WELFARE OFFICER (FEMALE)

Job Description and Further Particulars

Introduction

St Peter’s College invites applications for the post of Welfare Officer (female1) at St Peter’s College, to start on 30th September 2026. The closing date for applications has been extended to 12 noon on Tuesday, 12 May 2026. Interviews are expected to be held on Thursday, 21 May 2026.

St Peter’s seeks to promote inclusion and diversity. We are committed to ensuring that our Health, Wellbeing and Welfare Team is as diverse as possible to better support the diverse population of our College. We are particularly keen to receive applications from people of colour, people who identify as LGBTQIA, and others who will enhance the diversity of our team.

About St Peter’s College

St Peter’s College is one of thirty-nine self-governing Colleges in the University of Oxford. Founded in 1929 expressly to widen access to Oxford University, it is an open, tolerant, and creative academic community with harmonious relations between its senior and junior members and an atmosphere in which academic staff and students from many different backgrounds and countries mix easily and comfortably. The College currently comprises a Master, Professor Judith Buchanan, and 50 Fellows and 50 College Lecturers in a wide

range of subjects, approximately 375 undergraduate and 270 graduate students, 25 Visiting Students, and approximately 90 administrative and domestic staff. St Peter’s is a friendly and vibrant academic community and provides an informal and supportive working environment. St Peter’s College is a registered charity. Further information may be found at www.spc.ox.ac.uk.

Description of the role

The College’s health, well-being, and welfare provision is led by the Dean for Welfare, who heads the Health, Wellbeing and Welfare Team, and links with the Tutor for Welfare, who is a Fellow of the College. Key to the team are two Welfare Officers, each of whom is a postgraduate research student (who has completed at least the first year of their doctoral studies) with experience of both the Oxford University system and student support work.

The two Welfare Officers work under the direction of, and with the support of, the Dean for Welfare. The Health, Wellbeing and Welfare Team also includes the College Nurse, the Student Finance

Officer, the College Registrar, and the part-time Chaplain. The team liaises with the College Doctors and other services such as the University’s Student Welfare and Support Services.

Welfare Officers’ posts entail a substantial element of ‘hands-on’ involvement in welfare issues, and the Welfare Officers meet at least weekly with the Dean for Welfare. Each Welfare Officer is expected to be available for a limited amount of time during weekdays in term time, as required. This is to attend meetings, run occasional wellbeing events (e.g., a wellbeing walk or a table of free snacks), meet with individual students to talk through issues of concern, and undertake any other duties associated with their roles as directed by the Dean for Welfare. Where appropriate, each Welfare Officer may be assigned direct work supporting one or two individual students on a semiregular basis. All such daytime work normally amounts to no more than 3-4 hours per week.

The two Welfare Officers undertake an on-call duty rota to respond to emergency out-of-hours and night-time welfare issues throughout term time (usually 5 pm to 8.30 am across 0th to 9th Week), and on occasion are called on to assist with emergency matters during the daytime. On Saturdays and Sundays during term time, the Welfare Officers operate a rota to cover any requirement for student support during the day.

The Welfare Officers work alongside, but separately to, the Junior Deans who have responsibility for disciplinary matters, under the oversight of the Dean. The Welfare Officers sometimes work closely with the Junior Deans and with College Officers on matters of mutual concern. The Welfare Officers need to maintain contact with the graduate (Middle Common Room) and undergraduate (Junior Common Room) welfare and peer support teams. Specifically, the Welfare Officers convene fortnightly meetings of the College student

welfare team, which includes both JCR and MCR representatives, and which is led by the Dean for Welfare. The Welfare Officers provide direct liaison and act as the initial welfare contact for the College’s sports clubs. Additionally, their role is to represent the interests of all students, ensuring that any concerns relating to Welfare provision are brought to the attention of the Dean for Welfare and, as appropriate, the College’s Student Affairs and Welfare Committee.

The appointee is expected to attend weekly meetings with the Dean for Welfare, convene fortnightly meetings with the student welfare team, attend the Student Affairs and Welfare Committee, and attend the occasional Welfare Lunch (to which the College Doctors, Nurse, Disability Advisory Service, and link counsellor are also invited). Work is shared as agreed between the two Welfare Officers; however, post-holders often choose to alternate each term in leading the administrative tasks related to the posts. Attendance is required at the annual Offer Holders’ Welcome event (usually on a Saturday in April). Attendance is also mandatory at various health, welfare, and wellbeing events across Freshers’ Week each year, including welcoming Freshers on the Sunday of 0th week of Michaelmas Term (in 2026 this will be Sunday 4th October). Freshers’ week is invariably the busiest week of the year for Welfare Officers. Welfare Officers deliver information to both undergraduate and postgraduate fresher at these events, speaking publicly on behalf of the College about their duties. Both Welfare Officers are required to be present for the duration of the College Ball (held every 3 years). Both Welfare Officers may be required to be available on call for BOP (Big Organised Party) nights, although usually one Welfare Officer is on duty with the other available if required.

The College requires that Welfare Officers undertake a full-day First Aid course and a half-day Fire Warden course at the College’s expense. Welfare Officers will then be expected to undertake first aid and fire warden duties within the College. The College requires that Welfare Officers undertake the Junior Dean training course run by the Oxford University Counselling Service, and attend the ongoing supervision sessions related to this training. Welfare Officers are also required to undertake the University’s training on supporting those who have been impacted by sexual violence.

The appointee will be required to satisfactorily clear an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.

Person Specification

The successful candidate will need to be empathetic, open-minded, and resilient. Welfare Officers are required to exhibit discernment and strong problem-solving skills during high-pressure situations. They will understand and uphold the professional boundaries required in this role and be interested in student life and activities.

Essential Criteria

Candidates should have:

1. Experience dealing effectively and responsibly with students or young people.

2. Excellent interpersonal and listening skills and very good verbal and written communication skills.

3. Resilience and a clear understanding of the boundaries required in this professional role.

4. The ability to work effectively and constructively as part of a team.

5. A sound appreciation of the requirement for confidentiality allied with an awareness of the demands of the College’s care for its students.

6. The ability to respond quickly and calmly to incidents within the College (including the annexes). To assess a situation when under pressure and to act appropriately and proportionately.

7. Experience of the Oxford University context, either as an undergraduate or a postgraduate research student (who has completed at least the first year of their doctoral studies).

8. Sufficient flexibility in their pattern of academic work to be able to fulfil the varying timerelated demands of the role, including being an on-site presence as required.

Desirable Criteria

1. Previous experience in a similar role

2. Experience in a Peer Support, or similar, programme

Terms and Conditions

The appointment will be subject to the provision of proof of the right to work in the UK.

The Welfare Officers are required to reside in College during weeks 0 to 9 of Full Term and are provided with free single accommodation. This will be subject to a tenancy agreement.

The Welfare Officers are expected to be fully integrated into the life of the College and will be members of the Middle and Junior Common Rooms. They are Associate Members of the Senior

Common Room and are entitled to meals at High Table free of charge whenever the kitchens are open (they are occasionally closed for short periods, normally during vacation).

Accommodation and meals (except when the kitchens are closed) will be available to the Welfare Officers throughout the year, except in the final term of employment, when their entitlement will be until the end of week 10 of that term only.

In addition to the above benefits, the Welfare Officers will each receive a stipend of £5,695 per annum, with cost-of-living increases in line with those applied to other salaries at the College (normally in August). They will each have access to an entertainment allowance of £300 per annum.

The Welfare Officers are each provided with a mobile telephone, for use only in the context of this role, so that they may be readily contacted in case of an emergency.

The post is subject to the satisfactory completion of a probationary term and is therefore offered for two terms in the first instance. At the end of these two terms, the post may be renewed until the post holder’s course comes to an end.

How to Apply

Applications consisting of a covering letter and CV stating the names and postal and email addresses of two referees, together with a Recruitment Monitoring Form, should be sent by email to the HR Manager at the following address: human.resources@spc.ox.ac.uk

Candidates are asked to arrange for their referees to send references directly to human.resources@spc.ox.ac.uk by the closing date. One of the referees should be the applicant’s University supervisor. The referees should refer to the candidate’s ability to meet the criteria outlined in the Role Description and Person Specification.

Please include the words ‘Welfare Officer’ in the subject line of all email correspondence. The closing date for applications has been extended to 12 noon on Tuesday, 12 May 2026. Interviews are expected to be held on Thursday, 21 May 2026.

Data Protection

All data supplied by applicants will be used only to determine their suitability for the post. The College may hold, use, or otherwise process personal data and sensitive personal data, as these terms are defined in the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

St Peter’s is an equal opportunities employer.