Head of Student Opportunities, London Campus

Based at our East London campus, the role-holder will foster, establish and manage external partnerships and other forms of collaboration with companies and other external partners, for the development of student employment and development opportunities.

Working in collaboration with colleagues in York from our Careers, Placements and Student Opportunities, the post-holder will work to raise the profile of the University, secure and develop credible placement partnership opportunities, identify local and regional skills needs and act as a broker between businesses and other organisations and the University.

The post-holder will provide strategic leadership and team management by line managing a team of three, ensuring the delivery of high-quality career services.
Lead the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of the Year in Professional Experience, with a focus on placements, ensuring it adheres to best practices and aligns with student career goals and industry trends.
Build and cultivate a robust network of employer and stakeholder partnerships to expand organisational capacity, enabling the creation of work-based learning opportunities and enhancing graduate employability outcomes.
Develop efficient data collection systems to monitor the success of placement programmes and provide strategic insights for continuous improvement.
Lead the expansion and optimisation of online career development platforms, such as GraduateFirst, Handshake, and Student Circus, ensuring they are accessible and beneficial to students.
Collaborate with academic departments to integrate Work-Related Experiential Learning (WREL) into the curriculum, embedding employability skills and real-world learning experiences within academic programmes.
Lead the design and delivery of employability enhancement workshops, specifically tailored for master's level and international students, to address their unique challenges and support career success.
Lead initiatives to secure external support, such as student prizes, travel bursaries, fee scholarships, and course sponsorships, strengthening relationships with key stakeholders and creating additional opportunities for students.
Lead the planning, delivery and evaluation of career and employability events, including part-time job fairs, employer engagement sessions, and industry speaker events, ensuring maximum student participation and industry engagement.

Qualified to Masters level in a business, social science or design related area.
Experience of developing, delivering and managing Masters level modules relevant to industry experience/ professional work placement.
Experience of developing strong and successful relationships between the university sector and external organisations - such as businesses, charities, funding organisations etc.
Experience of securing external support of university initiatives, such as in the form of student placements, student prizes, travel bursaries, student scholarships and institutional sponsorship.
A track record of implementing strategic plans and of working to strategic goals within the provision of careers, development and employability.
Experience of delivering master's level employability and support programmes.
Experience of developing contact database platforms for the management of external placement / Institutional relationships.
Able to create a vision for the team and explain how it fits in with the overall strategic vision of the University.
Ability to work effectively within tight deadlines and to meet targets.
Ability to build and maintain positive working relationships and networks to create opportunities in the form of internships, placements, graduate jobs and mentorships for students.
Experience of working with international students, Disability Confident
About Disability Confident
A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.

Situated in the heart of the historic city of York, and with the addition of our London Campus, York St John University has a long and proud tradition as a distinguished higher education provider.

Our success is founded on the quality of academic teaching and research, our thriving campus environments, our professional and pastoral support, and our values of an inclusive, innovative and ambitious community with a strong sense of belonging.

The Team

The London Campus, established in 2019, offers a diverse range of postgraduate taught programmes and top-up degrees, primarily in the fields of business and technology. With a student body exceeding 2,000 and projected growth in the coming years, the campus is poised for expansion.

Located across two floors in East London Docs, the campus is part of a vibrant, co-inhabited educational environment. It is supported by a dedicated team of over 50 faculty and staff members across all key departments, providing comprehensive support to our students. This includes the London Careers Team, consisting of four specialized professionals who focus on enhancing student career outcomes.