Assistant Student Support Officer (Flexible Deployment) (Job Number: 26001042)
Student Support & Wellbeing Directorate
Grade 5: - £21,855.20 - £24,302.40 which is pro rata the full time salary of £27,319 - £30,378
Open-Ended/Permanent - Part Time
Contracted Hours per Week: 28
Closing Date: 06-Sep-2026, 5:59:00 PM
Disclosure and Barring Service Requirement: Not Applicable.
The University
At Durham University we are proud of our people. A globally outstanding centre of educational excellence, a collegiate community of extraordinary people, a unique and historic setting – Durham is a university like no other.
Across the University we have a huge variety of roles and career opportunities, which together make us a large and successful community, which is a key hub of activity within our region and nationally. Whether you are at the very start, middle or end of your career, there is a role for you. We believe everyone has their own unique skills to offer.
We would be thrilled if you would consider joining our thriving University.
The Role and the Department
Applications are invited for a Flexible Deployment Assistant Student Support Officer (0.8 FTE) working across the University’s 15 Maintained Colleges. The role sits within the Student Support & Wellbeing (Strategy & Delivery) team – part of the Student Experience Directorate (SED). The Directorate brings together student support services and wider student experience provision across the institution, including, for example, the Counselling and Mental Health Service, the Disability Support Service, Sport, and Performing Arts. The Assistant Student Support Officer role, while line managed by the Deputy Head of Student Support & Wellbeing, will be deployed flexibly to Colleges experiencing gaps in their student support teams due to vacancies, staff sickness or other reasons.
The Assistant Student Support Officer, along with other College staff including the Principal, Vice-Principal and Assistant Principal, will be an integral and visible part of the College community. They will be a primary point of contact for the College’s students and will provide them with face-to-face student support services. They will report to the Deputy Head of Student Support & Wellbeing but will usually work under the supervision of the College’s Assistant Principal (the lead officer for student support) during each deployment.
The Assistant Student Support Officer will deal with individual student support cases, resolving them where possible and referring students where appropriate to academic departments, specialist services (such as the Counselling and Mental Health Service) and external support agencies to best address student concerns and issues. They will liaise actively with other parts of the University to provide joined-up support for students and will maintain ownership of student cases even when referring them to other areas. The post-holder will also support proactive wellbeing initiatives within the College.
Induction, guidance, training and support in the role will be provided by the Student Support & Wellbeing team and by the College Assistant Principals.
Working at Durham
A competitive salary is only one part of the many fantastic benefits you will receive if you join the University:
- You’ll receive 27 days annual leave per year in addition to 8 public holidays and 4 customary days per year - a total of 39 days. The University closes between Christmas and New Year.
- No matter how you travel to work, we have you covered. We have parking across campus, a cycle to work scheme which helps you to buy a bike and discount with local bus and train companies.
- You can access exclusive discounts via our benefits portal including money off at supermarkets, high street retailers, IT products such as Apple, eating out and days out at various attractions.
- Our on-site nursery is rated Outstanding by Ofsted, and you can access holiday camps for children aged 5-16.
- We provide wide-ranging health and wellbeing support including discounted membership for our state-of-the-art sport and gym facilities and access to a 24-7 Employee Assistance Programme.
- We offer all staff the opportunity to take part in volunteering activities to make a difference to the local community.
- Our family friendly policies, including maternity and adoption leave, are among the most generous in the higher education sector (and likely above and beyond many employers).
- If you are keen on advancing in your role or career, we have a genuine passion for developing our colleagues from qualifications to IT skills, courses and apprenticeships.
- We offer generous pension schemes with varying contribution amounts to help you plan for your future.
Durham University is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion
Our collective aim is to create an open and inclusive environment where everyone can reach their full potential and we believe our staff should reflect the diversity of the global community in which we work. As a University equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are a key part of the University’s Strategy and a central part of everything we do. We also live by our values and our Staff Code of Conduct. At Durham we actively work towards providing an environment where our staff and students can study, work and live in a community which is supportive and inclusive.
We welcome and encourage applications from members of groups who are under-represented in our work force including people with disabilities, women and black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. If you have taken time out of your career, and you feel it relevant, let us know about it in your application. If you are a candidate with a disability, we are committed to ensuring fair treatment throughout the recruitment process. We will make adjustments to support the interview process wherever it is reasonable to do so and, where successful, reasonable adjustments will be made to support people within their role.
What you need to demonstrate when you apply/Person Specification
When you apply it is important that you let us know what skills/experience you have from a similar role and/or what skills/experience you have which would make you right for this role. Further information about the role and responsibilities is at the end of this job description. Where a criteria has an asterisk* next to it, it may be given additional weighting when your application is considered.
Your application should cover the following criteria:
Essential Criteria
Qualifications/Experience
1. Five GCSEs at least Grade C or level four (or equivalent) including English Language and Mathematics or a Post-16 qualification or equivalent experience.
2. Experience of working in a similar role, delivering front line administrative and support services to a high standard.*
3. Experience of managing time to meet deadlines and working under pressure without compromising on quality.
4. Experience of providing advice and guidance to a range of customers and colleagues.
5. Experience of working collaboratively with other team members to ensure the delivery of high-quality services.
Skills/Abilities/Knowledge
6. Excellent spoken and written communication skills including the ability to develop effective working relationships, both internally and externally.
7. Strong digital competence across a range of digital devices and apps including email, digital communication tools, and Microsoft 365 applications.
8. Ability to solve problems yourself and as part of a team and resolve issues, plan solutions and make pragmatic decisions.
9. Committed to continuing professional development.
10. Ability to participate in networks to share and discuss good practice and exchange information.
11. Ability to work flexibly and adapt quickly to new working environments.
Desirable Criteria
1. Relevant professional recognition and certification of achievement of skills and knowledge.
2. Ability to contribute to operational planning activities.
How to apply
To progress to the assessment stage, candidates must evidence each of the essential criteria required for the role in the person specification above. Where there are desirable criteria we would also urge you to provide any relevant evidence. Please don’t forget to check if there is any weighted criteria (see above).
While some criteria will be considered at the shortlisting stage, other criteria may be considered later in the assessment process, such as questions at interview.
Submitting your application
We prefer to receive applications online. We will update you about your application at various points during the process, via automated emails from our e-recruitment system. Please check your spam/junk folder periodically to ensure you receive all emails
What you are required to submit:
- A CV
- A brief covering letter
- A Word document which shows examples of how you meet all of the criteria within the Person Specification. Please bullet point your answers in the same order as the criteria.
Contact details
If you would like to have a chat or ask any questions about the role, Rebecca Eves (Deputy Head of Student Support & Wellbeing) would be happy to speak to you. Please email [email protected]
Typical Role Requirements
Service Delivery
- Contribute to equality, diversity and inclusion, and the University’s values.
- Ensure that relevant regulatory and professional standards are being used within services being delivered by your team.
- Help to develop and implement policies and procedures relating to student support.
- Respond to student support and wellbeing queries and provide information/advice, while escalating more specialist or complex queries to more experienced team members or relevant specialist services.
- Act as first point of contact for student wellbeing issues and refer them to appropriate internal and external support services as necessary.
- Use your experience and problem-solving skills to investigate and resolve student-support-related issues and make recommendations based on your findings.
- Continually review what is required from staff, students and others who you work with to make sure the best possible service is provided.
- Ensure that processes and business systems effectively support the student support services being delivered by the team - for example, appointment-booking mechanisms and use of the Student Support Information Management System (SSIMS).
- Monitor feedback on the student support services provided by the Colleges and identify changes that will improve service level and compliance.
- Ensure that data is accurate and provide reports and analysis of patterns and trends to senior colleagues.
- Capture and share information and data that needs to be shared with relevant networks and committees, such as the Student Support Improvement Network and the Student Support Community of Practice.
- Prepare reports for senior managers.
Planning and Organising
- Plan and organise own workload to deliver the role.
- Organise and schedule assigned resources, activities and events, such as student one-to-one appointments and Open Day activities.
- Monitor processes and activities to ensure team priorities are met.
- Collect and maintain student support data and ensure the accuracy and security of the information.
- Help manage and coordinate events and other activities.
Teamwork
- Provide specialist support and advice to team members on student support and wellbeing activities.
- Explain and provide instruction to other team members on how to correctly record and manage data relating to student support.
- Make changes to the services provided by your team in discussion with other team members.
- Identify opportunities and contribute to decisions on how to improve services being delivered by the team and the wider student support network.
- Seek feedback from students, staff and anyone else that you come across as part of your role on their requirements from your service and recommend improvements to senior colleagues.
- Contribute to collaborative decision making within the team in regard to service provision to deliver an excellent student experience in accordance with policy and procedures.
Communications/Liaison
- Update and apply changes to processes and procedures.
- Use your knowledge and expertise to provide advice and guidance to resolve problems and respond to a wide range of queries.
- Provide instruction and demonstrations to others working within student support.
- Create good working relationships with other team members and anyone else that you come across as part of your role, to work together on joint activities.
- Liaise with staff in other student support areas to ensure that services are being delivered in an efficient and collaborative way.
- Create good working relationships with internal and external partners and suppliers to work together on joint student support initiatives.
- Build relationships with contacts and contribute to internal and external networks, such as the Student Support Community of Practice, to share good practice and exchange information.
- Contribute and engage with staff and students on promotional activities and events.
- Any other reasonable duties.
Please note that in submitting your application Durham University will be processing your data. We would ask you to consider the relevant University Privacy Statement Job Applicants/Potential Job Applicants - Privacy Notice which provides information on the collation, storing and use of data.
Durham University is a UKVI sponsor. Applicants who require sponsorship to work in the UK should note that not all roles are eligible. Further information on visa requirements and eligibility can be found on the UKVI website.
Version 07-2026
