Job Purpose 

The Welfare Manager is responsible for supporting and shaping the experience of students living in university halls of residence ensuring that they have access to advice, guidance, and support when needed, often liaising with or escalating to specialist services and departments as required.

The Welfare Manager will lead a small team of Welfare Officers and provide a proactive outreach service as part of a holistic student support system, promoting healthy lifestyles, self-care, and assisting students in navigating a wide range of challenges and issues, collaborating with colleagues in the Residence Life (ResLife) service

Main Duties and Responsibilities 

1. Lead out-of-hours support by serving as the first point of contact for welfare, behavioural, and student support incidents in halls, including risk assessment and escalation as needed.

2. Provide pastoral care and guidance to students, referring to appropriate services and supporting teams (e.g., Wardens, Residence Assistants) in responding to incidents.

3. Coordinate with internal teams such as Safeguarding, Security, Wardens, and Residence Life to establish protocols, manage risk, and ensure consistent and effective student support.

4. Manage and lead the Welfare Team, providing line management to Welfare Officers and acting as lead to ensure effective out-of-hours service delivery.

5. Promote inclusive, supportive communities in halls through proactive engagement, peer support coordination, and collaboration with the Student Listeners team.

6. Design and deliver educational activities in partnership with site teams and Residence Life to align with key periods in the academic calendar (e.g., orientation, induction).

7. Identify behavioural trends and collaborate with Wellbeing and Residence Life teams to shape preventative and educational interventions.

8. Develop and implement procedures and frameworks, including mediation, conflict resolution, and documentation aligned with the Residence Life model.

9. Oversee operational planning, including workload prioritisation, working patterns / rota planning, and team coordination to meet service goals.

10. Build partnerships and inform strategy through cross-university collaboration, data analysis, and presenting recommendations to enhance wellbeing and student experience in halls.

Knowledge, Qualifications, Skills and Experience 

Knowledge / Qualifications

Essential:

A1 Either: Ability to demonstrate the competencies required to undertake the duties associated with this level of post having acquired the necessary knowledge and skills in a similar or number of different roles. Or: Scottish Credit and Qualification Framework level 9, (Ordinary Degree, Scottish Vocational Qualification level 4), or equivalent (including professional accreditation with relevant formal training), and experience of personal development in a similar or related role(s).

A2 Able to demonstrate an awareness and relevant knowledge and understanding of safeguarding, mental health, sexual violence, harassment, misconduct and hate crime.

A3 Familiarity with Glasgow’s cultural, social, and educational landscape, as well as local emergency support services available to students or demonstrate the capacity to gain this within a rapid time.

A4 Knowledge of best practices in crisis management, including risk assessment, intervention strategies, and collaborative approaches with other support services.

Desirable:

B1 Understanding of relevant legislation and institutional policies regarding student welfare, safeguarding, and equality, as well as compliance with local and national regulations.

B2 Qualified independent sexual violence advocate or advisor.

B3 Professional membership in relevant discipline e.g. Social Work (Mental health), Mental Health Nursing, Counselling/Psychology/DBT Practitioner.

Skills 

Essential:

C1 A relationship-focused professional with highly effective communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence and build strong connections with a diverse range of stakeholders.

C2 Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage projects and operations within budget.

C3 Line management / supervisory skills along with the ability to lead a diverse team effectively and ability to work collaboratively with others, manage, coach and develop the performance of team members.

C4 Excellent oral and written communication skills, including drafting reports and strategic documents.

C5 Attention to detail, experience of maintaining records, case notes and appropriate reporting following confidentiality and GDPR

C6 Able to work autonomously and collaboratively across organisational boundaries to achieve objectives.

C7 Able to generate new ideas and support change management.

C8 Driver's licence or working towards gaining a drivers licence.

Experience

Essential:

E1 Proven experience in handling emergency situations and demonstrating the ability to remain calm and effective under pressure.

E2 Demonstrated experience in supervising and leading teams, delegating tasks.

E3 Demonstrated experience in training and onboarding staff, developing and implement programs that enhance team performance and service delivery.

E4 Experience in developing and maintaining policies, protocols, processes, and guidelines to ensure compliance and best practices.

E5 Experience in managing non-clinical mental health and wellbeing casework and / or pastoral support in a setting with students or young people.

E6 Recent experience in implementing continuous improvement programs that enhance service delivery and operational efficiency.

E7 Proven experience in providing advice, guidance, and support to foster strong, inclusive community among young people.

Terms and Conditions

Salary will be Grade 7, £40,497 - £45,413 per annum.

This post is full time and open ended.

Closing Date 23:45 16th May 2025

As a valued member of our team, you can expect:

1 A warm welcoming and engaging organisational culture, where your talents are developed and nurtured, and success is celebrated and shared.

2 An excellent employment package with generous terms and conditions including 41 days of leave for full time staff, pension - pensions handbook https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/payandpensions/pensions/, benefits and discount packages.

3 A flexible approach to working.

4 A commitment to support your health and wellbeing, including a free 6-month UofG Sport membership for all new staff joining the University  https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/staff/healthwellbeing/.

We believe that we can only reach our full potential through the talents of all. Equality, diversity and inclusion are at the heart of our values. Applications are particularly welcome from across our communities and in particular people from the Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) community, and other protected characteristics who are under-represented within the University. Read more on how the University promotes and embeds all aspects of equality and diversity within our community https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/humanresources/equalitydiversity/.

We endorse the principles of Athena Swan https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/humanresources/equalitydiversity/athenaswan/ and hold bronze, silver and gold awards across the University.

We are investing in our organisation, and we will invest in you too. Please visit our website https://www.gla.ac.uk/explore/jobs/ for more information.