Senior Student Recruitment Officer (Dubai Campus)

Role: Senior Student Recruitment Officer

Grade: Grade 6

Appointment: Fulltime Openended

Department: MRAC Directorate

Location: Dubai Campus

About our School/Directorate/Team:

The Marketing Recruitment Admissions and Communications group is at the heart of attracting engaging and delivering exceptional student and stakeholder Admissions Office handles over 20000 applications to undergraduate and postgraduate programmes at our Scottish campuses each year as well as offering support and advice to admissions colleagues at our Dubai and Malaysia aim is to ensure that all applicants receive a highquality service that is timely and fair and we strive to put the applicant at the heart of everything we do.

Purpose of the Role:

HeriotWatt is entering an exciting phase in terms of development of its professional services. We have centralised and realigned our recruitment and Admissions Teams in Edinburgh and are embarking on a journey to develop a new structure for our Dubai Campus and recruitment hub.

The : International Student recruitment officer will take responsibility for managing shaping and delivering the overall student recruitment strategy for Global College UG PG students and research degrees. The role holder will be leading on all student recruitment activities in the market ensuring that Heriot Watt attracts converts and enrolls prospective students in line with recruitment targets. The : International Student recruitment officer will be providing expert advice to the Directorate in Dubai and global hub in Edinburgh on relevant direct and indirect recruitment opportunities maximising those shaping tactical delivery and customer service advisors.

Bringing together your knowledge of the local UAE and international markets with understanding and customer service expertise you will be an exceptional collaborator bringing others along with you to drive rich engagement at both university academic school subject and programme level to optimise achievement of student recruitment targets.

Summary of Key Duties and Responsibilities

Strategy planning and management responsibilities

1. Play a significant role as a member of the Marketing and Recruitment Directorate management team working with Regional Director of Recruitment International Student Recruitment Manager Associate Regional Director of Prospect Experience and the Director of Marketing and Recruitment to deliver against student recruitment targets for Heriot Watt Dubai Campus
2. Identify interpret and translate university strategies to MRAC localised strategies and operational planning.
3. Keep abreast of current developments in the student recruitment and admissions space and feed these into the strategic and operational planning.

Recruitment Events

1. Managing aportfolio of recruitment events for all academic schools both oncampus virtual and external recruitment fairs including undergraduate open days conversion events applicant days and postgraduate recruitment fairs. Shaping the overall vision for customer experience at those events planning and coordinating the delivery with relevant stakeholders
2. Proactively working with colleagues from across the university to shape plan prepare and implement all events ensuring customer needs and focus are maintained and making sure that Heriot Watt is positioned throughout the event experience. Operational management of events will require liaison not only with academic departments but equally facilities security catering and other professional services such as finance and students services and external suppliers and contractors.
3. Organise and assist members of staff within the service and liaise with colleagues across Heriot Watt Dubai before and during events to ensure smooth running of events.
4. To recruit train and manage teams of student ambassadors at open days and other recruitment events ensuring they are properly briefed to represent Heriot Watt and its brand.
5. To research evaluate and further develop the value of Heriot Watts student recruitment events tracking effectiveness and keeping abreast of other institutions events and make recommendations for future activity.
6. Working with colleagues in the wider Marketing and Recruitment Team Schools and Services to promote and maximise attendance by target audiences at our recruitment events

Customer Service and Admissions Management

1. Delivery of the endtoend customer journey for prospective enquirers and applicants driving conversion managing enquiries and applications to all HW Dubai academic schools to meet ambitious recruitment goals both long and short term.
2. Responsible for driving conversion and enrolment within HWUD.
3. Management of local recruitment advisors ensuring that team take full accountability for both direct student recruitment activities and conversion via customer service excellence.
4. Ensure admissions and conversion approach and associated processes enable the university to optimise achievement of student recruitment targets with significant accountability for conversion from enquiry to application and application to enrolment.
5. Accountability for all KPIs across the customer journey from enquiry to enrolment leading on and managing the admissions service and consultants both locally and with an outsourced partner.
6. Together with the Associate Director of Prospect Experience delivering on overall customer communication and engagement plans aimed at measurably increasing conversion rates at all stages of enquirer and applicant journey it is essential that the role holder is able to provide innovative ideas to develop experiences that showcase our brand but also drive enrolments to the relevant group of schools.
7. Establish and implement an effective enquiries management framework linked both locally and across relevant regions to optimise recruitment to HW Dubai Campus but also support recruitment to other campuses supporting the wider move to global recruitment hubs.
8. Work with relevant academic recruitment and marketing colleagues to set review and implement admission entry requirements aligned to the competitive localised landscape and university key performance indicators.
9. You will be responsible for ensuring that customer satisfaction across all engagement points is paramount and will need to embed relevant measurements across a range of events and customer focused activities. Understanding of a competitive environment customer needs and the ability to work creatively and lead with strategic goals in mind are essential to recruitment success of the university.
10. Embed and optimise new processes approaches and ways of working both in house and across any outsourced partners.
11. Championing the delivery of a service excellence culture across all departments of the university.

Team Management

1. Ensure all staff within the division have a clear understanding of their role and alignment to University strategy.
2. Working with the International student recruitment manager to ensure operation maintenance and effectiveness.
3. Build strong working relationships with colleagues across HW Dubai UK and Malaysia to ensure the team is providing a highquality service in line with delivering the HWU strategy.
4. Proactively develop links between teams and ensure successful collaboration across the directorate and university.
5. Actively manage performance and development via the institutional performance development review processes for relevant team members in the HW Dubai Prospect Experience group.

Championing Change

1. Assess and assist on change management working with other teams to influence and manage stakeholder expectations.
2. Assist in the implications of change on the teams maintaining team morale and service levels.
3. As part of the change process ensure that changes are carried out with minimal risk and disruption to the University.

Citizenship

1. Demonstrate the university values at all times through performance and behaviour.
2. Participate in adhoc duties to support the team/university and for personal development.
3. Support newer or inexperienced colleagues within and outside the university by offering support help and advice.
4. Provide mentoring support (informally and formally).
5. Positively promote the university internally and externally through positive behaviour and supporting universitywide activities.
6. Build partnerships to advance the universitys strategy.

Please note that this job description is not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to undertake other relevant duties commensurate with the grading of the post. Activities may be subject to amendment over time as the role develops and/or priorities and requirements evolve.

Education Qualifications & Experience:

Essential

1. Educated to first degree level or equivalent practical experience in the workplace
2. Experience of delivering customer focused events
3. Experience and skills in monitoring and improving service experience
4. Experience of utilising CRM systems for lead capture and conversion purposes
5. Experience in developing and utilising reporting dashboards to monitor customer service excellence
6. Demonstrable experience in managing projects and change including integrating new areas of work and balancing conflicting priorities
7. Proven ability to think strategically and to develop plan prioritise and deliver service wide objectives
8. Demonstrable experience of managing resources workloads and changing priorities for self and others
9. Experience of leading and managing a team;
10. Good track record of developing and maintaining positive working relationships with internal and external customers peers stakeholders and others;
11. Excellent communication interpersonal and influencing skills;
12. Demonstrable flexibility and resilience;
13. Demonstrably collaborative and proactive.

Desirable

1. Experience in a customer servicerelated role outside of the higher education sector;
2. Experience working overseas;
3. Knowledge of higher education admissions criteria related to domestic international and foundation students
4. Experience in managing inhouse commercial events focused on delivering both brand affinity and robust customer acquisition targets
5. Experience in developing and implementing virtual customer experience i.e. live chat virtual events chatbots.

Please note that this job description is not exhaustive and the role holder may be required to undertake other relevant duties commensurate with the grading of the post. Activities may be subject to amendment over time as the role develops and/or priorities and requirements evolve.

How to Apply

Please submit your application via the HeriotWatt online recruitment system attaching a Cover letter describing your interest and suitability for the post and an updated CV

Shortlisted candidates may be invited to complete an ondemandvideo interview as the first stage of the selection process. Successful candidates will then proceed to inperson formal interviews at our Dubai campus where you will be asked to deliver a brief presentation on a relevant topic. Following the formal interview the preferred candidate will attend a second interview with senior staff at the Dubai campus before a final offer decision is made.

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 wellbeing and inclusiveness at the heart of our global community.

HeriotWatt University 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.

The appointment is conditional upon successful completion of all Labour and Immigration formalities and the start date will need to be delayed if the employment visa is not in place.