Careers Consultant

Purpose of Role The Careers Service aims to assist Heriot-Watt University students and graduates to make informed career choices by providing a professional, high-quality career guidance and information service. We work closely with employers and academic Schools to support students by developing the skills they need to maximise their employability. The Careers Service is dynamic, forward-looking and proactive in helping the University enhance the employability of our students. They work with a wide range of organisations across all business sectors to ensure that students and graduates can access a wealth of work experience, internships and graduate opportunities to support their readiness for life once they have completed their studies. The focus of this role is to contribute to the implementation of the University s strategic aims by providing a range of professional career education and guidance services to client groups of undergraduate and postgraduate students, and graduates to enhance their employability. The successful candidate will deliver the service alongside other Careers Consultants and work in close collaboration with senior school staff, academic colleagues, , the Employer Liaison Coordinator, alumni team and employers to support students to develop their career potential. They will proactively develop the service to meet client needs linking closely with other campuses to ensure parity and contribute to the positive impact of the service at the School and University level. This role will work closely with other teams within the Student Life department, specifically Student Engagement and the Student Council to improve engagement with the service. This post reports to the Careers and Industry Engagement Manager (Dubai Campus). Summary of Key Duties and Responsibilities: • Provide high quality careers information, advice, guidance (CIAG) and coaching to students and graduates to help them fulfil their career potential, operating within the agreed careers guidance model. This will take account of best practice across the sector, and include a range of different approaches, such as one-to-one sessions, e-guidance, group teaching through career education seminars and group work, coaching and mentoring, working with a wide range of students, including international students and those withdrawing early. • Deliver a centralised and school-based careers education sessions to a wide range of students and graduates. • Develop and implement a plan to support graduates who are seeking employment post-graduation to enhance the Graduate Destination Survey outcomes. • Contribute to the delivery of existing materials and produce new, innovative and dynamic materials to maximise student engagement with the service. • Work proactively in support of the Service s Employer Engagement Strategy. Represent the University at events such as careers fairs and other events, local, national and international employer networks, gather and analyse high quality labour market intelligence and collaborate with employers in activities such as delivery of career education, career guidance and employability skills. Gather and analyse high quality UAE labour market intelligence and collaborate with employers in activities such as delivery of career education, career guidance and employability skills. • Through continuous professional development, maintain an in-depth current knowledge of career options, routes, labour market trends and employers as relevant to all areas of the university s curriculum. • Work proactively with academic staff in Schools in order to develop specific knowledge to support students and graduates of particular disciplines. • Work closely with the Careers Service team to plan and develop an Annual Plan of general activities as well as programme specific integrated careers activities. Work closely with the wider student life team to market and deliver integrated services. • Promote Careers Advisory services generally to ensure that colleagues are aware of what is available and can therefore refer their students appropriately. • To develop and maintain excellent working relationships with a range of internal and external customers and colleagues; ensure good communication and exchange of ideas/information/ability to develop new initiatives. • Use information technology to its full potential in delivering, developing and supporting service provision, communicating about the Careers Service, and engaging both staff and students with the work of the service. • Gather, analyse and use customer feedback evidence to make improvements to the service • Contribute as appropriate to projects across the university, working groups or initiatives which support the achievement of strategic and operational objectives, and the enhancement of the student experience. • Designing, writing, and updating material to promote the service to students, academic and support staff and employers. Assisting in writing new materials on specific careers topics for students and other stakeholders, such as employers. • Contribute to the maintenance of agreed quality standards and external accreditation through on-going review of practices, contributions to the assessment process and the delivery of high quality, measurable outcomes. Proactively contribute to Careers and Graduate Futures strategic planning and innovative development to ensure the Service s key objectives are achieved. • Maintain appropriate statistical records to contribute to the development of the service through effective data management. • Engage in continuous development of professional practice and engage in developmental activities as guided by the Careers and Industry Engagement Manager and Head of RAS, Dubai, to maintain and improve knowledge and skills as required within a challenging and ever-changing environment. • Undertake other duties as appropriate to the grade and content of the post, as directed by the Careers and Industry Engagement Manager This list of duties is therefore not exhaustive. • Educated to first degree level or equivalent practical experience in the workplace • Minimum of 3 years proven relevant experience of providing effective guidance services with varied individuals and client groups, across a range of settings • Up to date knowledge of theories underpinning the practice of careers education, information, advice and guidance/coaching, particularly in relation to graduate provision • Up to date knowledge of graduate career paths • Ability to empathise with and understand the needs of students from a wide variety of backgrounds • Demonstrable ability to work quickly, flexibly and accurately in a dynamic, changing and pressured environment • Strong IT skills with the ability to learn new applications and work with databases, report generators, Microsoft Office suites and related software • Significant and proven experience of relationship building with a variety of stakeholder groups and audiences • Project management experience • Strategic thinker • A resilient initiative-taker with personal drive, tenacity and results-orientated • Ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a team • Excellent written and verbal communication skill • Able to prioritise across multiple and complex agendas • Able to provide constructive advice, analyse and interpret complex and or specialist issues and translate these into efficient management summaries Desirable • Experience of working in Higher Education • Experience of working in careers guidance within a higher education institution • Experiencing of developing and using online resources to support career development, including social media • Ability to manage budgets • Sound knowledge of the Higher Education sector and current issues surrounding employability