King's College London

About us

The Faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences (NMES) is a vibrant faculty with a long tradition of world-leading research and teaching in physics, mathematics, chemistry, computer science and engineering.  We deliver a wide-ranging portfolio of undergraduate and masters degrees, to around 4,500 students.   

About the role

This is an exciting opportunity to lead and shape the student support provision in the faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences (NMES).  As Senior Student Support Manager, you will play a central role in ensuring our student support services and processes are effective, inclusive, and responsive to the needs of our diverse student community.  

Working in partnership with the Associate Director, Education, the Student Support Manager, and Programme Management teams, you will shape and deliver a high-quality, student-centred support service aligned with university-wide policies and faculty priorities. 

You will be responsible for overseeing key student support mechanisms, including case escalations, the Support for Study process, and initiatives related to student wellbeing and academic progression. Using data insights and stakeholder feedback, you will monitor and continuously improve the effectiveness of support provision, driving forward improvements and consistency across programmes. 

A key part of the role is line managing the Student Support Manager, you will provide clear direction and support to enable the team to manage their workload effectively and respond confidently to sensitive student matters. 

This role also involves leading on complex and sensitive casework, acting as a key point of escalation and ensuring that student welfare concerns are managed appropriately and in line with university procedures.  

As the Faculty’s Designated Safeguarding Officer, you will ensure compliance with safeguarding requirements and contribute to the development of a supportive, risk-aware culture. You will work closely with colleagues across the university, including Disability Services, Counselling, and central student wellbeing teams, to provide coordinated support for all NMES students.  

The faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences operates a hybrid working policy and you will be expected to spend a minimum of two working days per week on campus.

This is a full time post (35 hours per week), and you will be offered on an indefinite contract.

About you

To be successful in this role, we are looking for candidates to have the following skills and experience:

Essential criteria

1.      Experience with supporting students (or other individuals) across a wide range of situations including when in crisis, from different backgrounds and demonstrating empathy, sensitivity, and discretion.

2.      Comprehensive experience and understanding of the issues impacting the higher education sector in relation to student welfare, support and safeguarding.

3.      Ability to analyse and understand complex information, policies, and procedures in order to take appropriate action or recommend improvements to the service.

4.      Experience of leading and managing teams, with a pro-active and development focused approach.

5.      Demonstrable negotiating / influencing skills and an ability to work with all levels of stakeholders.

6.      Ability to balance competing demands and manage expectations, both for your own workload and that of a team, bearing in mind the needs of our stakeholders

7.      Ability to engage in collaborative working across King’s professional services, other faculties, academic and student communities, with a meaningful and visible commitment to Diversity & Inclusion policies and practices.

8.      Ability to drive both structural and cultural change in a student experience or support context.

Desirable criteria

1.      Experience of working in an HE provider

2.      Adept at maintaining progress on multiple agendas and projects simultaneously while maintaining rigorous attention to detail.

3.      Awareness of when to signpost students to appropriate support services, including those relating to wellbeing or academic studies

Downloading a copy of our Job Description

Full details of the role and the skills, knowledge and experience required can be found in the Job Description document, provided at the bottom of the page. This document will provide information of what criteria will be assessed at each stage of the recruitment process.

Further Information

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and welcoming. We embrace diversity and want everyone to feel that they belong and are connected to others in our community.

We are committed to working with our staff and unions on these and other issues, to continue to support our people and to develop a diverse and inclusive culture at King's.

As part of this commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion and through this appointment process, it is our aim to develop candidate pools that include applicants from all backgrounds and communities.

We ask all candidates to submit a copy of their CV, and a supporting statement, detailing how they meet the essential criteria listed in the advert. If we receive a strong field of candidates, we may use the desirable criteria to choose our final shortlist, so please include your evidence against these where possible.

To find out how our managers will review your application, please take a look at our ‘ How we Recruit’ pages.