Mental Health Counselling Advisor
About the role
UHI is the United Kingdom’s leading integrated university encompassing both further and higher education. We are more than a college and more than a traditional university: a diverse, flexible partnership, rooted in our communities and driven by their needs. Our network of colleges, specialist teaching centres and internationally recognised research institutes delivers supported, flexible learning from access level to PhD.
To support our work we are recruiting to the following role:
Mental Health Counselling Advisor (Internal Applications)
Student Experience
Mental Health Counselling Advisor - Internal vacancy within UHI, secondments welcomed
Description of vacancy
To provide and coordinate a high-quality accessible online counselling service to UHI students. The post holder will manage counselling referrals, waiting lists and service capacity, maintain appropriate professional standards and contribute to monitoring and reporting to ensure counselling and student support services remain responsive to student need.
The post holder will also support the delivery of student support services for EO registered students, including the development and delivery of PLSPs, and providing appropriate support and guidance for students with mental health and wellbeing needs, working closely with student support colleagues to ensure students are appropriately supported and referred to other services where required.
A detailed job description and person specification for the post are attached.
Applicants with informal questions are encouraged to contact Nicola Smith, Head of Student Experience, by email to nicola.smith@uhi.ac.uk
Pay and Benefits
This role is linked to grade 6 on the UHI payscale.
The starting salary for this position will normally be in the range £36,215 - £38,421 per annum pro-rata.
This post is fixed term for 6 months from appointment. There is no guarantee of further employment after the expiry of this term.
The workplace pension scheme we provide to workers at grade six and above is the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS). This is a qualifying pension scheme, which means it meets or exceeds the government’s standards. Full information on the scheme can be found at http://www.uss.co.uk/Pages/default.aspx
Full-time posts carry a total of 42 days leave per annum (pro-rata for part-time posts). It is practice that, with the exception of a Christmas and New Year closure, leave may be taken at any time of year, subject to the requirements of the post and department and with the permission of your line manager.
Recruitment Process
When completing the application form please ensure that you clearly evidence how you meet the selection criteria identified on the relevant person specification.
If you have any queries regarding our recruitment and selection process, or if you would like to request any reasonable adjustments to either the recruitment process or the prospective job, please contact the HR team as soon as possible.
The deadline for submitting your application is Friday 11 September 2026
Shortlisting will take place the week commencing 14 September 2026
Applications for this post are currently restricted to existing executive office and academic partner employees only.
Interviews will be held week commencing 21 September 2026.
- Job description
- Person specification
- Further information
- Guidance notes for candidates
- Summary of terms and conditions of employment
UHI Employee Benefits
At UHI, we offer a supportive, flexible and rewarding place to work, with a range of benefits including:
- 42 days’ annual leave (pro rata)
- Attractive pension scheme and options for additional contributions
- Flexible working and family-friendly policies
- Occupational sick pay and an Employee Assistance Programme (incl. spousal support)
- High-street and online retail discounts
- 10% off Highlife Highland memberships
- Cycle to Work scheme
- Contribution towards DSE prescription glasses
- Free parking and EV charging (where available)
- LinkedIn Learning access for ongoing professional development
- Long-service awards and active social events
If you have any queries about the application process please contact the HR Office at HR@uhi.ac.uk.