International Admissions Officer supporting Buckinghamshire New University (BNU)

Title- InternationalAdmissions Officer supporting Buckinghamshire New University (BNU)

Experience- 2+ years in the international higher education industry

Education- Educated to degree level or equivalent, preferably in the UK or Ireland

Location- Gurugram

About University:

Buckinghamshire New University (BNU) is an ambitious, modern university that is always open to fresh ideas and thinking. We believe in the transformative power of education, and in doing the right thing by our students, people and local community. That's why our BNU community is a special place to work and study, and where people who want to make a difference can contribute and succeed.

Our University's DRIVE values and are at the heart of all that we do. We are united in being dynamic, responsible, inclusive, visionary and empowering to ensure that we provide the best experience to our learners and offer excellent service to our partners and to each other as colleagues. Our commitment to these values is unwavering and they are central to our mission.

About OneStep Global: 

OneStep Global, a market entry firm specialized in the higher education sector. OneStep Global helps global universities, colleges, government organizations to land and expand across Asia, through stake holder management and in country representation. OneStep Global has been working with some very prestigious universities and colleges across the world. The solutions vary from market development, market entry and market presence. 

The Role: 

The International Admissions team sits within BNU's Global Collaborations Office, which is responsible for planning and implementing effective recruitment and admissions strategies to build the University's brand and profile in key international markets, while supporting ambitious student enrolment targets.

As International Admissions Officer, you will play a key role in delivering a proactive, effective and compliant admissions service throughout the applicant journey from application to enrolment. The role involves dealing with a wide range of applications to the University, making decisions on undergraduate and postgraduate applications against set entry criteria, and for building and maintaining excellent working relationships with colleagues involved in the admission of new international students.

Reporting:

The International Admissions Officer will report to the Senior International Admissions Manager and will work closely with a range of colleagues across the Global Collaborations Office including in-country representatives, and the international recruitment, admissions and UKVI compliance teams. 

Key responsibilities: 

Processing applications

1.      You will primarily be responsible for processing international applications to undergraduate and postgraduate courses within the University's admissions platform following standard operating procedures and published Admissions Policy. This will include:

·      Assessing applicants against agreed criteria such as previous study and English language proficiency.

·      Assessing international qualifications and their equivalence to UK qualifications using the University's global qualification benchmarking system.

·      Assessing non-academic requirements such as statements of purpose, work experience and references to ensure they meet the required standards.

·      Escalating complex cases to senior members of the International Admissions team for advice and guidance.

·      Discussing entry criteria and admissions processes with applicants who may enquire about their suitability for a course.

·      Ensuring decisions comply with internal and external regulations (e.g. right to study in the UK)

·      Assessing the fee status of applicants, classifying them as appropriate.

·      Escalating any compliance concerns relating to international students to the Senior International Admissions Manager and/or the UKVI Compliance and Immigration team for discussion before decisions are made.

·      Communicating pre-defined admissions decisions to applicants such as conditional offers, ensuring accuracy and maintaining internal service level agreements.

·      Maintaining a good general awareness of qualifications and flagging any developments to the Senior International Admissions Manager.

2.      You will need to be alert to the possibility of fraudulent applications by thoroughly checking documentation, verifying against external sources where possible and escalating concerns when issues are detected.

3.      You will need to work with a high level of accuracy and attention to detail within the agreed turnaround times to meet performance targets.

4.      You will be expected to deliver excellent customer service to applicants and internal stakeholders, maintaining the integrity of the University's Admissions Policy and procedures.

5.      You will be expected to proactively make suggestions for improvements to the service offered by the International Admissions team.

Collaboration 

1.      You will work closely with a range of stakeholders ranging from UK-based Admissions Officers, International Recruitment Managers and Compliance Officers, as well as in-country colleagues and academic admissions tutors.

2.      You may be asked to work on projects relating to the work of the Global Collaborations Office and the identification of service enhancements.

3.      You may be asked to represent the International Admissions team at open days, webinars and university events such as spot admissions days and offer holder conversion days, providing accurate advice and guidance to prospective students and applicants.  

General

1.      You will be required to undertake any other duties as may be reasonably required by the Head of Global Collaborations or their nominee.

2.      You will support equality and value diversity, moderating your own behavior to avoid unfair discriminatory impact or bias on others.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

·      Educated to Degree level preferably in the UK or Ireland with evidence of the skills and ability to undertake the role.

·      Evidence of literacy and numeracy, with the ability to write clearly, and to analyze information and data.

·      Ability to manage good working relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.

·      Highly proficient IT skills, and the ability to quickly learn new IT skills and software packages as required.

·      Proven ability to plan and anticipate requirements, proactively planning own (and sometimes others workloads) to manage time effectively, progress tasks concurrently and work to deadlines.

·      Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to write for different audiences, and to required deadlines.

·      Excellent interpersonal skills. The post holder must inspire confidence and command authority with a range of colleagues and always provide excellent customer service.

·      A high degree of professionalism, tact, and diplomacy, and the ability to exercise discretion regarding the handling and management of sensitive information/issues.

·      Ability to comply with UK laws and regulations such as UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, and immigration rules in force at the time determined by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI).

·      A high degree of initiative, personal judgment, resourcefulness, flexibility, and a self-motivating approach.

·      Ability to work effectively in a large, complex organization, and to develop a good understanding of how the University and higher education institutions work.

·      Ability to understand policy and procedures and how to apply these.

·      Understands the importance of equality and diversity in the workplace.

·      Ability to identify and respond to equality and diversity issues in line with relevant policies and procedures.

·      An understanding of the admissions, marketing and recruitment processes in the UK Higher Education sector would be an advantage.

·      Proven abilities in applying close attention to detail and working under pressure to deadline.

Planning and organizing

This role requires the individual to work closely with their line managers to set and achieve daily, weekly and monthly tasks/targets including support on projects with medium/longer term horizons.

Problem solving and decision making

You will work under general direction from managers whilst applying agreed criteria to inform the decisions you make on applications, fee status queries and other decisions. You will be able to deal with more complex queries and be expected to resolve the majority of these. 

Internal and external relationships

You will be expected to develop professional working relationships with colleagues across the University and OneStep Global, as well as supporting external stakeholders including teachers, parents, and education agents.

Availability and start date: 

Immediate, however any notice period for the right candidate will be honored

NOTE: 

OneStep Global is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to the employment policies, procedures and practices which do not discriminate on grounds such as gender, marital status, family status, age, disability, race, religious belief, sexual orientation.