Hub Services Advisor - Academic Services at University of Birmingham

Role Summary

This role will have the opportunity to work across HST’s two main workstreams, ensuring a varied and interesting range of work. Duties may vary across workstreams, but you will be trained in everything you need to know to support the delivery of our Student Information and Specialist Service Support activity. 

Our Student Information workstream provides front line information, advice and guidance to students on a wide variety of queries, and resolves 80% of all student requests at the first point of contact. It also provides transactional services such as ID card issue, reference requests, letter requests and has a pivotal role in the delivery of University Welcome activities throughout the academic year. The Specialist Service Support workstream provides administrative and customer service support to and on behalf of: Funding, Graduation and Awards (FGA), Student Disability Service (SDS), Mental Health and Wellbeing, and Student Wellbeing and Partnerships.

The Hub Services Team receives a high volume of queries across our in-person, email and telephone channels, and the Student Hub Services Administrator will be expected to work across all of these enquiry channels. You will become an expert user of the University’s student records system, Banner, and of the enquiry management system, Verint. You will also develop excellent triage skills in order to be able to effectively respond to and signpost student queries on a wide range of topics, including financial, disability and wellbeing support, and University administrative processes.

A significant percentage of the post holder’s time will be invested in responding to queries from students and applicants contacting the Hub Services Team, including liaising with other internal and external stakeholders as required. The post holder will be an integral member of the Hub Services Team and it is important that they are prepared and willing to undertake sessional activities (e.g. Welcome and Graduation) as well as other tasks as directed to ensure the successful running of this high volume, important service.

Main Duties

• To undertake day-to-day administration and customer service activity for the Hub Services Team, including responding to a wide range of student enquiries received by email, telephone and in-person.
• To provide administrative and customer service support to internal specialist support teams, including Funding, Graduation and Awards, Student Disability Service, Mental Health and Wellbeing, and Student Wellbeing and Partnerships.
• Supporting sessional activity, such as Welcome and Graduations, as required. This may require some out of hours/weekend working.
• Undertake projects or special tasks which may be assigned from time to time. For example, this may include contributing to periodic reviews of administrative and customer service processes and procedures with the objective of making improvements and sharing best practice across other areas within the wider University.
• Manage all data and interactions in accordance with University policy and GDPR requirements.
• Support equality and values diversity, moderating own behaviour to avoid unfair discriminatory impact or bias on others.
• To contribute to own professional development and the development of the service by keeping your knowledge up to date with relevant training activities, attendance at team meetings, and other important knowledge building activities.
• Any other duties that might reasonably be required from time to time in line with the grading of the post.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• Educated to a minimum of GCSE (or equivalent) standard, with at least 5 GCSE passes at grade A* - C or GCSE levels 9 – 5 (or equiv.) including English and Maths. 
• Experience of delivering high quality customer service and ability to demonstrate a strong understanding of how to respond to differing stakeholders’ needs, including internal customers across different University departments, and enquirers from a diverse range of backgrounds. 
• Demonstrating excellent attention to detail, accuracy and personal organisation. 
• The ability to thrive in a fast-moving, dynamic environment where change is often required at short notice.
• Excellent IT skills especially in the use of Microsoft Office Applications and systems such as enquiry management systems. The post holder will have the confidence and ability to learn new packages as and when required. 
• Ability to prioritise workloads in the face of conflicting demands, using own judgement to ensure the work is completed to time and deadlines. 
• Excellent written communication skills, including the ability to write clearly and concisely and must include evidence of a thorough knowledge of English grammar; punctuation, and spelling, with the ability to edit and proofread own text. 
• Experience of developing good working relationships (e.g. partnerships) with colleagues from different areas in a company, showing understanding of the interdependencies that affect the work of other staff / teams in an organisation. 
• Evidence of ability to provide a high level of all of the following: professional judgment, confidentiality, diplomacy, cultural awareness and sensitivity, when liaising with staff, students and other key stakeholders.
• The post holder must have an appreciation and general understanding of GDPR and its relationship with the Data Protection Act, the need for controls around information security and confidentiality. 
• Flexibility and willingness to work extended hours to meet the demands of the service during term time and at weekends to meet the needs of the service (e.g. Arrivals weekend in September for Welcome, degree congregations during July and December).
• This role requires the post holder to be available during key periods of the academic year where annual leave would not be able to be taken: July, September and October.