THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM
Recruitment Role Profile Form

Job Title:Financial Support Supervisor (Part time)

School/Department:Registrar’s Department, Student Operations and Support Division, Financial Support

Salary:£22,029 - £26,274 per annum (pro rata), depending upon skills and experience. Salary progression beyond this scale is subject to performance.

Job Family and Level:Administrative, Professional and Managerial Level 3

Contract Status:Fixed term January 2015 toOctober 2nd 2015 (Maternity cover)

Hours of Work:Part time, 21.75 hours per week (working pattern to be agreed).There may be occasional requirements to work outside of normal working hours.

Location:University Park Campus

Reporting to:Financial Support Officer

Purpose of the Role:

To work with the Head of Financial Support and the Financial Support Officer on a range of activities related to student funding including the administration of a number of discretionary student support funds, bursary and scholarship schemes and promotion activities to raise awareness of the availability of such funds. To provide specialist funding advice to students, prospective students (and their families) and University staff.

Main Responsibilities / % time per year
1. / Administration of a range of discretionary financial support funding (hardship, scholarships and bursaries) for students involving:
  • Assessments of individual student circumstances either through paper/electronic application systems or through one-to-one interviews with students to identify appropriate sources of funding from one or more of a range of internal University funds, University administered Government funds as well as through referral to alternative sources of funding/support inside and outside of the University as appropriate.
  • Administration of applications to individual funds and involvement with decision making on individual awards of up to £10,000.
  • Identifying areas for potential improvements to the provision of financial support within Student Services and putting forward action plans to address any such identified need.
  • Dealing appropriately with highly confidential and sensitive material relating to students’ financial situation and personal circumstances.
  • Some prioritisation/supervision of the workload of Financial Support Administrators
/ 50%
2. / Responding to non-routine/complex enquiries from students, potential students (and their families) and university staff about financial support, including giving provisional assessments of financial support eligibility to potential students. / 15%
3. / Work in conjunction with/offer expert advice to staff within the University on the development of future financial support schemes to ensure funds are appropriately targeted and that application and assessment procedures are equitable, transparent and are consistent with University aims and procedures. / 15%
4. / Promote awareness of financial support funding, identifying any gaps in information provision and developing appropriate literature (inc. electronic material) to meet such requirements. This will include acting as a representative of Financial Support specifically and on occasions Student Services more generally at internal and external events. / 10%
5. / Interpreting legislation and guidelines from Government and funding bodies in relation to student funding, facilitating liaison with other University departments and external agencies in relation to both individual student issues and matters of policy. / 5%
6. / Taking an active role in professional networks and attending national events on support funding within the HE sector to enable benchmarking of financial support services and promote good practice within Student Services / 5%

Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications & Experience

Essential / Desirable
Qualifications/ Education / Educated to A level or equivalent standard or with substantial experience of Higher/Further Education support services.
GCSE English Language and Mathematics at Grade C or above (or equivalent) / Relevant Higher Education or vocational qualification
Skills/Training / Good working knowledge of Microsoft applications (inc. Word, Excel, Powerpoint).
Strong level of numeracy
Excellent communication skills
An understanding of current student funding arrangements. / Experience of Higher/Further Education
Website development skills
Experience / Significant experience within a service orientated environment, ideally a support service
Experience of working with confidential/sensitive information
Experience of giving presentations
Supervisory experience
Experience of team working
Experience of dealing with individuals on a one-to-one basis / Experience of producing marketing/information materials
Other / Friendly and approachable
Ability to be objective if faced with emotive issues and/or individuals
Ability to work under minimal direct supervision / Awareness and understanding of current issues in Higher Education.

Decision Making

i)taken independently by the role holder

Evaluation of individual student cases, identifying appropriate funds and allocation ofstandard awards.
Prioritisation of own workload and (in conjunction with other supervisors) allocation of appropriate work to administrative staff.
Referral of student cases to other support services within the University.
Interpretation of student funding legislation.

ii)taken in collaboration with others

Allocation of individual awards with a value of up to £10,000.
Production of literature and information (paper and electronic) to students/prospective students
Development of new funding/scholarship schemes.
Revisions to application/assessment procedures
Decisions on non-standard applications for funding

iii)referred to the appropriate line manager (please name) by the role holder

Complaints/appeals from students
Recommendations for major operational changes.

Additional Information

The Financial Support Team form part of the comprehensive Student Services network at the Universitywhich is designed tosupport students and enhance their experience at Nottingham.
With the increased focus on student funding, increased complexity of government support and the expanded range and monetary value of scholarship and bursary provision at the University this role is key in providing a level of student funding expertise to students, prospective students and University colleagues.
In addition to having responsibility for making complex assessments in relation to funding applications for existing students this position plays a vital role in the development of future financial support schemes, ensuring these are appropriately targeted, with application and assessment procedures which are robust, equitable and transparent and which are in line with the University’s goals and policies.
Head of School/Department
(or nominee):
Date completed:
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