We are the University of Cumbria, for and from Cumbria and our localities, rooted in serving our communities, with people, place and partnership at our heart. 

Now is a very exciting time to be joining us because we are delivering a new "Towards 2030" strategic plan focused on making the most of our three most valuable assets; People, Place and Partnerships, to become a catalyst for economic well-being for our region, nationally and internationally. 

Are you a qualified Careers Adviser or a graduate with experience of supporting the personal or professional development of others?  

The Careers and Employability Service is recruiting for two Careers and Employability Adviser roles: one based at our Fusehill Street campus in Carlisle (0.8 FTE), with time spent at Brampton Road campus, and one based at our Lancaster campus (0.6 FTE). Both roles require occasional travel to other University locations, including our Barrow, Ambleside and London campuses. 

The University supports hybrid working, and there will be opportunities to work from home where appropriate. However, given the student-facing nature of the role, Advisers are expected to maintain a regular on-campus presence to deliver guidance appointments, workshops, events and other employability activities. 

We are seeking creative, resourceful and proactive individuals who are motivated to support the career development and graduate outcomes of our students and graduates. These roles have two core elements: 

• Student-facing delivery: providing careers guidance, delivering employability workshops, and leading projects and initiatives that enhance student employability and graduate outcomes.
• Academic-facing consultancy: working in partnership with academic colleagues to embed employability within the curriculum and support students’ career development throughout their university journey.

Through both aspects of the role, Advisers play a key role in supporting student success, progression and graduate outcomes. 

The role will also involve designing and delivering a range of projects and initiatives to enhance employability, including work experience opportunities (both virtual and in-person), driving schools, and mentoring programmes.  

We work closely with key stakeholders including employers, academic and professional service colleagues, the Students’ Union and professional bodies to create opportunities and improve outcomes for students and graduates. 

We are looking for candidates who: 

• Can build rapport with students and provide effective careers guidance that supports informed decision-making and progression.
• Demonstrate strong listening, questioning and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage and motivate people from diverse backgrounds.
• Communicate effectively and build positive relationships with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Have knowledge of, or a willingness to develop knowledge of, career development theory, guidance practice and the graduate labour market.
• Are highly organised and able to manage a varied workload effectively, working independently and flexibly.
• Have, or are willing to develop, data analysis skills to support targeted interventions and inform academic engagement.
• Have event management skills, including coordinating employer engagement activities, networking events and careers-focused initiatives.
• Demonstrate a proactive, solutions-focused approach and a commitment to continuous improvement.
• Have strong digital, IT and administrative skills, including the effective use of Microsoft 365 package, careers platforms and internal systems.
• Take a creative approach to designing and delivering engaging workshops, presentations and innovative employability projects.

Applicants without a careers qualification should hold a degree and have significant relevant experience. We welcome applications from a wide range of backgrounds; experience in curriculum design, employer engagement, teaching and learning, recruitment, training, advice, guidance or coaching would be particularly valuable. 

We welcome male applicants and applicants from minority ethnic groups who are under-represented in this staff group. 

We offer a comprehensive set of staff benefits which includes a competitive salary, 35 hour full-time working week, 33 days holiday plus bank holidays, hybrid working in line with business need, and an excellent pension scheme with 8% employer contribution. 

For more information about the University of Cumbria, click here

Informal Enquiries: 

Bethany McGrath - Careers and Employability Service Manager: bethany.mcgrath@cumbria.ac.uk 

James Stephens - Head of Library Services: james.stephens@cumbria.ac.uk