or engagement programmes. (D, A, I).

Within the education sector, built environment, higher education (D, A, I).

Managing student ambassadors or volunteers (D, A, I).

Behaviours and attitudes

Alignment to the University’s core values and growth mindset approach, which reflect our culture. Refer to the specific behaviours within the Competency Framework (E, I) – summarised within the careers site.

Skills, knowledge, other requirements

Strong presentation, communication and interpersonal skills (E, A, I, T).

Ability to build and maintain productive stakeholder relationships (E, A, I).

Effective organisational and project management skills (E, A, I).

Ability to engage and motivate young people from diverse backgrounds (E, A, I, T).

Ability to work effectively both independently and collaboratively (E, A, I).

Strong administrative and data management skills (E, A, I).

Ability to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines (E, A, I).

Commitment to excellent customer service (E, A, I).

Full UK driving licence or ability to travel regularly to outreach locations (E, A, I).

Understanding of outreach evaluation frameworks and impact measurement (D, A, I).

Knowledge of careers and opportunities within the built environment sector (D, 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).

Commitment to delivering positive outcomes for our students regardless of your area of work within the University; we want our students to be successful (E, I).

You must be prepared to undertake mandatory online training should you be appointed. The University is regulated by the Office for Students and Ofsted, and we have specific requirements and expectations around safeguarding, Prevent, and anti-harassment and bullying. This is all part of our Competency Framework requirements (E, I).

Enhanced DBS clearance (E, I).

Willingness to work evenings and weekends as and when required (E, I).

Willingness to travel to outreach events across the UK and occasionally stay overnight (E, I).

PAY AND BENEFITS

Salary: Salary range £12,000 to £13,000 per annum (£24,000 to £26,000 Full Time Equivalent).

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 range of lifestyle discounts and everyday savings.

• We offer learning platforms including LinkedIn learning.

APPLICATIONS - THINGS TO CONSIDER

For an informal discussion about the role please contact Charlotte Thackeray on 0118 467 2496 or email c.thackeray@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 Tuesday 15 September 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.