Disability And Outreach Officer

School/Unit

Academic & Student Affairs, Student Experience

Post Title & Subject Area

Disability and Outreach Officer (Grade V)

Post Duration

Permanent, Full-Time

Grade

Grade V

Reports to

Student Experience Manager

Salary

Grade V Salary Scale - €50,207 - €60,050*

*Candidates should note that as per Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform guidelines, new entrants to the civil service will be at the minimum point of the scale and the rate of remuneration will not be subject to negotiation and may be adjusted from time to time in line with Government pay policy. Different terms and conditions may apply if you are a currently serving civil or public servant.

Annual Leave

25 working days. This leave is exclusive of public holidays.

Hours of Attendance

Working hours will be 35 hours per week (net of rest breaks).

POSITION SUMMARY

NCAD, changing the world through bold and curious thinking, making and doing.

The National College of Art and Design, Dublin is Ireland’s leading provider of art and design education. NCAD is based on Thomas Street in Dublin’s city centre and has a community of 1,500 undergraduate, postgraduate and part-time students engaged in a wide range of study and research across the disciplines of Design, Education, Fine Art and Visual Culture. NCAD has been the most significant provider of art and design education in Ireland for over 250 years and is a Recognised College of University College Dublin. NCAD is listed in the QS Top 100 World University Rankings by Subject Art & Design, 2024.

Student Experience providesa range of support services to students. It is a busy environment with a team of staff working across the areas of Outreach & Access, Counselling, Careers, Disability and Learning Support, Assistive Technology and Student Health.

Purpose of the role: Disability and Outreach Officer

The Disability and Outreach Officer will work within the Student Experience Department and will have responsibility for the overall management of the Student Learning Support Service, provided by the National Learning Network, and the Assistive Technology service, ensuring that students with disabilities are supported. They will manage post entry support for students, including those who progress through the Higher Education Access Route, HEAR, pathway.

They will be responsible for the coordination of NCAD’s dynamic and nationally recognised outreach programme. NCAD Outreach partners with linked primary and secondary schools, community organisations and HEIs to bring the work of NCAD into the wider community through an innovative programme of creative arts outreach initiatives.

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Disability Support

● Manage the Student Learning Support Service, provided by the National Learning Network.

● Manage the Assistive Technology service.

● Ensure that students with disabilities receive suitable, reasonable accommodations.

● Provide advice, information, guidance and support to prospective and current students with disabilities on support available in NCAD

● Provide advice, information and guidance to staff across the College as required, to facilitate the provision of reasonable accommodations and relevant supports for students with disabilities

● Distribute PONS reports to relevant staff

● Assist in the championing of the application of Universal Design for Learning throughout the College

● Coordinate with the EDI & SVH Officer to identify staff/student training needs and other relevant activities.

Outreach & Access Programme

● Manage the College Outreach programme, engaging with a range of primary, post primary and community partners

● Provide support to NCAD’s engagement in the Programmes for Access to Higher Education (PATH) Initiatives

● Coordinate supports for students who enter through the HEAR and DARE schemes

● Monitor the progress of Access students in the College and act as mentor, where appropriate

● Represent NCAD at events relevant to the role, such as, HEAR/DARE, AHEAD and DAWN conferences, workshops or clinics

● Processing administration and reporting on all student bursaries and scholarships

● Processing, administration and reporting on the Student Assistance Fund and Laptop Loan Scheme.

● Build and update content on the relevant NCAD webpages as necessary

Monitoring and Reporting

● Prepare all related reports for the HEA and other relevant agencies, e.g., RAR report for FSD allocation, Implementing the National Access Plan, Student Assistance Fund, Laptop Loan Scheme, AHEAD survey and all other Access and Disability related reports

● Maintain GDPR compliance at all times

● Day to day supervision of staff in the area as required.

● Review and development of procedures related to the area.

NCAD’s Disability and Outreach Service is a dynamic area and consequently duties may vary and develop. The applicant will be expected to take on other duties that arise in accordance with the evolving needs of the College.

Selection Criteria

Selection criteria outline the qualifications, skills, knowledge and/or experience that the successful candidate would need to demonstrate for successful discharge of the responsibilities of the post. Applications will be assessed on the basis of how well candidates satisfy these criteria.

Mandatory:

Person Requirements

The role-holder will require the following knowledge, experience, skills and attributes for successful performance in the role. Applications will be assessed on the basis of how well candidates satisfy these criteria.

Essential Criteria

Knowledge and Experience:

● NFQ Level 6

● 5 years’ experience with a minimum of 2 years’ experience in a similar (Disability/Access/Outreach) role in a Third Level institution or similar setting.

● Strong understanding of the reasonable accommodations required to support students with disabilities in engaging with their programme

● Strong understanding of the relationship between socio-economic disadvantage and barriers to higher education

● Demonstrable experience of project planning, development and delivery

● Demonstrable history of assuming leadership on projects or within teams.

● Experience in the compilation and editing of reports and the ability to administer and manage multiple budgets

● Demonstrable capacity to work to a high standard of accuracy with attention to detail in all aspects of work

● Be organised and able to prioritise work effectively and to meet deadlines

● Demonstrable experience in stakeholder and relationship management.

● Ability to build and maintain existing relationships with external stakeholders, e.g., primary, post primary, community, HEI

Skills and Attributes:

● Good communicator, comfortable engaging with people from different backgrounds and cultures and comfortable using different approaches and systems to communicate.

● Ability to make decisions within a regulated environment with consideration to the possible implications of these decisions.

● Results driven with the ability to work to targets and develop systems and processes to help achieve these targets.

● Team player with student-oriented approach to work

● Ability to lead by example and take on a leadership role within the team or on projects when required.

● Excellent MS Excel skills - ability to create and accurately maintain spreadsheets, formulas, tables etc.

Flexibility in responding to the requirements of the post and ability to adapt to a changing environment

Desirable:

● An appropriate third level degree eg: BA in Disability Studies, BA Community Studies, NFQ Level 8 or higher

● In-depth knowledge of the lived experience of HEAR and/or DARE students.

Closing Date 21st of November 2024