Graduate Transitions Officer

You’ll work in the Careers and Employment Service, helping students and graduates connect with jobs, employers, and career opportunities.

About the University

We have one simple promise – to make a positive impact. Through our ground-breaking research, teaching excellence and commitment to sustainable living, we are changing lives for the better.

The University of Derby is a modern university with a modern outlook. Everything we do is driven by delivering excellence and opportunities for our students, our staff and our region.

We have some of the best university facilities in the UK and achieve outstanding results for our teaching and research and have been awarded Gold in the prestigious Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023 – making it one of the top universities in the country recognised for its outstanding student experience and student outcomes.

Financially strong and seriously ambitious we offer our employees an inclusive culture that centres itself around staff wellbeing, where you can be confident you will receive all the help and encouragement you need to build a rewarding career with lots of opportunities to enhance your skills.

About the College/Department

We are right at the heart of the issues and challenges that matter - to our city, our region, to business, industry and our communities and society in general. Investing in our future, partnering with sector-leading businesses to drive innovation and create a collaborative environment where research has real impact and graduate talent can flourish. 

Our Business Engagement and Employability Team focuses on how the University interacts with industry in three key areas: support for our students and graduates to develop and successfully reach their aspirations, linking business to academics and research students to assist with research, knowledge exchange and consultancy, and the provision of skills that are relevant to industry, whether through courses, apprenticeships, CPD or further training. 

Careers and Employability Service 

The Careers and Employment Service support University of Derby students with reaching their career ambitions. We are dedicated to helping students gain the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to achieve a positive Graduate Outcome through in-curriculum delivery, tailored appointments, digital resources, on-campus events and industry connections. We are available to all students from the first day of their university journey, up to three years post-graduation. 

As an Applied University, real-world learning is embedded across all programmes. The Careers and Employment Service encourage and supports students to secure further industry experience from internships and placements to boost their employability and career prospects. We provide guidance to academics on impactful employability activity and curriculum delivery. 

The Team works closely with the wider Business Engagement and Employability Team to create valuable student development and recruitment opportunities with a diverse range of local, national, and global industry partners.

About the role

In this role you will develop innovative ways to connect students and graduates with opportunities and high‑skilled employment, using Careers Registration and Graduate Outcomes data to identify trends and initiatives. You’ll build strong relationships with graduates, employers, alumni, and internal partners, coordinating impactful employability programmes and a diverse calendar of careers events.

You will gather and analyse sensitive data and feedback to inform improvements, while acting as the first point of contact for employers and external organisations. Working collaboratively across the University, you’ll promote graduate opportunities, support engagement projects, contribute to recruitment activities, and help foster a positive performance culture.

The role also involves ensuring Health and Safety compliance and undertaking additional duties that enhance the overall student and graduate experience. 

Working collaboratively across the University, you’ll promote graduate opportunities, support engagement projects, contribute to recruitment activities, and help foster a positive performance culture. The role also involves ensuring Health and Safety compliance and undertaking additional duties that enhance the overall student and graduate experience.

This position is offered on a fixed-term basis to cover a period of maternity leave for 9 months. There may be the potential for the contract to be extended beyond this date, however this cannot be guaranteed.

About You

The ideal candidate is a proactive and self-directed with experience in planning and delivering employability engagement events and activities and supporting complex projects under strict deadlines. You will possess the ability to promote the Careers and Employment service across diverse networks, leveraging digital marketing and social media to maximise reach, while maintaining a strong understanding of careers advice and guidance.   

A methodical organiser with a keen eye for detail, the ideal candidate will be skilled at compiling performance reports and delivering impactful presentations to key stakeholders. Your excellent interpersonal and communication skills allow you to collaborate effectively with both internal and external partners at all levels. Flexible and solution-oriented, you bring a professional approach to problem-solving and the ability to work independently to achieve results. 

Principal accountabilities

1. Use data provided through Careers Registration and Graduate Outcomes Survey, to identify a graduate talent pool, promoting opportunities and creating new models to connect student and graduate talent with jobs and track success through to high skilled outcomes.

2. Maintain contact with graduates and increase alumni engagement with students, working with the College Careers Partners to create and deliver a series of innovative employability programmes to students and graduates.

3. Gather information and data, including sensitive data and qualitative and quantitative feedback.

4. To act as the first point of contact and maintain long-term collaborative relationships with a wide range of appropriate employers, professional bodies, community organisations and external networks in relation to delivery of employability activities and sourcing graduate opportunities.

5. To work closely with key staff in colleges, services and the Students’ Union to promote and encourage University wide collaboration, ensuring a wide range of effective interventions and opportunities exist for graduates to engage with.

6. To manage and co-ordinate a comprehensive careers-based calendar of events, showcasing a wide range of opportunities and including a diverse range of employers and organisations relevant to our graduate body.

7. To facilitate employer and community contributions to the programme of development opportunities for graduates and work effectively with contacts to contribute to the development of quality employability resources for graduates, staff and employers.

8. To promote employment opportunities for recent graduates in gaining graduate level employment.

9. Provide engagement expertise, including delivering projects and work streams with inter-related Supervise and advise stakeholders undertaking engagement activities.

10. Contribute to recruitment information and activities, e.g. open days.

11. To support a performance culture within the team.

12. To ensure compliance with University Health and Safety requirements.

13. To undertake such other duties as may be required, commensurate with the level of responsibility of the role in support of enhancing the student experience.

Essential Criteria

Qualifications

• BTEC/HND or above in relevant subject or demonstrable equivalent experience

Experience

• Relevant experience in employability engagement event planning and delivery

• Experience of supporting projects

• Experience of promoting a programme or service across various networks

• Experience of self-direction and ability to use own initiative

• Experience of working in a role involving strict deadlines

Skills, knowledge & abilities

• An understanding of careers advice and guidance

• The ability to compile, coordinate and produce performance reports, where required

• Strong organisational skills

• Excellent interpersonal skills, comfortable in dealing at a range of levels within an organisation

• Attention to detail, thorough & methodical

• Ability to plan and deliver presentations to key stakeholders

• Ability to maximise digital marketing opportunities including the use of social media

• Proactive and able to work on own initiative

• Problem solving skills

• Good written and oral communication skills

• Experience in dealing with both internal and external partners at a range of levels

• An approach that is flexible & adaptable

Business requirements

• Willingness and flexibility to travel and work between University and external sites in cost effective and timely manner for business meetings and events

• Willingness to provide support at University events from time to time e.g., Graduation, Clearing and Open Days, (some of these events occur outside of normal working hours, such as evenings and weekends).

Skills, knowledge and abilities

• Experience of working within the Higher Education sector

Benefits

• Generous annual leave entitlement of 38 days inclusive of bank holidays and concessionary days (pro rata)

• Local Government Pension Scheme

• Suite of holistic wellbeing benefits and support including family-friendly policies, generous sick pay provision and comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme

• Access to a variety of staff discounts at high street retailers

• Discounted onsite gym

• Cycle to Work scheme

• A flexible working environment

• A commitment to personal and professional development