Placements and Employability Officer

Department

Student and Academic Services

Salary

£32,080 - £36,636 per year

Grade

Grade 5

Contract status

Open or fixed-term (see job details)

Hours of work

Full-time

Based at

University of York campus (with some remote working options available)

Interview date

To be confirmed

Posted Date

24/08/2026

Apply by

14/09/2026

Job Reference

15288

Documents

• Job Description (15288).pdf (PDF, 965.42kb)
  
  

Role Description

Department

This role is an exciting opportunity to join the University of York Placements team, part of Careers and Placements. We have recently consolidated a number of accredited placement modules across our institution. These two roles would play a key part in supporting the growing number of students looking for a placement within the Faculty of Social Sciences, particularly the School for Business and Society.

Role

The post holder works with the direction of the faculty appropriate Placements Coordinator to help deliver an exceptional service to students and employers in the area of paid work experience of between 4 weeks to 12 months in duration; primarily through supporting the operations of the University's Placement Module. However, they also play a wider role in helping to build student employability, particularly where this will enhance student success in the competitive placements market.

Key responsibilities

(Role holders will be required to undertake some or all of the duties below)

Role Specific Responsibilities

• To advise and guide students towards securing a placement through working with small groups and individuals. These interactions will cover information on sources of opportunities, the application process, interviews and selection tests, using methods that are continuously improved and refined.
• Review and handling of placement approval processes in line with established procedures, identifying unusual or problematic placement opportunities or issues for escalation to the Placements Manager
• Develop a faculty specific knowledge of student preferences and likely placement employers, with their associated requirements
• Liaising with placement employers as required for welfare and the development of ongoing relationships
• Help with the delivery of student facing training and pre-departure sessions; liaising with academic colleagues around the inclusion of placement related sessions within the curriculum
• Play a role in supporting individual students facing difficulties on placement as allocated by the Placements Manager
• Contributing to the ongoing review and development of placement resources (printed and virtual to support the needs of our stakeholders
• Contributing to the wider work of Careers and Placements as required, for example through supporting large scale events such as Careers Fairs or Open Days
• Marketing placement and internship opportunities sourced from the web to students using a variety of media including social media; the preparation of regular communications detailing the latest advertised vacancies; monitoring the progress of advertised placement and internship opportunities including the volume of applications from students.
• Taking an active part in student Open and Visit Days as well as presenting at student induction events (occasionally at weekends or evenings).
  
  

Skills, Experience & Qualification Needed

• An understanding of student placements, in particular their planning, sourcing, coordinating and allocation - Desirable
• An understanding of employer recruitment practices - Desirable
• Excellent organisational skills, able to prioritise a complex workload effectively, meet deadlines and work accurately under pressure with little supervision - Essential
• The ability to use initiative, work independently to generate leads, acquire information and engage students and academic colleagues - Essential
• Experience of providing information, advice and guidance to individuals on a one-to-one or groups basis - Essential
• Willingness and enthusiasm to work as part of a wider team to support the concept of employability across the University of York - Essential
  
  

Interview date: TBC

For informal enquiries: please contact Tom Coward, Head of External Engagement and Placements via [HIDDEN TEXT]

The University strives to be diverse and inclusive – a place where we can ALL be ourselves.

We particularly encourage applications from people who identify as Black, Asian or from a Minority Ethnic background, who are underrepresented at the University.

We offer family friendly, flexible working arrangements, with forums and inclusive facilities to support our staff. #EqualityatYork

As a Disability Confident employer, we will ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that meet the minimum (essential) criteria for each position will be offered an interview. Read more about the University of York's commitments under the Disability Confident scheme.