Student Services Executive

About Chartered Accountants Ireland  
 
Chartered Accountants Ireland is Ireland’s leading professional accountancy body, representing over 31,000 members around the world and educating 7,000 students. The Institute aims to create opportunities for members and students, and ethical, sustainable prosperity for society. An all-island body, Chartered Accountants Ireland was established by Royal Charter in 1888 and now has members in more than 90 countries. It is a founding member of Chartered Accountants Worldwide, the international network of over one million chartered accountants. It also plays key roles in the Global Accounting Alliance, Accountancy Europe, and the International Federation of Accountants. 

Institute Values

The Institute seeks to ensure an environment based on its values of Innovation with Ambition, Collaboration for Impact, Speed and Simplicity, Trust, Inclusion, and For Tomorrow, For Good. Candidates should be able to demonstrate how these may apply to them in the role for which they are applying and how their previous experience is relevant to them.

Summary of the Role

Education Department

The Student Services Executive role is responsible for providing a positive experience for all students at the Institute. The role is based within a wider operational team who will maintain and enhance the Institute’s reputation as a leader in accountancy education. The student operations team is responsible for key areas such as learner experience, exams operations, student communications, training monitoring and student support.

The overall purpose of the Student Services operational team is to enhance the student experience, serve the requirements of accountancy firms and drive education delivery. Student Services is charged with delivering quality programmes of education, which are delivered online via on-demand content and live webinars. Members of this his team will also provide admission, access and examination supports to students and firms.

Reporting to: Programme Manager  

Executives will have a main functional focus of expertise, typically in one area such as Education, Examinations, Training or Student Supports, as outlined below. However, as a member of the Student Services operations team, the executive is expected to have a broad working understanding of other operations and will work closely with fellow team members to provide a seamless experience for the student.

The Role

Key Responsibilities:

• Responsible for daily, responsive communications by email, phone, and other channels in each functional area with students, training firms, lecturers, and other stakeholders.
• Develop and maintain a thorough understanding of the Education Department functions, processes, procedures, and regulations.
• Understanding of academic cycle framework and touchpoints and ability to provide a one-stop service to students.
• Manage activities across a range of education dept technology platforms, including updating the Institute website.
• Data management; filing and archiving of related documentation.

Customer Focus & Collaboration  

• Provide proactive support and assistance to students and firms across all areas of education dept.
• Manage the student query database, responding to queries within agreed timeframes.
• Collaborate effectively internally sharing information and operating within structures of the Institute.
• Liaising with colleagues across the organisation to ensure that all processes are completed against agreed timeframes.
• Building relationships – students, training organisation representatives, lecturers to enhance customer experience and maximise throughput to membership.

Functional specialties: (the following list is not exhaustive and indicative of operational functions in which Student Services Executives have responsibility)

 1) Admissions / Enrolment

• Support on registration of student contracts (including Flexible Route registrations).
• Assess eligibility and exemption applications.
• Manage any exceptional applications that cannot be accommodated by the online application system.

    2) Learner Experience management

• Liaise with subject leaders and authors to compile and annually release a fully harmonised, quality suite of online academic materials for each subject.
• Publication of course timetables for each academic year.
• Provide support and assistance such that lecturers are empowered to deliver to the best of their ability.
• Ensure regular contact with students and lecturers before and after webinars.
• Manage recording and editing of online content.
• Manage course content on the student website and Learning Hub platform to ensure standardisation of material across courses. Ad hoc projects as assigned.

  
  3) Examinations

• Prepare and issue notification emails and other information to students about examinations.
• Preparation of a relevant reports for stakeholders, before and after exams.
• Provide examination administration support to students and colleagues as required.
• Dealing with all matters on exam day and ensure that all queries are dealt with promptly.
• Efficient and sensitive administration of the appeals scheme for the all-examinations sittings; co-ordination of the drafting of tutorial reports, including minimising turn-around time. 

       4) Training and Student Supports

• Provide a full range of technology and other supports to students with additional learning needs.
• Collaborate with suppliers in this area for example captioning, signing services, and other accessibility service suppliers.
• Monitor and oversee the delivery of academic supports to students, including closed captioning and transcripts of recordings and webinars.
• Support to students following the independent route ‘Flexible Route’.
• Supporting the process of students moving into membership with recording professional experience in online log (CA Diary). This includes promotion of the requirement to log experience with students and firms.

The candidate

The Student Services Executive should have demonstrable experience in a customer centric culture providing best in class customer centric engagement. Experience in the education, online education setting, or professional services sector is preferable.

Required Competencies  

• Have exceptionally strong customer orientation and organisational skills, placing the interests of our students and training firms at the centre of everything we do.
• Comfortable working on own initiative and part of a team.
• Ability to influence and persuade; confidence in dealing with a range of stakeholder interactions.
• Very high level of written and verbal communication skills.
• Have a keen interest in keeping up to date with changes that will affect the online delivery of education/online examination process and the student experience.
• Excel at managing a diverse and challenging workload.
• Be personally effective, managing priorities and deadlines.
• Experience in working in a continuous improvement environment with an interest in process improvement and automating processes where applicable.  
• Proficiency in MS programmes, including Excel, 365, Word and Teams. Experience of administration of a Learning Management System (LMS) or CRM system advantageous. 
• Building & Maintaining Relationships: An ability to develop and maintain good working relationships with fellow colleagues and others, within and outside the organisation.
• Communication: Communicates in a clear manner and actively listens and engages to gain understanding. Uses a variety of communication methods in a professional way and appropriate to the audience.
• Problem solving & Decision Making: Is capable of analysing and interpreting information to identify key issues when solving problems. Knows when to consult with others to inform decision making.

Flexible work arrangements

The Institute will use the information which you have provided in this form to respond to your request or process your application and will hold and protect it in accordance with the Institute's privacy statement, which explains your rights in relation to your personal data.  By submitting this application acknowledge you have read our privacy statement.

Chartered Accountants Ireland is an equal opportunities employer.

How to apply:

Applications, including curriculum vitae, should be sent directly via email to hr@charteredaccountants.ie or alternatively be sent via post to:

Human Resource Department
Chartered Accountants Ireland,
Chartered Accountants House,
47 Pearse Street,
Dublin 2