Please note that this job is open only to current members of staff of Cardiff University who are eligible for redeployment.
Student Connect Wellbeing Adviser
We are looking for two Wellbeing Advisers to join our Student Connect team at Cardiff University. These are new posts with the primary purpose of providing support to students who contact Student Connect with issues or concerns that impact their wellbeing.
These are not specialist roles, but they do require the ability to work with students who might be distressed or who may disclose sensitive information. You should have excellent problem-solving skills and be able to work calmly and sensitively within the boundaries of the role: referring to specialist services as needed.
Student Connect is part of Student Life. Student Life includes:
• Student Health and Wellbeing
• Student Advice and Money
• Student International Advice
• Student Disability Service
• Student Futures
The posts are full time (35 hours per week) and fixed term until 31st Dec 2025.
Salary: £27,344 - £30,505 per annum (Grade 4)
If you would like to discuss the post, please email cowardk@cardiff.ac.uk
Kelsey Coward, Head of Student Enquiry Services (Student Connect)
Cardiff University offers many excellent benefits, including 32 days annual leave (plus bank holidays), pro rata for part time staff, local pension scheme, a cycle to work scheme and other travel initiatives, annual increments up the pay scale, and more. It is an exciting and vibrant place to work, with many different challenges and is a proud Living Wage supporter.
Closing date: Wednesday, 15 January 2025
Cardiff University is committed to supporting and promoting equality and diversity and to creating an inclusive working environment. We believe this can be achieved through attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse range of staff from many different backgrounds who have the ambition to create a University which seeks to fulfil our social, cultural and economic obligation to Cardiff, Wales, and the world. In supporting our employees to achieve a balance between their work and their personal lives, we will also consider proposals for flexible working or job share arrangements.
Applications may be submitted in Welsh, and an application submitted in Welsh will not be treated less favourably than an application submitted in English.
Duties and Responsibilities
Key Duties
- Provide support to students in person, by phone and in writing, identifying issues, suggesting solutions and communicating a clear plan of action.
- Work with others to make recommendations to improve our ways of working and support to students.
- Establish productive relationships with key individuals (university colleagues and external contacts) to help improve the level of service the team provides to its customers.
- Perform a variety of administrative duties to support the team and department achieve its objectives.
- Gather and analyse data so that informed decisions can be made, establishing basic trends and patterns in the data and providing reports and recommendations for management.
General Duties
- Abide by all University policies and undergo appropriate personal and professional development.
- Perform other duties which are not included above, but which will be consistent with the role.
- Uphold Cardiff University values and behaviours.
Person Specification
We want to employ people with a wide variety of experiences. We welcome applications from all sections of the community regardless of sex, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, trans identity, relationship status, religion or belief, caring responsibilities, or age. We are particularly seeking applications from candidates who come from backgrounds that are underrepresented at the University, including people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities.
We are looking for a team player who will work with colleagues to provide a great service to staff and students. You don’t need to have worked for a university before; this is an opportunity to show your potential and start or continue your career at Cardiff University.
This role may be an opportunity for you to build on your experience from working in a previous support or customer service role.
Your application will be assessed against the following essential and desirable criteria for the role. Please copy and paste this section into a new document and give clear examples of how you can evidence meeting each criteria by writing under each one. You can draw on elements from any aspect of your life (e.g. work, home, education/qualifications or community life) as long as you focus on their relevance to the role.
Please save your supporting statement in a separate document with the title [Your name, BR number and Job Title) and attach it to your application in the recruitment system, available here.
Please note that these are also the essential criteria that shortlisted applicants will be assessed against at interview and/or by other means (e.g. a skills test).
The role requires the post holder to be on-site.
Working within Student Connect the post holder will work Monday-Friday 09.00-17.00 hours. Some occasional weekend working may be required e.g. to support Visit or University Open Days.
An Enhanced DBS check is required for this role.
Uniform is provided and must be worn during working hours.
How will we support you in performing this role
We want to support and develop you in the role, using a combination of the following to help you reach your full potential.
- Regular one-to-one meetings with your line manager
- An experienced and supportive team around you.
- Support to undertake job-relevant training and development, as identified by your line manager. This could be informal or could be an apprenticeship leading to a formal qualification.
- Group supervision/support from experienced mental health practitioners.
- A staff mentoring scheme.
- Support to learn Welsh or to update Welsh language skills.
Important notice:- It is the University’s policy to use the person specification as a key tool for short-listing. Candidates should evidence that they meet ALL of the essential criteria as well as, where relevant, the desirable.
- As part of the application process you will be asked to provide this evidence via a supporting statement.
- Please ensure that the evidence you are providing corresponds with the numbered criteria outlined below.
- Your application will be considered based on the information you provide under each element.
When attaching the supporting statement to your application profile, please ensure that you name it with the vacancy reference number, e.g. Supporting Statement for 19587BR.Essential Criteria
- Ability to communicate clearly, concisely and effectively in person, by telephone and in writing, offering appropriate advice and guidance that supports students to manage their wellbeing.
- Evidence of a good standard of numeracy and IT literacy. Able to use in-house I.T systems and a willingness to embrace opportunities for using other technologies to enhance the student experience.
- Evidence of ability to solve problems, identifying and proposing practical solutions using initiative and with reference to service and university procedures.
- Specialist knowledge of student support and an understanding of stressors or difficulties that impact student wellbeing.
- The ability to respond to customer needs in a polite and courteous manner, dealing with confidential and sensitive issues with integrity, discretion and impartiality in accordance with university guidelines and always maintaining the highest levels of professionalism.
- The ability to explore the needs of students: identifying solutions and clearly communicating a clear plan of action.
- Ability to maintain own mental well being and be able to demonstrate strategies for managing conversations that may be distressing or sensitive.
- Able to work unsupervised with a proven ability to assess and manage challenging situations calmly and effectively, maintaining safety of self and others.
- Able to demonstrate a positive attitude to diversity and inclusion, valuing the contribution of others and respecting difference of opinion.
- Able to work as part of a large division team: collaborating with colleagues, supporting each other, sharing ideas and working together to ensure a positive student and staff experience.
Desirable Criteria
- Ability to communicate fluently in Welsh.
- Experience of working in a similar role or setting.
