Salary: £40,000 per annum

Employment type: Permanent

Hours per week: 37

Reporting into: Students' Association Managing Director

Department: Students' Association

Click here to read the full job description and view our excellent benefits here

This role operates primarily on a remote working arrangement that will require some travel to our Coventry Head Office or Campus Locations (Birmingham, Leeds, London, Newcastle, Nottingham, Manchester). **  Our working model arrangements are a non-contractual benefit so please note that an Arden work location is added to our employment contracts.

About Arden University:

We are an aspirational and multi-award-winning university, delivering rapid growth with ambitious plans to disrupt the HE sector through our passion for innovation and digital education. Our vision is to become the first-choice university for career-focused lifelong learners worldwide, ensuring that everyone, everywhere can access higher education.

There has never been a more exciting time to join Arden University, as we expand into new disciplines, forge worldwide partnerships, and expand our locations.

About our Department:

Arden University Students’ Association is a core part of Arden University with the purpose of advocating for all students across programmes, study modes and location, to ensure that student interest & perspective is reflected in decision-making which impacts students. We are a non-independent Students’ Association which has been developed since 2021, with a clear trajectory of delivery focusing on advocacy, representation, and student rights. To learn more about our exciting journey, please visit our website.

About the Opportunity:

The Advocacy Manager provides leadership for the Students’ Association’s student feedback, evaluation, and advocacy functions. You will oversee the partnership to deliver our Independent Academic Advice Service, ensuring that the insights gained through student interactions directly inform institutional change, policy development, and ongoing improvements to the student experience.

This role is central to embedding robust, evidence‑based decision-making within the Association and across Arden University, for the benefit of student interest. You will have a collaborative and crucial working relationship with the University’s Operational Research Team and colleagues across projects and departments, to ensure that students’ views are meaningfully integrated into decision‑making processes and crucially, that the full feedback loop is closed. You will also work closely with our elected Sabbatical Officers to support their campaigning to be evidence-informed and cognisant of issues affecting the student population at Arden and beyond.

**You will be expected to undertake reasonable travel to our UK campuses or to the Coventry Head Office to meet the needs of the Association. Any travel will be agreed in advance.

About You

We are looking for a strategic, student-focused professional with a strong understanding of higher education policy, research, and advocacy services, and a passion for ensuring that student voice leads to meaningful institutional change.

You will bring:

• Experience in research, policy development, or advocacy services within higher education or a comparable sector, with the ability to translate insight into practical recommendations and measurable impact.

• Experience delivering or managing services in partnership with external or internal stakeholders, ensuring clear governance, quality standards, and strong working relationships.

• Proven experience monitoring and tracking actions arising from student research or feedback, ensuring accountability and closing the feedback loop.

• Working knowledge of advice service frameworks, including quality standards, case management processes, and principles of independent academic advice.

• Experience collaborating with cross-institutional teams or services, building trusted relationships and influencing at all levels to achieve shared objectives.

You will be confident working with qualitative and quantitative data, able to present findings clearly, and skilled in balancing operational delivery with strategic oversight. Above all, you will be committed to championing student interests and embedding evidence-based improvement across the organisation.

Application Process:

As part of the application process you are required to submit a cover letter, which needs a clear introductory paragraph, and then includes two to three paragraphs which address:

• Your motivation for applying and why you are interested in this particular role.

• Your suitability for the position. How your experience, skills and / or qualifications meet the requirements outlined in the job description.

• Your interest in Arden University and why you want to work within the Students' Association.

If you would like an informal chat about the role, please e-mail Sophie Harrison - soharrison@arden.ac.uk in the first instance.

Why Arden:

At Arden, you will become a part of a passionate and dedicated team who are committed to removing unnecessary barriers to learning and making education more accessible. Our people work hard to ensure our students journeys are the best they can possibly be, as such we want to reward our people with fantastic benefits. Employees benefit from:

• 30 days holiday + bank holidays on-top, and even a Christmas closure!

• A generous Aviva pension plan, company contributions starting from 7%

• SimplyHealth plan option

• Private Medical Insurance

• Access to Perkbox benefits

• Study any Arden course for free, with a discount for all family and friends

• Plus, other excellent benefits

• Our ‘Golden Ticket’ which allows you to gift anyone in your life a free Arden education
  

Our Values:

Stand out, Progressive, Accessible, Resourceful, Kindness, reflect who we are as an institution, a team and as individuals. If they also reflect you and you are excited by the chance to be the driving, creative force within a growing business, we want to hear from you.

There has never been a more exciting time to join Arden University, as we expand into new disciplines and locations.

Closing Date: Wednesday 11th March

Interview Date: Friday 20th March (MS Teams)

We reserve the right to close this vacancy before the specified closing date should we receive sufficient applications or in order to respond to business needs. In order to avoid missing an opportunity to apply please submit your application as early as possible.

If you are a current Arden student or have an upcoming course with us, you are not eligible to apply for Student Experience roles due to a conflict of interest related to system access.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion:

Arden University is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. This means that if you have a disability, as defined by the Disability Equality Act 2010, you may be guaranteed an interview if you meet the essential criteria for the role.

If you wish to be considered under this scheme, you can indicate via the application form below. By doing so, you are also consenting for this information to be shared with the hiring team. For more details on what qualifies as a disability under the Disability Equality Act 2010, please refer to the guidance here.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. Therefore, we make sure that our recruitment and selection processes never discriminate based upon people's age, disability, gender, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or other personal circumstances, and actively welcome applications from all groups.

Sponsorship statement:

Please be aware that some roles may not meet the points requirement for a sponsored Skilled Worker visa under the points-based immigration system. However, we welcome applications from candidates who do not currently have the right to work in the UK but may be eligible for a visa through an alternative route.