High Needs and Student Financial Support Officer

About The Role

Changing lives doesn't always happen in the classroom. Join us as a High Needs and Student Financial Support Officer

East Kent Colleges Group are seeking an experienced High Needs and Student Financial Support Officer to provide a contract management and administration service relating to all aspects of EKC Group's High Needs provision funding agreements with Kent County Council and other Local Authorities.

You will co-ordinate standardised systems and processes for all aspects of student financial support funding, including bursaries and Free College Meals.

Here are just some of our benefits when working for the East Kent Colleges Group:

• Generous Annual Leave -28 days FTE per annum+3 days after 5 years
• Learning and Development Opportunities- 3-4 annual paid group development days, bespoke programmes e.g. First Line Manager Development Programme and strong internal progression-1 in 3 roles are filled internally
• Flexible Personal Leave- Time off for your child's first day at nursery or school, moving homes and for interviews
• Competitive Pension Scheme- 18% employer contribution
• Exclusive Discounts & Perks- Inc. restaurant, grocery, retail and holidays discounts as well as car leasing and tech purchasing schemes
• Wellbeing and Health Support- Generous sick pay, counselling services, discounted gym membership at Canterbury College, free eye tests and glasses vouchers, flexible support for medical appointments and return-to-work support
• Culture and Recognition- Being part of Community Days, an Annual Staff Celebration Day, and an eco-friendly organisation dedicated to reaching net-zero by 2030

About You

As a High Needs and Student Financial Support Officer you will:

• Be able to work effectively with financial documents and systems
• Have meticulous attention to detail and able to identify issues within documents
• Be able to manage and maintain accurate records
• Have a working knowledge of SEN and how it applies to Further Education Colleges
• Have a thorough understanding and knowledge of funding for High Needs students

If youare interested in an informal chat about the role, or have any queries, pleaseemail us on

About Us Outstanding Ofsted Provider

East Kent Colleges Group is an Ofsted Outstanding rated provider. It is proud to be the first General Further Education college organisation in the country to have received the Outstanding grade against each of the strands under the new Ofsted inspection framework. An inclusive provider, our colleagues place our students and the communities we serve at the heart of everything they do across EKC Group and this is illustrated in our 'Strong' skills grading by Ofsted.

Commitment to Safeguarding

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and we ensure that all staff are aware of their responsibilities for upholding these principles.

As a designated establishment, we are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore have an obligation to carry out checks to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children and vulnerable adults. These checks include conviction/caution self-declaration, Enhanced DBS check and obtaining sufficient referencing.

It is a criminal offence to apply for a post which involves engaging in regulated activity relevant to children if you are barred from doing so.

If you are successful in being shortlisted to interview, your suitability to work with children and vulnerable adults will be explored as part of the interview process.

Commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

East Kent CollegesGroup is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all members of our communities. We are particularly keen to increase the diversity of our staff body and encourage applications from candidates where there is underrepresentation in our workforce.

We are proud to hold thePositive About Disability Awardand are aDisability Confident Employer. This confirms our commitment to interviewing all applicants who declare that they have a disability and who meet the essential criteria outlined in the person specification. With any successful candidate, we will explore any reasonable adjustments to a role due to a health needs or disability.

Similarly, we have a commitment toCare Leavers (Care Covenant Pledge)and to current or previousArmed Forces personnel (Armed Forces Covenant Pledge)with a commitment to interview applicants who meet the positions essential criteria and who have declared this on their application.

We welcome applications from anyone wishing to work flexibly and those considering a return to work from a career break.

We do not engage with agencies for permanent staff and have an in-house recruitment team.