Student Recruitment Officer (Outreach)

at  Royal Agricultural University

STUDENT RECRUITMENT OFFICER (OUTREACH)

Job Description
The Role
Job title: Student Recruitment Officer (Outreach)
Department: External Relations
Responsible to: Head of Student Recruitment
Location: Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester
Salary: Grade 6: £28,759 -£33,965 per annum depending on qualification/experience
Term: Full time, permanent
Relationships with: External Relations team, particularly recruitment and marketing colleagues;
Registrar and Academic Services team; Service Directors; Academic Colleagues; RAU partners,
including senior teams in schools/colleges; school/college teaching staff and advisors; current and
prospective students; parents/carers; alumni; external stakeholders, e.g. OfS; community members
and organisations.
Role Purpose
Play a vital role in planning, delivering and evaluating key elements of the RAU’s Widening
Participation programmes and access strategy to increase diversity in student recruitment to the RAU,
in line with our Access and Participation Plan, commitments and targets, and regulatory guidelines
(OfS). Responsible for building and maintaining strong relationships with internal as well as external
stakeholders, including schools and colleges, and co-ordinating the RAU’s response to national
widening participation initiatives, for example Uni Connect partnerships. Support the RAU’s strategic
and whole-institution approach to Widening Participation and co-ordinate elements of the internal
and external monitoring and reporting requirements for Widening Participation work.
Key Responsibilities
1. Design, manage, deliver, monitor and evaluate the RAU’s Widening Participation Plan focussing
on increasing recruitment of students from under-represented groups, providing direction and
management of associated widening participation and outreach programmes.
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2. Meet targets and objectives for widening participation and outreach, specifically in relation to
external targets as agreed with the OfS and any other applicable regulatory bodies.
3. Lead the development of a schools and colleges targeting strategy, building relationships and
liaising with schools to encourage applicants from under-represented groups.
4. Work with academic colleagues to deliver aspiration-raising and attainment-raising events and
activities to selective schools and colleges to support RAU’s objectives.
5. Work with the student recruitment and marketing teams to support and participate in student
recruitment activities and ensure marketing materials appeal to target groups.
6. Develop and manage relationships with key partners including schools/colleges, government
agencies and partner HEIs including, for example, the Office for Students in respect of Access
and Participation Plans and Uni Connect partnerships.
7. Ensure that all outreach events are effectively monitored and evaluated; obtain the required
consents to comply with current data protection legislation and collect robust evidence of
impact to inform good practice. Oversee the management of a database of events and
evaluative feedback and embed robust evaluation models for programmes of activity.
8. Manage data collection and retention, to ensure that appropriate applicant and student data is
collected, reported and disseminated, in accordance with the reporting requirements of the
OfS and the internal requirements of the RAU.
9. Analyse applicant and student data to identify and monitor gaps in access for under-
represented groups, and make realistic recommendations that align with the access and
participation plan. Develop comparative data with appropriate sector benchmarks and other
comparators and provide regular monitoring and reporting data to internal groups as required.
10. Maintain knowledge of changes in the Widening Participation agenda, including government
policies and other educational changes, and ensure this is reflected in the RAU’s outreach
provision and policy, and disseminated to staff as required.
11. Ensure that all events comply with RAU’s Safeguarding, Health and Safety and Risk Assessment
policies and procedures.
12. As required, represent Widening Participation on internal / external groups and sector events.
13. Be willing to travel and able to deliver events across the UK and Ireland, including some evening
and weekend work.

General responsibilities:

• The University is committed to equality of opportunity. All staff are required to comply with

current legislation, University policies and good practice guidance.
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• All staff are required to act in a way that safeguards the health and wellbeing of children and

vulnerable adults at all times. The post holder must be familiar with and adhere to appropriate
safeguarding policies and guidance and participate in related mandatory/statutory training.
Managers have a responsibility to ensure their team members understand their individual

responsibilities with regard to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults.

• All staff are required to participate in the University appraisal process and should ensure they

are familiar with the process and plan time to prepare for their appraisal. Following the
appraisal, staff are expected to undertake in any necessary learning and development and

work towards the objectives that have been set.

• The University expects staff to attend any training designated as mandatory and to undertake

learning and development activities to support their role. Managers must facilitate learning

and development within their teams.

• It is a condition of employment that staff will not disclose any information obtained in the

course of their duties other than to those entitled to receive it. The post holder must ensure
that the confidentiality of personal data remains secure and that restricted information or
highly restricted information to which they have access remains confidential during and after
their employment at Royal Agricultural University. All staff must undergo appropriate data

protection training as required.

• All absence from work must be reported in accordance with the University’s absence

procedures and recorded on iTrent.

• The University acknowledges its responsibility to provide a safe, smoke free environment, to

its employees, service users and visitors. It is the policy of the University not to allow smoking
on University premises other than in specifically designated areas.
University Values
As a University we have chosen five values to underpin our learning community. These are the values

which we will all work by and for which we want the RAU to be known. We are:

• Collaborative - we believe in the power of working together. We are stronger as a community

of practice - inspiring each other, identifying shared goals, and providing reciprocal support

leads to greater success.

• Open-Minded - we are receptive to new ideas and we value the diversity of experiences and

skills. We are committed to listening to everyone across the RAU community.

• Resourceful - we adopt creative approaches to achieve our goals while setting higher

standards, promoting professionalism and sustainability.

• Responsible - individually and collectively we take accountability for our actions working with

integrity to achieve the highest ethical standards.
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• Inclusive - we acknowledge the fundamental value and dignity of all individuals and are

committed to maintaining an environment that seeks to eliminate all forms of discrimination
and respects diverse traditions, heritages, and experiences.
Person Specification

REQUIREMENTS ESSENTIAL MEASURED BY

The post holder must be able to demonstrate: or A) Application Form
Desirable B) Interview
C) Presentation
Educated to degree level or equivalent E A
Demonstrated experience of leading, delivering and E A,B,C
evaluating targeted widening participation / access activities
in Higher Education, delivering projects on time and to
budget
Experience of managing a budget and utilising financial E A,B
management skills
Experience of leading and managing staff, providing E A,B
leadership, direction and motivation
Knowledge of UK education, specifically the schools and HE E A,B
sectors; current knowledge of national access to HE, equality
and widening participation issues and agendas
Experience of working in partnership with a diverse range of E A,B
stakeholders including schools and colleges. Ability to work
with people at all levels including academics, teachers and
pupils
Excellent communication, presentation and report writing E A,B,C
skills
A flexible approach with the ability to undertake travel across E A,B
the UK (full driving licence would be desirable) and work out
of hours, including occasional weekends and evenings
Excellent organisational and project management skills, E A,B
including the ability to plan project schedules
Ability to collate and analyse data from varied sources for E A,B
project evaluation purposes
Experience of creating concise reports based on evaluation D A,B
of statistical information and market research
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REQUIREMENTS ESSENTIAL MEASURED BY

The post holder must be able to demonstrate: or A) Application Form
Desirable B) Interview
C) Presentation
Experience of developing/maintaining strong relationships D A,B
and identifying new opportunities with a variety of internal
and external stakeholders
Understanding of developments in UK secondary, FE and D A,B

HE sectors

• Due to the nature of this role, the post-holder will be required to undergo the satisfactory

completion on an enhanced DBS check.
Application Procedure

If you are interested in applying for this role, please send:

• University Application Form together with the Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form available

on the University website www.rau.ac.uk – you may attach your up to date CV if you wish to

add additional information.

• Details of two referees who must be people who can comment authoritatively on you as a

person and as an employee in relation to the level of the post, and must include your current

or most recent employer or their representative.

• Please forward to the HR Team, Royal Agricultural University, Cirencester, Gloucestershire,

GL7 6JS or via email to jobs@rau.ac.uk stating where you saw the advert for the role

• Informal enquiries can be made to Katharine Clough, Director of External Relatons:

Katharine.Clough@rau.ac.uk.

• Closing date: 22nd May 2024 with Interviews on: 31st May 2024
• Should you be selected for interview please be aware that we are unable to reimburse

interview expenses.

General responsibilities:

• The University is committed to equality of opportunity. All staff are required to comply wit

responsibilities with regard to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults.

• All staff are required to participate in the University appraisal process and should ensure the

If you are interested in applying for this role, please send:

• University Application Form together with the Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form availabl

GL7 6JS or via email to jobs@rau.ac.uk stating where you saw the advert for the role

• Informal enquiries can be made to Katharine Clough, Director of External Relatons