Dear Candidate
Thank you for expressing an interest in joining the University of Bristol as Head of the new Student Resolution Service.
The Student Resolution Service is an innovative intervention to improve the Student Experience through the development of a service that provides enhanced support and resolution for students whose experience does not go smoothly, and that manages risk associated with these matters on behalf of the University.
By establishing this role and the Service it leads, we aim to provide a new focus for a holistic and designed approach to improving the circumstances around adverse events (academic and otherwise) which can have such a large impact on a student’s university journey and the University’s reputation.
We want to appoint a Head of the Student Resolution Service who can engage at strategic level with internal and external stakeholders to ensure that resolution is part of our holistic delivery of the student experience. The role holder will be instrumental in working with senior stakeholders to identify, plan and implement such developments which will encompass changes to policies, processes and student engagement approaches.
You can find out more about the University and the role on this website, and our advising consultants at Anderson Quigley would be pleased to discuss the role with you in confidence – their details are also on this site.
This is a challenging yet incredibly important role and a significant step forward in the delivery of our student experience strategy. If you feel that you can contribute to our University and are enthused by the opportunity to provide enhanced support and resolution for students then I hope you will make an application.
Yours faithfully
The University of Bristol was one of the six civic universities created in Britain at the turn of the twentieth century. With a global reputation for academic and research excellence, we are a top 10 UK university and 62nd in the world (QS Rankings 2022).
At Bristol, we have a strong tradition of pioneering innovation, and meeting external challenges with new ideas and adaptability. A university for Bristol and for the world, we value deeply our social mission and engagement with a diverse set of constituencies, from our students to business and industry, non-profits, media, culture and the arts, government, and our staff.
A member of the prestigious Russell Group, our university comprises 29 academic schools divided among six faculties. We are home to five world-leading University Research Institutes which draw together thematic, multidisciplinary research spanning the breadth of the University, and seven Specialist Research Institutes which reflect our strength and depth in key specialist areas.
We are proud to consistently rank in the world’s top 100 and UK’s top ten universities in global league tables, and of our performance in major national league tables. The Academic Ranking of World Universities 2020 places us eighth in the UK and 78th in the world; and in the QS World University Rankings 2022 Bristol was ranked 10th in the UK. The Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014 ranked Bristol among the UK’s top research universities.
Our mission is to make a positive impact locally and globally by addressing society’s greatest challenges through our distinctive education, innovative research, and the value we place on excellence, inclusivity, and partnership. This is underpinned by our vision which, by 2030, will see us firmly established among the world’s top 50 universities, providing an education and student experience that attracts the very best from across the globe and benefiting from a culture of innovation, inclusivity, community, and partnership.
Equality, diversity and inclusion
Our work in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion is ongoing, with a clear commitment to diversifying our workforce, being anti-racist and supporting a more inclusive staff and student base. Our schools continue to win recognition for their commitment to good practice in gender equality, with nine Bronze and seven Silver Athena Swan Charter awards.
Our values
Our campuses
Located close to the heart of Bristol, our Clifton Campus features a mixture of iconic buildings and state of-the-art teaching, research, and student support facilities. 14 miles south of Bristol, our 255-hectare Langford Campus is home to state-of-the-art facilities that are ideal for staff conducting a large variety of research activity. Our clinical schools are co-located in hospitals across the city.
The Bristol & Bath Science Park is home to the National Composites Centre, which is part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult. The Science Park, a collaboration between government and local universities, is a world-class environment that provides the space, flexibility and support for science and technology businesses and universities to accelerate their growth and success.
In addition to excellent research and teaching facilities, our campuses are hubs of culture, boasting significant public art and calm, green surroundings.
We are investing in significant infrastructure development to meet the changing needs of 21st century students and staff and keep our work at the cutting edge, with more than £700m committed in capital developments.
A key focus of the University’s next era of strategic growth is the Temple Quarter Enterprise Campus. Located adjacent to the iconic Temple Meads train station, our £550m development will be at the heart of a new innovation district, delivering a large-scale multidisciplinary research and teaching campus focusing on areas that address the challenges of disruption at the intersection of technology and the human experience.
www.bristol.ac.uk/virtual-tour
www.bristol.ac.uk/study/clifton-campus
www.bristol.ac.uk/study/langford-campus
Further reading
For further information, please visit https://www.bristol.ac.uk/university/
An extraordinary global city with a powerful tradition of enterprise, exploration and non-conformism, Bristol is a Social Enterprise City and the UK’s first European Green Capital.
Situated in the South-West with a regional focus on inclusive growth and innovation in infrastructure, Bristol is consistently named as one of the best places to live and work in the UK. The city has undergone an extensive programme of regeneration and rejuvenation implemented over the last decade, restoring many of Bristol’s Grade I and Grade II listed buildings and transforming it into the modern, cosmopolitan, and forward-thinking location that is attracting professionals, students, and investors in their droves.
Recently voted one of the UK’s five Centres of Cultural Excellence, Bristol is home to the most educated workforce in the country and exceptional cultural institutions – including the Watershed, Spike Island, Bristol Old Vic and the Bristol Beacon – delivering a world-class programme in the arts.
With ‘bucketloads of history and heritage from Brunel to Banksy, along with a great choice of housing, fantastic transport links and a real sense of growing economic importance and creative energy’ (2017, Sunday Times ‘Best Places to Live’), it’s no surprise that many of our alumni remain in the city and local region, providing a skilled workforce and contributing professionally to the city, region and country.
Known for its multicultural community, Bristol has a proudly diverse and inclusive culture. Bristol’s residents celebrate more than 45 religions, more than 187 countries of birth – more than 91 main languages are spoken on the city’s streets. This multiculturalism has shaped the cultural scene, leisure activities, shops, and cuisine and helps the University attract students from more than 145 countries around the world.
The city is home to world-class high- tech and creative companies such as Airbus, Rolls Royce, Toshiba, Aardman, BBC Natural History, Oracle, Cray, Amazon, IBM, and Sony, and to a rich proliferation of SMEs and early- stage enterprises. As a research-intensive university, we contribute to cross-sectoral innovation and productivity in the region alongside our industrial partners.
The University is establishing a Student Resolution Service: an innovative intervention to improve the Student Experience through enhanced support and resolution for students whose experience does not go smoothly, and this role will manage the risk associated with these matters on behalf of the University. This role will be responsible for establishing and leading the Student Resolution Service, developing it as a new service offer within the Education and Student Experience [ESE] division. They will develop the service such that it sets the agenda in relation to policy direction and management of difficult, complex and multi-disciplinary student cases across the University, before they become legally led matters.
Using their professional expertise and experience, the role holder will lead the Student Resolution Service to (a) set policy and approaches to a developing portfolio of student areas; (b) manage a portfolio of casework expeditiously and effectively, ensuring standards of service are met throughout the processes; and (c) deal with complex cases directly, using expert knowledge and strategic judgement in taking decisions across all casework, a proportion of this directly on behalf of the PVC Student Experience (PVCSE). They will design and deliver a new structure and set of processes, leading for the PVCSE in the investigation, referral, resolution and responses to such matters on her behalf. These will be sensitive and often high-profile matters. Effective casework management is critical to maintain the University’s relationship with its student body, to support individual students and manage reputational and compliance risk on behalf of the University.
The role holder will engage at strategic level with internal and external stakeholders to ensure that resolution is part of our holistic delivery of the student experience. The role holder will be instrumental in working with senior stakeholders to identify, plan and implement such developments which will encompass changes to policies, processes and student engagement approaches. As well as working with established teams and services, the role holder will work closely with the team undertaking the Student Journey Project to this end. Moreover, the role holder will partner closely with the PVCSE to transform the current ad hoc approach to the range of complaints, queries and concerns raised with the PVCSE by students, alumni, parents, student support networks and members of the public.
About the Education and Student Experience Division
Education and Student Experience Division
Our purpose as a division is to support success for all students – creating the conditions for, and with, students to realise their academic potential, thrive during their university journey, and be ready for their careers and lives after Bristol.
Our division comprises of approximately 500 staff delivering a range of activity across the entire student journey. This includes:
We work in partnership with academic and professional services colleagues in schools, faculties and central divisions to support the delivery of academic excellence and a first-class student experience.
Services and Teams
Our Division is made up of seven service areas, each led by a member of the Senior Team:
Other teams
In addition to our services and offices, we have two teams who work across the Division.
Professional Services Division: Education and Student Experience
Job title: Head of Student Resolution Service
Job category: Administrative & Professional Services
Line manager: Director of Registry Services
Line manager to: (first phase investment)
Main statement of responsibilities
Decision making
Planning & organising
Customer services & support
Problem solving
Continuous improvement
Analysis, reporting and documentation
Liaison
People management
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Relevant experience, skills and knowledge
Essential
Desirable
Relevant qualifications
Essential
Substantial experience and proven track record in leading a similar service, with in-depth expertise in developing, implementing and monitoring complex policies and procedures that relate to behaviour, conduct and complaints, and correct application of organisational policies (often with high stakes outcomes for individuals).
Desirable
Communication and interpersonal skills
Essential
Additional criteria
Essential
Anderson Quigley is acting as an advisor to the University of Bristol. An executive search process is being carried out by Anderson Quigley in addition to the public advertisement.
Should you wish to discuss the role in strict confidence, please contact our advising consultants at Anderson Quigley: Elliott Rae on +44(0)7584 078 534 or Sophie Rees on +44(0)7719 313 982.
The University of Bristol is committed to diversity and inclusion and welcomes applications from all sections of the community, particularly from those who are not traditionally represented in leadership roles.
The closing date for applications is noon on Friday 17 December 2021.
Applications should consist of:
Completed applications should be uploaded at https://andersonquigley.com/candidates/ using the reference AQ1275
Timetable
Closing date: | noon on Friday 17 December 2021 |
Longlisting: | early January 2022 (TBC) |
Preliminary Interviews with AQ: | Monday 10 – Wednesday 12 January 2022 |
Shortlisting: | Friday 14 January 2022 |
Informal conversation with the University of Bristol: | Friday 28 January |
Final Panel Interviews: | Monday 31 January 2022 |