Admissions Advisor

The University of Derby is a modern university with a modern outlook, awarded Gold in the prestigious Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023. Everything we do is driven by delivering excellence and opportunities for our students, our staff and our region.

The Registry supports the whole student journey, from initial enquiry and admission through to final award and beyond. We work as an integrated, student-focused service, using our expertise, insight and technology to deliver excellent services and support student success.

The Admissions team provides a vital service to enable the University to meet its student recruitment targets by delivering an excellent customer experience, covering UK and international students across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes.

About the Role

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.

This position is offered on a fixed-term basis to cover a period of maternity leave, with the contract for 12 months. There may be the potential for the contract to be extended beyond this date, however this cannot be guaranteed.

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 responsibility 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.
- 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 Higher Education Statistics Agency (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 roles, 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Deliver timely management information that may be required, e.g. accurate data for HESA returns.
- Assist with delivering a programme of induction and training for new staff.
- Assist with collating information for responses to Freedom of Information (FOI), Subject Access Requests and informal/formal admissions complaints.
- On occasion, undertake supervisory responsibilities as required.
- Support the wider work of The Registry department, providing an excellent applicant experience.
- Adopt the University's Core Values and Underpinning Behaviours.

Person Specification

Essential Criteria

Qualifications:
- HND or equivalent qualification, 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 large data sets 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.

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.
- Understanding complex requirements, planning work and managing priorities.
- Contributing to the creation of innovative solutions to problems.
- Working collaboratively across boundaries to achieve common goals.
- Building and maintaining strong working relationships across an organisation.
- 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 as 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:
- Ability to work outside of normal working hours (including some evenings and weekends, and hours during peak periods in the year, particularly during August and September), to support the business during key University events, such as Graduation, Clearing and Open Days.

Desirable Criteria

Qualifications:
- Customer service qualification.

Experience:
- Experience of working in an admissions/recruitment team.
- Experience of working in the Higher Education sector.

Skills, Knowledge and Abilities:
- Understanding of a post-16 vocational institution.
- Critical thinking and the ability to troubleshoot independently.

Benefits

- Generous annual leave entitlement of 38 days inclusive of bank holidays and concessionary days (pro rata).
- Local Government Pension Scheme.
- Suite of holistic wellbeing benefits and support including family-friendly policies, generous sick pay provision and comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme.
- Access to a variety of staff discounts at high street retailers.
- Discounted onsite gym.
- Cycle to Work scheme.
- A flexible working environment.
- A commitment to personal and professional development.