Head of Learner Support (Maternity Cover)

The post holder will assist the Head of Department Learner Success and other members of the College leadership teams to ensure that the Belfast Metropolitan College is recognised for excellence in all that it does – in particular, the provision of Student Services.  The post-holder will lead on the implementation of strategies and business plans to develop responsive and innovative services to support students on the Student Pathway and throughout their chosen programme of study. 

The post holder will ensure standards of excellence in providing Information, Careers and Employability, Inclusive Learning , Student Finance, Students’ Union, , Chaplaincy, safeguarding and Student engagement and retention  As a line manager, the post holder will be expected to achieve a positive environment for both staff and students by liaising and co-operating with other cross college units to ensure that all aspects of the College’s operations are managed efficiently and that all resources are appropriately deployed.  It is, therefore, expected that anyone employed in this role will carry out their duties in a mutually supportive manner at all times. 

The post-holder will work within the context of recognising the interdependency of tasks and having a collaborative relationship with others whilst accepting accountability and responsibility for their areas of work.

The post-holder will be responsible for writing, overseeing the implementation of and reviewing, all student services policies – including disciplinary procedures and complaints.

The post-holder will act as the College’s Designated Safeguarding Manager and will manage the work of the Designated Safeguarding Officers – to ensure that all staff in the College are aware of policy, procedures and associated training issues.

What you need:

Qualifications / Experience / Knowledge

• Hold a Level 6 qualification (Degree level) or above
• Have a minimum of 3 years’ experience in managing the delivery of a service to users who have a disability/disadvantage in a customer facing service environment.
• Demonstrable experience of formulating and implementing business plans with a direct link to strategy, and monitoring KPIs within a learner environment 
• Demonstrable experience in the effective management of financial information and substantial budgets
• Demonstrable experience of proactively developing services and managing change to meet the needs of the College and student
• Demonstrable experience of managing a student support function and of the range of services required to meet the needs of the learner
• Demonstrable experience of managing a high performance multi-disciplinary team to deliver student support services
• Experience of successfully managing Child Protection and safeguarding issues.
• Knowledge and understanding of developments in the FE sector in Northern Ireland combined with how these impact upon service delivery to learners.