Head of Learner Support and Experience

Job Title: Head of Learner Support and Experience

Reporting to: Director of Global Engagement

Location: Griffith College Dublin Campus with travel to Limerick & Cork as required

Job Type: Full Time/Permanent (Subject to 6-month probation period)

Learner Support and Experience

Griffith College places the learner at the centre of its activities helping them solve problems early succeed in their studies and feel part of a welcoming community on every campus. Clear easy-to-find services and consistent induction make it simple to know who to contact with tailored help for international learners and those with additional needs. Using learner feedback and real-time data the College quickly and fairly improves services to support equal access in Dublin Cork and Limerick. The College aspires to develop enhanced supports and experiences to boost progression completion and employability while reflecting the Colleges values and responsible sustainable decision-making.

Role Summary:

Griffith College Irelands largest private higher education institution is looking to appoint an experienced Head of Learner Support and Experience. The successful candidate will provide strategic leadership coordination and enhancement of Griffith Colleges learner support and experience framework ensuring a relevant high-quality experience for all Griffith College learners. This role will help develop inform refresh and shape both learner support and the learner experience at Griffith College. They will seek to deliver a consistent learner-centred support experience across all College campuses and study modes.

They will work with key internal and external stakeholders to help deliver appropriate services that meet learner needs across our varied learner groups:

• Full-time Irish EU and non-EU learners
• Part-time Irish EU and non-EU learners (on residency visas)
• Blended Irish EU and non-EU learners (on residency visas)
• Fully online Irish EU and non-EU learners (on residency visas)
• An increasing number of overseas-based EU and non-EU learners on articulation pathways leading to a qualification at Griffith College in Ireland
• An increasing number of overseas-based EU and non-EU learners on transnational qualifications leading to a Griffith College/QQI award in their home country.

This is a new position within the organisation and the successful candidate will be expected to align and coordinate the Colleges learner support and experience services into a cohesive unit.

Scope of Responsibility:

The Head of Learner Support and Experience is a varied role that impacts all facets of the Colleges operations across all campuses. The following areas of the College operation are within the scope of the role:

• Induction (pre-arrival arrival ongoing; undergraduate / postgraduate / apprentices / advanced entry / transnational / blended / online)
• Communications strategy and branding for Learner Support Services
• Learner Engagement (retention progression case management coordination)
• Pastoral/wellbeing services: design resourcing governance and campus deployment
• Counselling operations contracted to external providers (coordination and quality monitoring)
• Student Activities and campus life programming
• Transnational learner support and engagement
• Careers & Employability Office alignment and cross-campus presence
• Data analytics and closing the loop feedback processes; annual services review
• Graduation (event support coordination graduate surveys)

In addition the Head of Learner Support and Experience will work closely with other College units as strategic partners to ensure an integrated approach to learner support and experience across the College:

• Digital Learning Supports
• Faculty and support offices
• Global Engagement Office
• Griffith Halls of Residence
• Learning Support (disability/neurological/learning differences)
• Library liaison for student skills workshops and academic integration support
• Students Union collaboration mentorship and learner voice mechanisms

Key Responsibilities

Strategy and Governance

• Develop and implement a college-wide learner experience strategy and service standards
• Establish and chair the Learner Experience and Success Committee
• Coordinate cross-functional policy alignment for learner supports ensuring clarity of roles and boundaries

Pastoral/Wellbeing Services

• Design a professionally led pastoral/wellbeing model including sufficient resourcing for Cork and Limerick campuses.
• Implement referral and escalation pathways including delivering staff guidance to reduce inappropriate case handling by non-specialists.

Communications and Branding

• Lead a multi-channel communication strategy to tailor messaging by campus and cohort.
• Refresh learner support services branding to ensure visibility via the Learner Hub on and oncampus touchpoints.

Induction and Integration

• Oversee pre-arrival arrival and year-round induction across all cohorts and campuses including part-time blended online and transnational learners.
• Integrate international onboarding with ongoing support by aligning with the Global Engagement Office objectives.
• Engage with the faculties and the Griffith Institute of Languages to ensure adequate academic English language support is available to all learners.

Careers & Employability

• Enhance campus parity of careers support
• Strengthen mentoring employer engagement and workshop reach
• Support and encourage strategies that foster graduate employment opportunities

Data Analytics and Feedback

• Enhance data-informed decision-making and support service levels
• Standardise service availability engagement options response times and equity indicators
• Lead annual services review using consistent templates to inform resourcing and continuous improvement
• Support and formalise closing the loop mechanisms and publish improvements arising from learner feedback

Quality Compliance and Transnational and Collaborative Partner Parity

• Ensure equivalent learner supports for transnational and collaborative partner learners
• Support commitments related to QQI CINNTE TrustEd Ireland and other quality marks and actively contribute to consolidated QA of collaborations

Stakeholder Engagement Student Activities and Learner Voice

• Support learner participation in governance beyond the Students Union
• Support the development of structures for diverse learner representation
• Maintain strong external links with advocacy groups and community partners in support of learner wellbeing and inclusion
• Mentor and guide the elected Student Union officers and assist in the development of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the Students Union
• Coordinate student activities and community engagement to foster belonging and cross-campus cohesion

Budgeting and Resource Management

• Propose and manage budgets for communications pastoral/wellbeing services and cross-campus initiatives.
• Develop business cases for additional staffing/resources based on utilisation and impact data as needed.

Qualifications and Experience

Applications are invited from suitable candidates who fulfil the following criteria:

• Bachelors degree and a relevant postgraduate qualification (e.g. Education Student Affairs Management Psychology Public Administration etc.)
• 7 years leadership experience in higher education learner services or learner experience roles within a multi-campus or complex environment
• Demonstrable success in building pastoral and wellbeing services and establishing effective referral and escalation frameworks
• Proven experience in designing and delivering campus-wide induction and communications strategies
• Strong data literacy; experience deploying dashboards and using analytics to inform resourcing and service enhancement
• Track record of cross-functional leadership with academic professional service units and student bodies

In addition to the above the following is highly desirable:

• Knowledge of the independent Irish higher education context and international learner integration
• Familiarity with TrustEd Ireland and quality assurance frameworks for partnerships and collaborations
• Experience with CRM and Student Information Systems
• Change management and branding/communications expertise
• Experience aligning careers services with industry engagement and employability outcomes

About Griffith College

Established in 1974 Griffith College is Irelands largest independent higher education institution with campuses in Dublin Cork and Limerick. The main campus is located on seven acres within a mile of St. Stephens Green on Dublins South Circular Road. Griffith College has a national and expanding international reputation for learner success. The College has earned an esteemed award-winning reputation for providing learners with first-class lectures and excellent learning materials. Griffith College offers internationally recognised undergraduate and postgraduate degree programmes complemented by a wide range of professional short-term and corporate training solutions - at Griffith College there is something for everyone. Currently over 8000 learners are studying at the College with its programmes accredited by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) and/or other professional bodies and accreditation agencies. Click the link for more information. Vision

To be recognised among the leading innovative and socially enterprising of Irelands universities.

Why work for Griffith College

• Competitive salary package.
• Access to a health cash plan for self and family through salary sacrifice
• Bike to work scheme.

• Opportunity for continued training development and support.

• Free parking facilities.*
• On-site subsidised restaurant.*
• On-site Gym.
• Stunning historical premises.
• Vibrant multidisciplinary and multicultural learning environment.

• Innovative and agile place to work.

• Welcoming environment committed to learner and staff development.
• *Dublin campus on South Circular Road.

This job description is not to be regarded as exclusive or exhaustive. It is intended as an outline of proposed areas of activity and will be amended in the light of the changing environment within the Faculty and the College.

Griffith College is an equal opportunities employer. Candidates must be eligible to work full-time for any employer in Ireland. We thank everyone for their applications; however only candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.

Required Experience:

Director