The posting
Post Title: Careers and Employability Officer
School/ Department: Careers & Employability
Salary: Grade 6, £31,236- £37,694 per annum
Location: On-site, Canary Wharf, London
Contract: Full-Time, Permanent
Job Purpose
The Careers and Employability Officer plays a key role in delivering Bath Spa University's careers and employability offer across the Canary Wharf and Birmingham campuses. Working as part of the wider Careers & Employability team, the postholder will support students and graduates to develop the confidence, skills, professional identity and networks needed to achieve successful progression into employment, career advancement, career change, self-employment, entrepreneurship or further study
The role focuses on delivering a visible, accessible and high-quality employability service through a blend of curriculum-based activity, workshops, events and career coaching in 1-2-1, group and online settings. The postholder will work proactively to engage students throughout their academic journey, particularly mature learners, working professionals and career changers, ensuring employability support is relevant, inclusive and aligned to the needs of the Canary Wharf student population
The successful candidate will be an adaptable and student-focused practitioner who is confident delivering employability education in a range of settings and able to support students with diverse aspirations and career pathways.
Key Responsibilities
Careers and Employability Support
- Deliver high-quality careers, employability and progression support through one-to-one appointments, drop-ins, workshops, digital resources and group activities to students across all academic disciplines (Business and Management, Computing and Health and Social Care Management.
- Support students in identifying and articulating their skills, strengths, experiences and professional identity
- Help students explore and pursue a range of progression pathways, including graduate employment, career advancement, career change, further study, self-employment and entrepreneurship.
- Provide support on applications, CVs, cover letters, LinkedIn profiles, interviews, assessment centres, networking and professional development.
- Promote opportunities that support career readiness and progression, including internships, mentoring, work-related learning, enterprise programmes and graduate opportunities.
- Be engaged with labour market intelligence, utilising and sharing this information with students in an engaging way.
- Support final-year students and recent graduates as they transition into employment, further study, professional practice or self-employment and promote and support engagement with graduate support initiatives and alumni activities.
- Build a strong working knowledge of Graduate Outcomes and the Graduate Outcomes Survey in order support promotion and messaging priorities.
- Confidently communicate the GOS message and explain its importance to students and graduates.
- Work closely with the Graduate Outcomes team, supporting shared priorities and engagement activities.
- Support the planning and delivery of events at Canary Wharf campus, including but not limited to careers fairs, employer networking events and guest speaker sessions.
- Facilitate employer presentations, networking events, careers fairs, industry panels and guest speaker sessions.
- Develop and maintain resource and guidance materials aligned to the needs of the student population.
- Deliver inclusive support that recognises and values diverse backgrounds, experiences and ambitions.
- Act as the lead staff member for Careers and Employability in the One Stop Shop hub at Canary Wharf and signpost students to relevant university support services where appropriate.
- Collaborate closely with Bath-based colleagues to translate centrally developed activities to the Canary Wharf context, acting as the local lead on relevant programmes or activities i.e. Mentoring.
Curriculum and Career Education
- Design and deliver engaging employability and career development learning activities within academic programmes.
- Develop and maintain strong working relationships with academic colleagues, Programme Leaders and Lecturers, providing clear and effective guidance on EiC and supporting its successful integration across academic programmes.
- Support the delivery of curriculum-based employability provision across Business, Computing and Health and Social Care programmes.
- Deliver workshops that develop career management skills, self-awareness, professional identity, networking confidence and employability skills.
- In collaboration with the Enterprise team, design and deliver workshops focused on supporting students with entrepreneurial concepts and self-employment.
- Support students to recognise and articulate the skills and attributes developed through their academic studies and wider experiences.
Student Engagement and Visibility
- Represent the Careers & Employability Team at university Open Days, Applicant Days, and other student recruitment events.
- Deliver presentations and engage with prospective students, applicants, and visitors regarding employability support available at Bath Spa University.
- Support the delivery of student inductions and welcome activities, introducing students to Careers & Employability services and resources.
- Actively promote careers support services and employability opportunities to students and graduates.
- Develop and deliver creative approaches that increase student awareness of, and engagement with, employability support.
- Support the development of career champion activity where appropriate.
Data, Evaluation and Administration
- Maintain accurate student records and appointment notes using relevant university systems i.e. Target Connect
- Produce monthly reports for Line Manager, and wider Careers and Employability Management team, using data to demonstrate activity, progress, and outcomes.
- Maintain accurate and up-to-date records on Target Connect and other appropriate reporting platforms.
- Ensure reports and supporting data are stored in the appropriate folders and readily available for Line Manager meetings.
- Gather feedback and evaluate all relevant activities using established team-wide evaluation processes, using insight to inform service improvement.
- Monitor student engagement and contribute to reporting requirements as requested.
- Use available data, labour market intelligence and insight to support planning and prioritisation.
- Ensure compliance with university policies, procedures, and data protection requirements.
Team Contribution
- Work collaboratively with colleagues across Careers & Employability and the wider Student Experience teams.
- Contribute positively to a high-performing and student-centred team culture.
- Share good practice and contribute to the continuous improvement of services and activities.
- Work across both Canary Wharf and Birmingham sites as required by business needs.
- Participate in team meetings and contribute to the continuous improvement of the student experience.
- Maintain awareness of developments within employability, career development and the graduate labour market.
About You
Qualifications and Experience
Essential
- Degree-level qualification or equivalent professional experience.
- Experience delivering careers, employability, coaching, training, education or student development activities.
- Experience facilitating workshops, group learning activities or presentations.
- Experience supporting individuals to identify and achieve personal, professional or career-related goals.
- Experience engaging and communicating effectively with diverse audiences.
Skills and Knowledge
- Excellent communication, presentation and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to build positive working relationships with students and colleagues.
- Knowledge of career development, employability and graduate recruitment practices.
- Awareness of a range of graduate progression routes, including employment, further study, self-employment and entrepreneurship.
- Strong organisational skills and ability to manage competing priorities.
- Ability to work independently and use initiative appropriately.
- Ability to develop engaging and inclusive learning activities.
- Strong digital capability and confidence using Microsoft 365 and online platforms.
- Commitment to equality, diversity, inclusion and student success
Desirable
- Level 6 or above qualification in Careers Guidance, Career Development, Coaching, Advice and Guidance or related discipline.
- Experience working within Higher Education, employability, careers or student support.
- Experience delivering employability activity within a curriculum setting.
- Experience supporting mature learners, commuter students, career changers or working professionals.
- Experience developing digital resources and online learning materials.
- Knowledge of labour market trends within business, digital, technology, health or professional services sectors.
- Experience using careers management systems such as TargetConnect.
- Experience of enterprise education, entrepreneurship or self-employment support.
Personal Attributes
- Student-centred and committed to supporting positive student and graduate outcomes.
- Proactive, adaptable and willing to try new approaches to engage students.
- Confident facilitating learning and discussion with groups of students.
- Collaborative and able to work effectively with a wide range of stakeholders.
- Positive, approachable and professional.
- Curious and committed to continuous learning and development.
- Resilient and able to work in a dynamic and evolving environment.
Additional Information
This is a fully on-site position and requires regular face-to-face engagement with students.
- The successful candidate may occasionally be required to support events outside normal working hours, including evening and weekend working for Open Days and student-facing activities.
- This role works primarily with students at Canary Wharf, but is required to support students at the Birmingham campus in line with business need.
- Occasional travel to Bath is required within this role.
- The postholder will work as part of a wider One BSU Careers & Employability team, contributing to shared priorities and collaborative initiatives
This role offers an excellent opportunity to make a direct impact on the student experience by providing practical careers support and helping students develop the confidence and skills needed for their future careers.
Staff Benefits:
- Generous annual leave package with 25 days plus bank holidays, supporting a healthy work life balance
- Access to the TELUS Health Employee Assistance Programme, offering confidential counselling, wellbeing tools and 24/7 support
- Free annual eye test for VDU users, with a Specsavers voucher including up to £70 contribution towards glasses or sunglasses
- Access to Hapi Benefits, providing exclusive retail discounts, lifestyle savings and wellbeing perks
- Workplace pension scheme to support long term financial security
- Enhanced company sick policy
- Statutory Maternity and Paternity Pays to support growing families
- Ongoing training and development opportunities to support career progression
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.
