Location: London

Department: Registry

Salary: £23,144 - £27,131 (depending on experience)

Hours: Full Time, 40 hours per week

Contract Type: Permanent

Point Blank is an award-winning music school based in London, Los Angeles, Ibiza, Mumbai, China and online. The School specialises in Higher Education and professional courses in subjects including Music Production and Sound Engineering, DJ Performance, Singing, Songwriting, Music Industry Management, and Radio.

As a specialist music education provider, we take pride in teaching the creative process of making music at the highest level, with expert lecturers and state-of-the-art facilities. We nurture and support students, providing them with a curriculum connected to industry and the tools to succeed in their careers. Consistently awarded high scores by our students through the National Student Survey, we have a reputation for giving our community a unique and high-quality experience.

We are currently in an exciting phase of growth and expansion, with new campuses and innovative educational programmes in the pipeline. This is an incredible opportunity for you to join a fast-growing company with exciting prospects for personal development. To find out what makes Point Blank Music School a remarkable place to work, check out our YouTube channel here.

About the role

The post holder will be responsible for monitoring student risk and supporting the Senior Retention Officer in implementing interventions for students at risk. This will involve monitoring attendance and engagement across the defined data points, as well as engaging with all student-facing staff to glean qualitative information on student engagement.

This role will suit an individual with a keen eye for detail, who prides themselves on delivering high quality support to students at risk. This includes being patient and empathetically problem-solving where a student finds themselves facing a barrier to their education.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Act as the first point of contact and provide a professional, sensitive and student focussed one to one case management service for students who are experiencing personal issues, academic problems or other difficulties impacting on their ability to continue their studies at Point Blank.
• Work together with the student and, where appropriate, involve colleagues from other key services to offer advice and identify appropriate options in support of resolution or mitigation of issues in support of retention.
• Work with colleagues in the Student Experience and Assessments Teams to provide effective service triage and risk assessment and management.
• Signpost and refer students to specialist support provided by other Point Blank services.
• Understand and comply with the policies and procedures of Point Blank, including policies on data sharing & confidentiality, record-keeping, responding to emergencies, and escalation of matters relating to students in crisis.
• Contribute to the organisation and delivery of new student induction activities, primarily with a focus on raising awareness of engagement expectations and resources.
• Where relevant and possible, offer assistance to other members of the Student Experience and Assessments Teams in respect of non-clinical support for example, in relation to promotion of student hardship services; Disability related support; delivery of pro-active workshops and events to promote information and services that support student retention and success.
• Support the Senior Retention Officer by contributing to service evaluation and reporting to aid strategic planning, development and enhancement of services provided; and to enable the Point Blank to better understand the range of issues which underlie student withdrawal.
• Support the Senior Retention Officer on the development of communication strategies including email, web based information, online self-help materials and systems to reach the widest possible student audience.
• Contribute to the design of policy and implementation of procedures for Point Blank in support of students who have disengaged and are nonresponsive to communications.
• Regularly review each individual student’s activity (at least weekly) via the data on relevant systems.
• Identify students at risk of disengagement as indicated by a reduction in activity levels.
• Work with the Senior Retention Officer to monitor retention trends across the programmes (including withdrawals, interrupts and fails) in relation to protected characteristics, demographic characteristics, or other variables.

PERSON SPECIFICATION - Essential

Education:

• Undergraduate degree or demonstrable work experience equivalent to the level of responsibility of this role.

Experience:

• Experience of providing a one-to-one support service.
• Experience of delivering effective case management/ advice/ guidance work.
• Able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of students’ issues and the demands on student life which may lead to withdrawal.
• Experience of service coordination.
• Experience of working with a diverse community.

Knowledge/Skills:

• Excellent IT skills including sound working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications.
• Understanding or experience of risk management and safeguarding.
• Excellent customer service and interpersonal skills, including the ability to communicate clearly and concisely.
• Excellent skills in assessing the needs of students and in dealing with people in distress.
• Ability to plan, organise and prioritise work effectively, to manage own workload, and to balance competing demands in order to meet agreed deadlines.
• Excellent presentation, academic writing and numeracy skills.
• Ability to work calmly under pressure in a busy environment whilst delivering high quality work standards.
• Ability to work effectively and ethically with students who may experience challenging circumstances and to demonstrate self-care and resilience in dealing with this demand.
• An understanding and respect for diversity, including the ability to engage with students from a wide range of cultures and with a range of support needs.
• Excellent team working skills, with an ability to develop and maintain co-operative relationships, demonstrating a collaborative team spirit to continually enhance services.
• Ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality.

PERSON SPECIFICATION - Desirable

Experience: 

• Experience of working in Further/ Higher Education.
• Experience of social/community work.
• Experience of providing online/email support.
• Experience of delivering academic support to individuals or groups.
• Knowledge of relevant developmental and transition issues for students.
• Experience of contributing to or developing policy.
• Experience of responding to mental health and welfare issues with young people/ students.

How to apply

To apply, please send a CV and cover letter setting out your interest in the role and details of how you match each of the criteria in the person specification to work@pointblankmusicschool.com.

The closing date for applications is 12 June 2023, however applications will be reviewed when received and early submission is recommended.

Point Blank is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all sections of society.