The Student Engagement and Administrative Support Officer will coordinate and initiate student outreach to build a strong and thriving community of students with disabilities.  The successful candidate will be adaptable, motivated and have well established skills and experience in relationship building, project management, and reporting, and be capable of delivering high-level outputs.  They will report to AHEAD’s Education Manager and work in close conjunction with AHEAD’s GetAHEAD Officer. 

The Student Engagement and Administrative Support Officer will be highly organised, efficient, adaptable and have a strong ‘team player’ ethic. They must be willing to play a leading role in some aspects of their work and act in a supporting role taking direction from more experienced colleagues in other strands of work (e.g. administration tasks associated with the function of working groups, minute taking and meeting communications, administrative tasks that support the delivery of training and eLearning programmes). The ideal candidate will have good digital skills and an ability to learn new technologies and digital skills through mentoring and self-directed learning.

Applicants to this role should be interested in and willing to further develop an understanding of the key issues facing people with disabilities in accessing and engaging in all aspects of further and higher education.

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The primary function of the Student Engagement and Administrative Support Officer is to engage and build a thriving community of students with disabilities in further and higher education:

• Create spaces where the student and graduate voice can be amplified and support structures that ensure the lived experiences of students and graduates with disabilities inform the work of AHEAD.
• Deliver projects and work packages which support student unions and further/higher education staff to create inclusive social activities, extracurricular activities, study abroad and work placement.
• Represent AHEAD while disseminating information via workshops, tailored trainings, and events which will serve to strengthen disability knowledge of participants.

Student Engagement

Collaborate with AMLE formerly USI (Union of Students in Ireland) to coordinate the Students with Disabilities Advisory Group (SwDAG) including:

• Creating and disseminating the call for submissions, application form, and selection process of the group.
• Organising the agenda, location, and planning of all of the group sessions.
• Managing the communications and administrative work of the group including being present at all group meetings.
• Creating and administering feedback and evaluation processes.
• Representing the SwDAG as appropriate which may include appearing in media, writing articles, representing the group at conferences, etc.

Ensure all AHEAD’s Student Engagement activities, projects and work plans are delivered effectively and on time.

Trainings and Event Coordination

Management of student events e.g. the annual AHEAD/USI Power of Disability Conference alongside the Education Events Officer which may include:

• Collaborating with the SwDAG to curate organise and plan all aspects of the event.
• Developing relationships and reaching out to stakeholders, speakers, and presenters for the event.
• Developing the website, communications strategy, and admission and registration process for Power of Disability, in partnership with USI.

Lead trainings (both in-person and online) for Irish further and higher education and other similar audiences on topics concerning disabled student engagement. Occasionally collaborate with the Information and Training Officer to deliver training on wider topics as requested.

Liaise with the Education Manager to identify new areas of work and new potential projects.

Stakeholder Communications

• Build and maintain strategic relationships with student support staff in further and higher education institutes in conjunction with the GetAHEAD Officer.
• Ensure the reputation of AHEAD is upheld in all engagements with external stakeholders.
• Represent AHEAD in a variety of external contexts, both at local and national level. Present the student engagement work of AHEAD at relevant conferences, events, trainings, and workshops.
• Support the (non-technical) development of AHEAD’s communications, events and social media output concerning student engagement.
• Engage with students and further/higher education staff to promote the inclusion of students with disabilities in study abroad, work placement and other non-classroom based activities.

Administrative and Digital Support

• Perform administrative tasks for the Education Team as assigned by the Education Manager including composing and answering emails, creating and monitoring spreadsheets, organising meetings, updating webpages etc.
• As required, support the Information and Training Officer and Digital Media and eLearning Officer by conducting administrative and digital tasks associated with the design and delivery of training/eLearning programmes and other AHEAD outputs e.g. the AHEAD Journal. Sample tasks might include responding to associated emails, uploading content to webpages or providing technical support during webinars.
• During busy periods, support Digital Media and eLearning Officer in IT work.

Other Key Activities

• Liaise with the Education Manager to evaluate and monitor the effectiveness of programmes.
• Participate and contribute to AHEAD staff meetings and weekly Education Team meetings and well as weekly 1 to 1s with the Education Manager.
• Complete/contribute to reports as requested by the Education Manager, including staff meeting, monthly activities, and board and funding reports.
• Collaborate with other disability organisations in presenting and disseminating information on the student engagement work of AHEAD.
• Support others in AHEAD to ensure the work of the organisation is informed by the authentic lived experiences of people with disabilities emerging from the community.
• Undertake other duties as may reasonably be assigned by
• the Education Manager or the CEO.

Working Style

• A strong ‘team player’ ethic and willingness to help with day-to-day activities and work to support the wider Education Team and other AHEAD staff during busy periods.
• A creative and innovative approach style in identifying and implementing areas of possible change and growth. Flexible, adaptable, and willing to listen and make changes.
• A positive thinker who values diversity and believes in the work of AHEAD.

Required Experience & Skills

• A minimum of three years’ experience in a similar role (may include volunteer and student work.)
• Demonstrable background in/understanding of issues concerning the engagement of a disadvantaged population.
• Experience in developing and managing relationships with students, and other key stakeholders.
• Ability to adapt writing styles for different contexts and target audiences e.g. board reporting, sector guidelines/guidance, funder reports and public event descriptions etc.
• Ability to communicate messages effectively in a variety of contexts, e.g. at presenting at events, training staff and facilitating meetings.
• Demonstrated experience of ICT skills including using content management systems, Eventbrite, mailchimp, database management (excel), word processing and associated report formatting etc.

Desirable Experience & Skills

• A third-level qualification in a relevant area.
• Experience of working in the community and voluntary sector and/or in an area related to AHEAD’s work – inclusive practice, assistive technology, needs assessments etc.
• Understanding of how to produce accessible documents.

The salary range for this position is €33,509 to €34,531 pro rata for 3 days a week (€20,105.40 to €20,718.60) and commensurate with AHEAD’s pay scale and experience.

AHEAD also offers the following benefits to employees.

• Rewarding and flexible working environment
• Hybrid working and flexi-time
• Comprehensive needs assessment for employees with disabilities
• 25 days annual leave per annum (pro-rata)
• Company pension scheme after successfully completing 6 months’ probation
• Access to EAP (Employee Assistance Programme) covering a range of services such as nutrition, fitness, legal, financial and wellbeing supports in addition to free mental health counselling and coaching.