Working as a member of the Student Services Management Team, you will strategically lead the provision of learning support to students that complements their academic experience and promotes their academic success and sense of belonging at the University of Plymouth.
Day-to-day, this includes managing our Learning Development and Peer Learning Team, who are responsible for teaching, delivering tutorials, overseeing our Peer-Assisted Learning Scheme, ensuring the Writing Cafe is running effectively, and enabling students to develop their learning skills, including through self-help study guides and digital resources. Part of the leadership responsibility includes continuing to support innovation within the team and responding to high demand from academic departments, devising a long-term plan for the team in conjunction with many varied stakeholders that suits the University’s strategic ambitions.
In this role, the Student Learning Manager joins the Student Services Senior Management Team and works with this team to lead the entire department and support colleagues with the Student Services overarching strategy.
Student Services has a strategy for supporting students in 'fewer steps in every sense' and as part of that, we are committed to being a sustainable, inclusive, digital and student-led department. These priorities follow through to the role of Student Learning Services Manager and onwards for 21/22 we are looking forward to making good use of technology, improving efficiency of processes, seeking input from students in the delivery of services, and improving our reach to underrepresented student groups.
The right candidate brings innovation and creativity with excellent leaderships and motivational skills, honed through experience of leading teams and delivering change through others. We are looking for a candidate who has experience of learning development, and who has considered what they believe to be the right approach for the University of Plymouth over the next 5-10 years, thanks to being well informed about the sector and the variety of approaches to learning development and peer learning.
You will be leading the services within the department and delivering an excellent student experience, so understanding student life and the variety of academic programmes at the University is essential.
You will be an excellent team player and able to problem solve and plan work at a strategic level, working sometimes on projects outside of your own area of responsibility or expertise. You will be comfortable working under pressure and a role model for self-care, encouraging staff and colleagues to maintain their own wellbeing.
As a champion for equality and diversity, you will be an inclusive leader, committed to better representation from diverse student groups.
This is an exciting time to join Student Services as we move out of the pandemic and modernise services based on what we have learnt through the past 18 months. The University itself has ambitious plans and you will find yourself joining a collaborative, committed team across professional services and academia.
You will work primarily on the Plymouth city centre campus. Whilst most of your time will be spent on campus, you will work from home in a way that is balanced with the needs of the role, usually for part of your working week. We work in a very digital way, using online meetings and platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom, but we also prioritise face-to-face contact for collaboration and teambuilding.
Please demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria outlined in the knowledge, qualifications, training and experience elements of the job description in your supporting statement.
For an informal discussion to find out more about the role then please contact Alice Ludgate by email Alice.ludgate@plymouth.ac.uk
This is a full-time position working 37 hours per week on a permanent basis.
Flexible working options including job share will be considered.
Interviews are likely to take place on Wednesday 29th September 2021 and you will be notified if you have been shortlisted or not.
A successful external candidate for this position would be employed by the University of Plymouth Services Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of the University of Plymouth. Employees of the University of Plymouth Services Limited work alongside the University of Plymouth colleagues in delivery of Plymouth’s strategic vision, and will adopt the University of Plymouth’s HR policies and procedures in full unless otherwise stated.
We offer a competitive salary package and a generous pension and holiday scheme. We also offer a range of other benefits, including ongoing development opportunities.
Please note, due to the COVID-19 pandemic the University is currently implementing a number of safety measures as per Government advice therefore the successful applicant may be required to work from home in the first instance.
The University of Plymouth is a diverse, welcoming community where everyone makes a difference and is encouraged to bring their whole selves to work. To find out more about our inclusive community, initiatives such as Athena Swan and the Race Equality Charter and our range of benefits / support mechanisms such as flexible working, staff networks and enhanced maternity, paternity and adoption leave please visit our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion webpages
We particularly welcome applicants from under-represented groups at the University of Plymouth, such as BAME/BIPOC and LGBT+.
Job Description