Job Description

The Role at a Glance

We are looking for an experienced and thoughtful Student Casework Manager to join our Complaints and Conduct team. Working alongside an existing Casework Manager, you will help lead the delivery of student casework across complaints, disciplinary matters, and criminal conviction processes. Your work will ensure that cases are handled fairly, efficiently, and with appropriate care, while meeting both institutional requirements and national sector expectations.

This is a role with real responsibility and impact. You will be trusted to manage complex and sensitive cases, contribute to sound decision-making at senior level, and help ensure that students feel heard, supported, and treated with dignity throughout formal processes.

Key Responsibilities

In this position, you will:

• Oversee and manage a varied portfolio of student cases, including high-risk and sensitive matters such as sexual misconduct.
• Act as clerk to Misconduct Panel Hearings, ensuring that proceedings are procedurally fair, well-documented, and compliant with University regulations.
• Provide clear, evidence-based advice to senior decision-makers to support lawful, proportionate, and defensible outcomes.
• Serve as the University’s main point of contact with the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA), coordinating responses and advising on institutional risk.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement of policies, procedures, training, and casework systems across complaints and conduct.
• Work closely with colleagues across Professional Services and Academic Schools to promote good practice, safeguard students, and reduce legal and reputational risk.
• Stay informed about national developments in student complaints, discipline, safeguarding, and regulatory expectations, ensuring the University’s approach reflects sector best practice.

About You

You will be a confident and experienced caseworker, comfortable handling complex investigations and sensitive subject matter with professionalism and care.

You will bring:

• Demonstrable experience of managing complex cases, ideally using a trauma-informed approach.
• Strong investigative skills and the ability to exercise sound judgment in high-pressure or emotionally challenging situations.
• A calm, empathetic, and structured way of working, particularly when dealing with distressing content.
• A commitment to ensuring students feel able to raise concerns and navigate formal processes with confidence.
• Degree-level education (or equivalent professional experience).
• Excellent organisational and IT skills, with the ability to manage your own workload and support colleagues when needed.
• Clear, professional communication skills for working with senior staff, external bodies, and a wide range of stakeholders.
• Experience within higher education, the criminal justice system, or a comparable regulatory environment is desirable, but not essential.
• A strong commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion underpins everything we do, and you will be expected to actively embed inclusive practice in your work.

About the Student Experience Division

The Student Experience Division exists to support students throughout their time at the University of Sussex. Led by the Student Experience Director and senior leadership team, the division brings together services focused on:

• Academic quality and student records
• Careers and entrepreneurship
• Advice, guidance, and wellbeing
• Complaints, conduct, and safeguarding

We work collaboratively with Schools and professional teams to create an environment in which students can thrive, develop confidence, and achieve their goals.

Why Work at Sussex?

The University of Sussex is a research-intensive, internationally recognised institution set within a 150-acre campus at the foot of the South Downs National Park. We offer excellent transport links, including a mainline train station adjacent to campus, extensive bus routes, cycling infrastructure, and subsidised parking options.

Our employment practices reflect national guidance and regulatory frameworks, including:

Equality Act 2010 guidance: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/equality-act-2010-guidance

UK Home Office – Skilled Worker visa route: https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa

We are proud of our diverse community and are committed to creating an inclusive, supportive workplace where staff can do their best work.

Application Details

• Closing date: 4 January 2026 (15:59 UK time)
• Expected interviews: 21–23 January 2026
• Expected start date: February or March 2026

This role may be eligible for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship, subject to UK Home Office requirements.

To apply, please visit the University of Sussex vacancies page and submit your application online.