Residential Assistant

Campus Life

As a friendly and approachable point of contact for our student residents, you will provide excellent customer service to our residents to ensure the smooth and effective running of the halls accommodation. 

Job details

Responsible to

Hall Manager

Location

All Derby Sites

Closing date

Sunday 30 March 2025

Salary

£23,865 to £24,213 per annum, pro rata (For exceptional performers, there is scope for further progression up to £27,859 per annum, pro rata)

Job grade

ATOS 2

Reference

0016-25

Contract type

Fixed term contract until 05/07/2026

Post type

Part-time

Adaptive working type

Onsite
This role will be based on site, primarily in the named location.

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.

THIS OPPORTUNITY IS AVAILABLE FOR UNIVERSITY OF DERBY STUDENT'S ONLY 

Our Campus Life and Student Living department is responsible for essential services that significantly impact the student experience. 

Campus Life is all about the various services that enhance the overall student experience, including sports, recreational facilities and community engagement. 

Whereas our Student Living teams ensure the safety, comfort and compliance of the University's residential estates.

Whichever team you become a part of; student experience is our focus!

As a friendly and approachable point of contact for our student residents, you will provide excellent customer service to our residents to ensure the smooth and effective running of the halls accommodation. 

The role is varied and will involve general administration duties along with organisation of events. There may also be an element of looking after the wellbeing of our students and referring them for support if needed. You will be managed by a hall manager and there will be a set shift pattern; you will work 25 hours over a 3 week period on rolling rota. This is for 25 hours active duty hours and be on call at weekends, with opportunity for overtime if desired.

We currently have vacancies at the following halls;

Princess Alice - 2 posts

Agard Court - 1 post

St Christopher's Court - 2 posts

Darley Bank - 3 posts

Flamstead Court - 2 posts

Nunnery Court - 3 posts

This is a fixed term contract commencing on Monday 1st September 2025 until Sunday 5th July 2026. You will be eligible for discounted accommodation. 

No candidate will meet every single desired qualification. If your experience looks a little different from what we've identified and you think you can bring value to the role, we'd love to learn more about you!

The interviews will take place week commencing 7th April 2025.

PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THE ADVERTISED JOB WILL REQUIRE YOU TO LIVE IN THE STUDENT LIVING HALLS OF RESIDENCE WHERE YOU WOULD BE WORKING.

We are seeking a highly organised and customer-focused individual with experience in customer service and administration. The ideal candidate will demonstrate a solid understanding of general administrative tasks and report writing, ensuring efficiency and accuracy in all aspects of their work.

The successful candidate will have a clear understanding of what good customer service entails, with the ability to engage positively with a range of stakeholders. Strong IT literacy and proficiency with basic software applications are essential for this role, along with excellent written and oral communication skills to convey information clearly and professionally.

A key requirement is the ability to maintain confidentiality when handling personal data, ensuring compliance with data protection standards. The candidate will also thrive in a small team environment, contributing positively while managing tasks independently where required.

Please note that student's on a Student Visa will not be eligible to apply for this role due to the on call element of the role and the working restrictions attached to Student Visa's.

  1. To be the first point of contact during working hours. To liaise with site personnel whilst on duty, complete handovers with the Hall Manager, Caretaker or Community Supervisor both prior to and following a shift. To deliver excellent customer service at all times enhancing the student experience.
  2. Adhere to all Campus Life & University of Derby (UOD) policies and procedures as detailed in the operations manual whilst carrying out duties including, but not limited to office cover, issuing post/parcels to residents, issuing and receiving keys, parking fobs and door entry tokens, report writing, entering flats, attending to lock outs and other duties deemed within the remit of the post.
  3. To assist in the management of critical/welfare/other incidents and student related issues whilst maintaining confidentiality at all times, this includes assisting site staff during the on call hours of the shift.
  4. Carry out general administration including maintenance logging, incident reporting, check in/out of students using the Residential Management System RMS, distributing notices/posters across the site including pre-arrival literature, contacting students by phone/in person and filing of student related information.
  5. Carry out Health and Safety duties including fire alarm evacuation, legionella prevention tasks, fire extinguisher checks, emergency call outs to contractors as and when required, administering first aid treatment and completion of associated reports.
  6. To assist and support site visits/open days and to work the student intake weekend and student outtake weekend.
  7. To engage with students and gather feedback relating to specific topics as detailed by Derbyshire Student Residences Ltd (Campus Life) staff and the other support mechanisms.
  8. To work in accordance with the pre-defined rota including assistance in covering of absence for site-based staff and other sites as the need arises and volunteering to cover holiday periods at Christmas, Easter and the Summer vacation.
  9. To attend all meetings arranged by the Hall Manager including welcome meetings, site team meetings and resident flat meetings/mediation sessions.
  10. To attend and fully engage in all training provided by Campus Life prior to commencement of the post and on-going as requested by Campus Life.
  11. To welcome all visitors to site in a warm and friendly manner, this will include students, short stay guests, conference delegates and any other third-party visitors. This may include preparing for conferencing activity including makeup and break down.
  12. To engage in Campus Life activities promoting and delivering social events, which will include weekly distribution of posters and flyers.
  13. Whilst carrying out duties it is a requirement that you hold the site mobile and radio at all times.

Essential Criteria

Experience

  • General administration and report writing

Skills, knowledge & abilities

  • Understanding of what good customer service looks like
  • IT literate with a good understanding of basic software
  • Good communication skills both written and oral
  • Ability to maintain confidentiality of personal data

Business Requirements

  • Enrolled as a University of Derby student for the academic year
  • Living in University of Derby accommodation for the academic year

Desirable Criteria

Qualifications

  • First aid trained

Experience

  • Working with young people in either a voluntary or paid capacity
  • General awareness of health and safety in a residential environment
  • 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
  • Discounted access to Devonshire Spa
  • Cycle to Work scheme
  • A flexible working environment
  • A commitment to personal and professional development

Find out more about rewards and benefitsFind out more about rewards and benefits

For further information and informal enquiries regarding the role, please contact Jo Lewis, Hall Manager via j.lewis@derby.ac.uk

For enquiries regarding your application and for sponsorship eligibility, please contact the recruitment team via recruitment@derby.ac.uk.

Visa Sponsorship Eligibility

The University is unable to sponsor the employment of international workers under the Skilled Worker route for this role; however, applications are welcome from candidates who are able to demonstrate an alternative right to work in the UK.

Please visit Applying from Overseas for more information.

 

DBS check

If you are successful, you will be required to undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Any information you provide will be treated in confidence and only used when considering your suitability for the post.

To enable us to process your DBS check please ensure you are able to supply the documentation listed on the DBS website at interview stage.

 

Equity, diversity and inclusion

The University of Derby is committed to promoting equity, diversity and inclusion, regardless of age, disability, trans status, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief (or none), sex and sexual orientation.

We are Disability Confident Employers, demonstrating our commitment to disability inclusion, and invite applicants to highlight adjustments they may require to ensure equitable participation in our recruitment processes.

Further, we are committed to ensuring an environment which is trans and non-binary-inclusive for all our staff, students, partners, and visitors, and continuously review our policies, guidance and training.

When applying to join the University, you can choose your preferred title, including the gender-neutral title 'Mx'. We also ask our candidates if they would like to share their preferred pronouns. This is voluntary but demonstrates our commitment to inclusivity for trans and non-binary candidates. Once employed, you can add pronouns and preferred names onto our system.

The University of Derby undertakes anonymised shortlisting during the staff recruitment process. This means that, when shortlisting, panel members will not be able to see an applicant’s name and will see an applicant number instead. This demonstrates the practical steps we are taking to remove barriers to recruitment by minimising the possible impact of our unconscious bias.

However you identify, we actively celebrate the knowledge, experience and talents each person brings. Our students come from a wide range of backgrounds; therefore we are particularly interested to hear from applicants who will help our leaders and teams be more reflective of our student population.

For more information on equity, diversity and inclusion at the University of Derby, please visit our website.

 

A university that celebrates you

Environmental Sustainability

At the University of Derby, we are passionate about embedding sustainability into everything that we do. We aim to bring environmental sustainability into all aspects of the University, including teaching, research and operational activities. In line with the University's strategic framework, we expect all our staff to embed sustainability into their working practices and support the University's objective to reach net zero carbon by 2040.

 

Environment and sustainability

Don’t miss your chance – join the team and make a difference today!

How to apply

You can apply by submitting an online application. Once you have signed in or registered with us you will be able to begin your application. If you are creating an account for the first time, please ensure you provide an email address that you access regularly as this will be our main means of contacting you regarding your application.

The University reserves the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a high volume of applications. We encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

If you require any assistance, including the provision of any documentation in an alternative format, please contact the Recruitment team at recruitment@derby.ac.uk.

Please note all applications must be submitted online by Midnight GMT on the closing date of the vacancy.

Further details

Download Residential Assistant job descriptionDownload Residential Assistant job description

The University of Derby is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all our staff, students and children. At the University of Derby, safeguarding is everybody's concern.

Please find our Safeguarding pages including our Safeguarding Policy.