Senior Student Disability Adviser

Job summary

As Senior Student Disability Adviser you will provide a full range of efficient and effective services and interventions for disabled students, contributing to high-quality advice delivery and supporting the Trust to meet its duties under the Equality Act 2010.

You will work sensitively with students with a range of disabilities including mental health conditions, sensory impairments, specific learning differences, long-term health conditions and physical difficulties or differences. You will collaborate with colleagues across student support services and Tavistock Education and Training to support and advise disabled students and staff, delivering a positive learning experience.

You will have an in-depth understanding of learning support and accessibility in higher education, as well as developments in Assistive Technology. You will work closely with the Student Support and Engagement Team to realise our disability strategic plan, including developing procedures, delivering training, contributing to a case-management system, and progressing the Disabled Students Commitment.

Your work will be informed by the social model of disability. You will manage a student caseload, identifying and coordinating individual adjustments that remove disabling barriers to study, and providing advice and training for colleagues on inclusive teaching and learning practices.

Main duties of the job

We are looking for a reflective and empathetic individual who has significant experience in the field of disability support within an education setting. The postholder will have excellent interpersonal skills and in-depth knowledge and understanding of the Equality Act, subscribing to the social model of disability. They will also be experienced at assessing needs and recommending appropriate and proportionate supports for a range of disabilities, conditions and neurodivergences. The team handles a high volume of complex cases, and so excellent organisation and systems or process management is essential.

The main duties of the job include:

• Developing and maintaining excellent working relationships and communication with a range of staff, students and other stakeholders
• Providing support and advice to students and staff, relating to disability, accessibility and reasonable adjustments
• Enhancing and maintaining effective processes and services relating to student support services
• Delivering training and development to key stakeholders
• Attending regular training and development and keeping up-to-date with best practice

Person Specification

Qualifications

Essential

• Educated to degree level or equivalent

Desirable

• Certificate or NVQ Level III in Advice and Guidance, a Coaching qualification, senior NADP Accreditation or equivalent qualification
• A qualification or evidence of undertaking professional development opportunities in autism awareness, specific learning differences or neurodivergence
• Training or qualification in mental health awareness and safeguarding, such as Mental Health First Aid or Safeguarding Level 3

Skills / Abilities

Essential

• Ability to interpret disability evidence (including constructive evidence) and make justified recommendations that meet sector standards
• Ability to communicate clearly verbally and in writing, both one-to-one and with larger audiences (online and in-person), adapting style and complexity of content to meet the needs of the occasion and audience
• Excellent organisational and time management skills including the ability to prioritise and meet deadlines
• Ability to competently use the full range of Microsoft Office applications and relevant systems (e.g. case management or CRM systems)

Experience / Knowledge

Essential

• Experience of working in Higher Education, ideally in a postgraduate setting
• Experience of working in a student disability service or wellbeing service, or a comparable advisory/support environment
• Experience of managing a complex caseload of disabled students, delivering high-quality support, within available resources
• Experience of conducting needs assessments or equivalent assessments of individual support requirements and producing clear, accurate written reports and recommendations
• In-depth knowledge of the social model of disability and the disability provisions of the Equality Act, Human Rights Act and the Public Sector Equality Duty, especially as they apply to Higher Education, and the ability to apply these in decision-making and casework
• Substantial knowledge of the type of support that students with different types of disabilities, neurodivergence, mental and physical health conditions might require

Desirable

• Experience of participating in a network within the Higher Education sector, for example a staff network, NADP, AMOSSHE
• Knowledge of a range of assistive technology products
• Experience of working with students on professionally accredited (PSRB) and/or clinical courses with placements.
• Experience of using a Disability Case Management System or Customer Relationship Management System (CRM) and/or experience of contributing to the implementation of such a system.
• An awareness of the unique needs of postgraduate, international students, and those on courses with a clinical placement or similar

Closing Date: 27 July 2026