Student Wellbeing Executive Assistant

Heriot-Watt University; Kilmarnock; On-site; GBP 26,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading UK university located in Kilmarnock is seeking a Student Wellbeing Executive Assistant to provide frontline support to students. This full-time position offers a salary range of £26,707 - £31,236 and includes responsibilities such as advising students, handling administrative tasks, and ensuring a high level of customer service. Ideal candidates should have strong communication skills and experience in front-line services. The role also includes excellent rewards, including 28 days of annual leave, increasing to 33 with service.

Benefits

28 days annual leave

Increases to 33 days after 5 years

9 buildings closed days for full-time staff

Qualifications

• Good educational standard with excellent spoken and written English.
• Experience in working in front line services, assessing appropriate responses.
• Experience in handling confidential/sensitive information.
• Experience in carrying out a wide range of administrative tasks.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide a high level of customer service and front‑line advice.
• Carry out financial processes for the Disability Service.
• Contact new students to provide relevant information.
• Conduct online dyslexia tests.
• Log all student contacts on the database.

Skills

Excellent spoken and written English

Experience in front line services

Handling confidential information

Experience with Microsoft Office

Communication and interpersonal skills

Skills in responding to distressed customers

Understanding of disability issues

Education

Good educational standard

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Description

Role: Student Wellbeing Executive Assistant

Salary: Grade 5 - £26,707 - £31,236

Contract Type: Full Time (1FTE), Open Ended

Rewards and Benefits: 28 days annual leave, increasing to 33 days per year after 5 years service, plus 9 buildings closed days for all full time staff. Use our total rewards calculator: https://www.hw.ac.uk/about/work/total-rewards-calculator.htm to see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University.

About Our Team

This post is located within the Disability Team, within the wider Student Wellbeing team, and works closely with colleagues from Counselling, Student Experience, and the Chaplaincy teams. The main purpose of Student Wellbeing is to provide advice, information, and support to undergraduate and postgraduate students, throughout the student lifecycle, from the point of initial enrolment onto a university study programme right through to graduation supporting them to overcome barriers to learning.

Detailed Description

This post plays a key role in delivering front line advice and support to students in the department of Student Wellbeing. You will work alongside Assistant Disability Advisors and the Student Wellbeing Administrator to ensure that a friendly, efficient, and helpful frontline service is delivered. You will carry out administrative work, operating databases and other systems, primarily for the Disability service, and deliver some direct support for a small number of students to facilitate their learning experience.

Key Duties And Responsibilities

• Provide a high level of customer service and front‑line advice (face to face, via phone, email) to anyone enquiring at Student Wellbeing Centre reception, linked with main objective of delivering the charter to be welcoming, friendly and to treat everyone fairly and with respect.
• Carry out financial processes, raising invoices, purchase order numbers, control department credit card and processing payments for the Disability Service. Update and process data, including financial information, on spreadsheets, databases and other procurement systems.
• Contact new students who have disclosed a disability and provide them with the relevant information and arrange appointments to see the appropriate advisor. Help collate and develop data reporting systems for the Disability Service.
• Carry out initial assessment of students who present with dyslexia and conduct online dyslexia tests.
• Log all student contacts on the database and run reports as necessary ensuring quick turnaround times and an excellent customer experience.
• Provide frontline advice and administrative support for the Student Counselling and Student Experience sections when the other Student Wellbeing Assistant is on leave.
• Support specific students in accessing timetabled lectures, tutorials, group work, laboratories, and related academic tasks.
• Undertake continuing professional development as appropriate.
• Undertake other tasks and responsibilities as requested by the Student Wellbeing Team.

Essential

Education, Qualifications and Experience

• Good educational standard with excellent spoken and written English.
• Experience in working in front line services, assessing the appropriate response, and providing advice, information, and guidance on a range of issues.
• Experience in handling confidential/sensitive information.
• Experience of using IT, including Microsoft Office and Finance systems.
• Experience in carrying out a wide range of administrative tasks and implementing new processes and ability to handle large volumes of data.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills and a professional, customer‑focused approach with experience of working co‑operatively and effectively within a team.
• Skills in responding to distressed or challenging customers.
• Understanding of the issues that affect students particularly those with a disability or mental health issue.

About Heriot-Watt University

Heriot‑Watt University has established a reputation for world‑class teaching and leading‑edge, relevant research, which has made it one of the top UK universities for innovation, business, and industry. Founded across five campuses, including three in the UK (Edinburgh, Scottish Borders, and Orkney), one in Dubai and one in Malaysia, it offers a highly distinctive range of degree programmes in science, engineering, design, business, and languages. The university boasts the largest international student cohort in Scotland, thriving on diversity and global collaboration.

Heriot‑Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to creating an environment where individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities. Equality and diversity are integral to building a culture of inclusion for all.

How To Apply

Please submit via the Heriot‑Watt online recruitment system: (1) Cover letter (2) Full CV.

Applications can be submitted up to midnight (UK time) on Tuesday 6th January 2026.

We expect interviews to take place on Thursday 15th January 2026.

We welcome and will consider flexible working patterns such as part‑time working and job‑share options.