Student Success Advisor

Role:Student Success Advisor.

Grade and Salary: Grade 5: 26707 - 31236 per annum.

FTE and working pattern: Full-time (35 hours per week) open-ended.

Holiday Entitlement:28 days annual leaveplus 9 buildings closed days (and Christmas Eve when it falls on a weekday). Use our total rewards calculator: see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University.

Purpose of Role

TheStudent Success Advisor (SSA)supports Heriot-Watt Online and Graduate Apprenticeshipstudentsfrom orientationthrough to thesuccessful completion of their chosen programme of study.

An instrumental part of a students success the SSA willbe responsible forsupportingengagingandretainingstudents throughout their learning experience. The Student Success Advisor provides exceptional customer service acting as the first point of contact for all student questions and queries. This roleis responsible forproviding personalised proactive supportacross the full student lifecycle empoweringstudents achieve their goals. The Student Success Advisor focusesnot only onat-riskstudents butproactively engageswith all SSAacts as the championofourglobal onlineand Graduate Apprenticeshipstudent communityand acts as the student voice ensuring that the student at the heart of our decision Success Advisor also plays a critical role in growing and sustaining community connection and belonging between students and with the university.

The successful candidate will have excellent interpersonal skills and be able to confidently communicate with studentsacademicsand other internal stakeholders. A natural ability to build and nurture positive relationships is essential to this role.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

You will be part of a dynamic team dedicated to providing excellent customer and user experience for students.

Main duties include but are not limited to:

Student supportretentionand outcomes

• Serve as the primary point of contact for students; helping them with any questions informationrequestsor issues they may be facing.
• Providecomprehensive pastoral advice to students including guidance on course selection study skills time management andassessmentpreparation.
• Respond to requests in a professional andtimelymanner.
• Act as the main point of contact between a student and internal colleagues (e.g. Tutors Programme Directors Wellbeing).
• Build individual relationships with students.
• Provide welcome information and system demos tostudents andrun orientation and induction activities for new students.
• Provide targeted updates and information about news and events relevant to online students.
• Make students aware of support available to them includingadditionallive tuition sessions and increase participation in these sessions.
• Proactivelymonitorprogress of students providing proactive support and interventions to ensure students stay on track to graduation.
• Help students plan and structure their studies as well as schedule courses and assessments.
• Help studentsidentify develop and implement learning strategies and study skills.
• Support a wide range of activities related to student successengagementand retention including webinars/live sessions 1:2:1 calls information sessions socialmediaand student group meetings.
• Host online classevents for students to interact and socialise with peers.
• Act as an encouraging voice to help students meet deadlines and achieve their goals celebrating milestones and helping students to progress onto their next course.
• Attend graduation ceremonies.
• Introduce graduates to the Alumni community: The Watt Club.
• Work closely with other members of the Student Support Services team academic staff and administrative staff to coordinate support services for students.
• Ensure that students are aware of and have access to relevant academic resources and support services.
• Work with various stakeholders and teams (external and internal) to develop and deliver initiatives and activities which will enhance the student experience buildcommunityand encourage student retention and success.
• Refer students on to wider university support services where needed (e.g. wellbeing Registry Library).
• Develop a resource library of student support assets.
• Host community building and engagement events to increase students feeling on belonging.

Datamanagement and systems

• Use CRM systems to managebuildand nurture relationships with students.
• Use relevant systemsto disseminate information and communications to students.
• Work with the Marketing and Recruitment teams to buildpersonasfor reporting and strategic purposes.
• Track individual student journeys to understand needs and improve processes whererequired.
• Regularly analyse students VLE engagement metrics toidentifystudent progress and at risk students.
• Troubleshoot student support issues and coordinate solutionsin accordance withall university policies.

Reporting

• Review andmaintaina repository offrequentlyasked questions ensuring that these are always up to date.
• Provide weekly and monthly updates on student progress.
• Recognise patterns in student behaviour to constantly improve and reshape our offering to meet their needs.
• Regularly report on progress against Key student success Performance Indicators.

Other

• Problem solve when faced with critical situations anddeterminingwhen escalation isrequired.
• Represent the student in internal meetings.
• Work alongside the marketingrecruitmentand admissions team to support growth.
• Undertake any other duties as mayreasonably berequired by the Online Team and support on ad hoc projects as and whenrequired.
• Deal with matters with tact anddiscretion andmaintaining confidentiality whererequired.

Essential & Desirable Criteria

Essential

1. Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
2. Demonstrable experience ofworking in a customer-focussed environmentproviding excellent customer service.
3. Demonstrable experience building strong relationships and networks.
4. Competent in the use of relevant IT packages including Microsoft ExcelWordand Outlook.
5. Excellentattention to detail and organisational skillswith the ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.
6. Ability to work collaboratively with internal and external stakeholders to achieve shared goals.
7. Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team.
8. Demonstrable professional and proactive approach.
9. Demonstrable ability to work quicklyflexiblyand accurately in a dynamic and changing environment.
10. Ability to think critically andidentifypotential issues before they arise.

Desirable

1. Educated to SCQF Level 6 or similar or equivalent experience
2. Experiencein a student-facing roleadministration student successstudent support/services.
3. Experience working in or anactive interest ineducation technologyonlineeducationand/orhigher education.
4. Demonstrable experience working with diverse and international colleagues and audiences.
5. Experience working with databases i.e. Student Records CRMsystemsand email tools.
6. Experience of enquiry management systems.
7. Background orpreviousexperience in coaching or advising.
8. Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data and make informed decisions to improve engagement and outcomes.

How to Apply

Applications can be submitted up to 11:55pm(UK time)on Monday 20th July 2026.

Pleasesubmit your CV & covering letter via the Heriot-Watt on-line recruitment.

We welcome and will consider flexible working patterns e.g.; part-time working and job share options.

Heriot-WattUniversity is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected trained promoted appraised and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities. Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all.

Heriot-WattUniversity values diversity across our university community and welcomes applications from all sectors of society particularly from underrepresented groups. For more information please see our website also our award-winning work in Disability Inclusive Science Careers our total rewards calculator: see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University.

About the Team

Heriot-Watt University has a proud 25-year legacy of delivering world-class online and distance learning. Today over 7000 students from 160 countries study with usas part of our Online Campus- making up more than 25% of our total student body.

We are now entering an ambitious phase of investment and growth for Heriot-Watt Online with a bold 10-year strategy to expand our reach and a world where the nature of work is evolving rapidly we are committed to delivering flexibleaccessibleand career-focusededucation atscale - empowering individuals andorganisationsto thrive in times of transformation.

The Student Success teamarekey to ensuringstudent engagementretentionand achievement through postholder will joina dynamic and collaborative teamworking directly with studentson a daily basisthrough email calling and messagingdelivering abest in classstudent experience.

About Heriot-Watt University

At Heriot-Watt we are passionate about our values and look to them to connect our people globally and to help us collaborate and celebrate our success through working together. Our research programmes can deliver real world impact which is achieved through the diversity of our international community and the recognition of creative talent that connects our global team.

Our flourishing community will give you the freedom to challenge and to bring your enterprising mind and to help our partners with solutions that can be applied now and in the future. Join us and Heriot Watt will provide you with a platform to thrive and work in a way that also helps you live your life in balance with well-being and inclusiveness at the heart of our global community.