Job Title: Head of Student Success and Experience (Online Campus)
Grade and Salary: Grade 9 – £58,225 to £69,488
FTE and working pattern: Full Time (1FTE), Open ended
Annual Leave: 33 days, plus 9 buildings closed days (and Christmas Eve when it falls on a weekday). Use our total rewards calculator: https://www.hw.ac.uk/about/work/total-rewards-calculator.htm to see the value of benefits provided.
Location : This role can be based on our Edinburgh or Dubai campuses : minimum 3 days per week on campus, up to 2 days per week home working
About our School/Directorate and Team:
Heriot-Watt University has a proud 25-year legacy of delivering world-class online and distance learning. Today, over 7,000 students from 160 countries study with through our Online Campus – making up more than 25% of our total student body.
We are now entering an ambitious phase of investment and growth for Heriot-Watt Online, with a bold 10-year strategy to expand our reach and impact. In a world where the nature of work is evolving rapidly, we are committed to delivering flexible, accessible and career-focused education at scale – empowering individuals and organisations to thrive in times of transformation.
The Head of Student Success and Experience will be a key leader in realising this vision. Joining a dynamic and collaborative team, this role will shape and execute strategies that drive sustainable growth, harness our global reputation and position Heriot-Watt as a leader in digital education worldwide.
This role can be based on our Edinburgh or Dubai campuses : minimum 3 days per week on campus, up to 2 days per week home working.
Purpose of Role
The Head of Student Success and Experience (Heriot-Watt Online) will set the vision, strategy, and execution plan for the Online Campus student success and experience function, ensuring a best-in-class experience that enhances student engagement, retention, and progression, and positions Heriot-Watt as a leader in flexible, global learning. You will lead, expand, and oversee the Student Success team dedicated to Online students, Graduate Apprentices and Corporate Partners, driving initiatives that directly contribute to higher retention, completion, and graduation rates, as well as improved student satisfaction, community and belonging.
This senior leadership role demands expert knowledge of global best practices in online student retention, pastoral care and success. You will play a critical role in shaping the future of the online campus student experience, ensuring we meet the evolving needs of learners, employers, and partners worldwide. You will play an important role in representing the voice of our learners, putting the student at the heart of our decision making.
Main duties include, but are not limited to: –
Key Responsibilities
Strategic leadership
Student experience, engagement & retention
Operations and continuous improvement
CRM and systems
Teamwork and collaboration
People management and team leadership
Set and manage the Student Success budget, optimising resources while achieving strategic objectives.
Key Skills & Experience
Essential
Project management skills including resource management, project reporting and budgeting.
Desirable
Familiarity with B2B student engagement and employer-sponsored learning models.
How to Apply
Please submit via the Heriot-Watt on-line recruitment system (1) Cover letter describing their interest and suitability for the post; (2) Full CV.
Applications can be submitted up to 23:55 (UK time) on 29 th May 2026
About Heriot-Watt University
At Heriot Watt we are passionate about our values and look to them to connect our people globally and to help us collaborate and celebrate our success through working together. Our research programmes can deliver real world impact which is achieved through the diversity of our international community and the recognition of creative talent that connects our global team.
Our flourishing community will give you the freedom to challenge and to bring your enterprising mind and to help our partners with solutions that can be applied now and in the future. Join us and Heriot Watt will provide you with a platform to thrive and work in a way that also helps you live your life in balance with well-being and inclusiveness at the heart of our global community.
Heriot-Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities. Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all.
Heriot-Watt University values diversity across our University community and welcomes applications from all sectors of society, particularly from underrepresented groups. For more information, please see our website https://www.hw.ac.uk/uk/services/equality-diversity.htm and also our award-winning work in Disability Inclusive Science Careers https://disc.hw.ac.uk/ .
We welcome and will consider flexible working patterns e.g. part-time working and job share options.
Use our total rewards calculator: https://www.hw.ac.uk/about/work/total-rewards-calculator.htm to see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University.
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